Mich right to farm act-I need some basic info

[mcrich]

First off this web site is great! I have spent hours sorting through the hundreds of posts, which have been helpful.Can anyone tell me what defines a farm. Most of the info seems to deal with big operations. We have 3 hens(would like to get more) in our back yard. To be defined as a farm do you have to put up a sign with a name, or do you have to sell a certain amount. We really started with the chickens for our own use and quality of life issues but now the township says we have to get rid of them. I came across the Mi right to farm act and am thinking it can help our case. Please help I just took another call from the twp telling me to get rid of the chickens

 

[spangledcornish]

The definition of a farm employed by the USDA for data collection purposes is "any operation that sells at least one thousand dollars of agricultural commodities or that would have sold that amount of produce under normal circumstances." From the USDA web pages

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

&

Here is a thread that might help some. Good luck!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/182280/michigan-right-to-farm-law-what-does-it-mean

 

[mcrich]

thanks hillbillyhen. I did come across that thread it was great but the law itself did not seem to address size of operation or volume of product sold if you indeed have to sell at all. I did not know whether to assume that those things don't matter or if there is more to the law that I am not seeing. I'm just a simple guy don't ya know. anyway thanks for your interest. Any other thoughts, let me know. Oh yea I love your picture,

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

I live in Monroe County in SE MI. In my county, a property can be classified as "farm" if there are 10+ acres and 50+% of the propery is being used for agricultural purposes (pastureland, crops, hay, ect).

 

[mcrich]

Hi roosters crow Hens deliver, I hope I am reading the Mi right to farm act in a broad sense. In the law under their definitions there is no reference to land size. As some have implied here, you could have 1/4 acre and be considered a farm under this law. I'll keep researching!

 

[halo]

Have you read the Michigan Right To Farm Act?

http://legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-Act-93-of-1981.pdf

 

[Chemguy]

Have you read the Michigan Right To Farm Act?

http://legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-Act-93-of-1981.pdf

That is what I was thinking. The act is to allow farms to continue to be farms, not to protect the right of new farms to be created. The act is in response to a situation in which, say, a subdivision is built next to a farm, the new residents complain about noise and smell, the farm gets shut down for being a public nusiance.

 

[culler]

In Michigan the Right to farm law protects the old and also the new farms. In Michigan the individual citys and Township governing bodys decide the amount of land you need to be considered a farm. In my Township the amount of land was lowered to 10 acres. Their are restrictions about how far you must stay away from property line when building animal housing. The Michigan right to farm act supersides all local ordinances though.

 

[mcrich]

since I am already on the twp's radar how do I find out what they consider the size of a farm to be