• Posted 12/19/2024.
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    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Michigan's Right to Farm

Dennis Hultman

Dennis Hultman

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Michigan residents lose 'right to farm' in backyards

http://www.sott.net/article/278596-Michigan-residents-lose-right-to-farm-in-backyards
Property rights took a hit this week when the Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development voted to to take away protections for backyard farmers statewide - which will result in many small farms being shut down.

Backyard and urban farms were previously protected by Michigan's Right to Farm Act. The Act stated that local ordinances could not trump the state's Generally Accepted Agriculture Management Practices (GAAMP). After the rule change, however, these protections no longer apply to many homeowners who keep small numbers of livestock.

Lands that are located within 1/8 mile proximity to 13 neighboring homes, or that are 250-feet away from just one neighboring home, will no longer receive protection of the Right to Farm Act. The regulatory mess is going to shut down many small farms completely, and leave many others with large sections of property that is prohibited for farm use.

Backyard farmers who raise their own chickens, goats, pigs, and honey may have to give up their operations and go back to shopping for mass produced meats at the supermarket.

One small farmer, Michelle Regalado Deatrick, told MLive that half of her 80-acre farm may be zoned out of use, as it falls into "Category 3," which is described as "generally not suitable for livestock production facilities."

Kim White, who raises chickens and rabbits, said, "They don't want us little guys feeding ourselves. They want us to go all to the big farms. They want to do away with small farms and I believe that is what's motivating it."

This movement shut down small farmers is a boon for large industrial farms, which will benefit from the lack of competition. Sustaining one's family with homegrown food is a basic right; destroying it makes everyone more dependent on large, politically-connected corporations.

On principle, every American should be concerned about the continued destruction of property rights. When a "property owner" must pay the government annual duties and ask for permission do do basic things, it is apparent that the only real entity that may every actually own any land is the government.
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I have to say,I'm ok with some of the new laws.
If I lived in town and a new neighbor bought the house next to me and raised chickens and roosters,I'd be shooting those rooster daily. And than it's an on going issue with owners of those chickens.

But for the lady with 80 acres,different story. Her acres are more than 1/8th mile. I think they took it a bit far.

And moving is always an option . Farming live stock should be done in certain areas. But if they have been farming there prior,they should keep farming as long as it isn't in town .
 
The one I don't get is the ban on honeybees as they're pretty benign. My mom had two hives in her back yard, 1/2 acre in suburbia, without any issues.

The wasps and yellow jackets are worse, those little SOB's will chase you!

I also note rabbits didn't make the list, probably because they are classified as pets. Rabbit ain't bad eating.
 
Man, I dunno, but it seems like the problem runs much deeper than this.

Point blank: The less food we CAN produce ourselves, at any level, the more food we will HAVE to import. So who is the ultimate beneficiary of such policies? Like everything else, follow the money trail.

Anyone else becoming concerned about how much of our food supply is actually coming out of China lately? Seriously, our government claims that we NEED to have ethanol polluting our gasoline to try to lessen our dependency on foreign oil while on the other hand they are promoting policies making us more and more dependent on foreign food. Does that make any sense? Well, yeah, I guess it does when you factor in the fact that China basically owns our government. The USA would be bankrupt without those Chinese loans, now wouldn't it? Try to tell me that this fact doesn't influence policy a LOT....

We just picked up a half dozen fruit cups at the grocery store made by Dole. While putting them into the cupboard Connie happened to notice that they were actually made in China. :ack2: I want her to take them back to the store and tell them WHY we are returning them, to make a point, but she doesn't want to bother with it. She'll either throw them away or give them to someone who doesn't care where they were made. So basically, you HAVE to read the labels on everything you buy. If it doesn't say where it was made or produced, then just assume China. Sorry, but I may very well tolerate using tools and appliances made in China, but damned if I will knowingly eat any foodstuffs coming from there.
 
I'm for growing all our own food. Fruit and veggies in town is a little different than chickens and pigs. And as far as where our food comes from,I care. We grow our own fruit and veggies right here in the city. I grew a patch of corn ( 10' x 15' ) right in my front yard. :yesnod: Would I raise live stock with neighbors who are close ? No. I have respect enough to not make them go through the noise,smell,possible rodents coming for free feed,possible disease. These are all things for rural living and I would be upset also.

My cars,guns,clothes and wife are all American. :D
 
Mark my words, sometime in the future, anything marked as "MADE IN AMERICA" will be viewed as valuable collectibles, as products manufactured in a once great country.

And collectors will NOT be paying for them with US dollars.
 
WebSlave said:
Mark my words, sometime in the future, anything marked as "MADE IN AMERICA" will be viewed as valuable collectibles, as products manufactured in a once great country.

And collectors will NOT be paying for them with US dollars.
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Then if not our cash,gold will do.
 
I suspect that there is very little, if any, gold bullion left in the USA.
 
allreptiles1966 said:
If I lived in town and a new neighbor bought the house next to me and raised chickens and roosters,I'd be shooting those rooster daily. And than it's an on going issue with owners of those chickens.
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I think you have summarized the conflict in just a few sentences. The Right To Farm Act protected farmers when people moved to the country, bought a home right next to a farm, and all of a sudden found out that farm animals can make noise and some of them can smell. They 'came to the nuisance' and so were out of luck with their complaints; and this was codified with the Farm Act.

But when suburban farmers start up a farm, the residents in the area were already there, they didn't 'come to the nuisance', and some of them don't want to be downwind from a pig sty.

It is in my opinion unfortunate that these conflicts were settled by government instead of efforts for the neighbors to come to an understanding.
I am very much for families being able to grow produce and raise food. For one thing, we all gain when that happens. Those who are poor can grow and raise some of their food, and we can all have less tax dollars pay for food assistance.
 
Lucille said:
I think you have summarized the conflict in just a few sentences. The Right To Farm Act protected farmers when people moved to the country, bought a home right next to a farm, and all of a sudden found out that farm animals can make noise and some of them can smell. They 'came to the nuisance' and so were out of luck with their complaints; and this was codified with the Farm Act.

But when suburban farmers start up a farm, the residents in the area were already there, they didn't 'come to the nuisance', and some of them don't want to be downwind from a pig sty.
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And the other side of the coin (which is a constant battle personally) is the town growing and changing and not honoring what was there first or their agreements that grandfathered you in 40 years ago.

I have chickens, goats, garden, orchards etc.. in a area where land is unbelievable out of reach of most people. In return you have people moving in that do not value having something as non intrusive as chickens (minus roosters) around. As development continues and cities and towns expand and build up around, Suddenly you find that you are a suburban farmer. I could say they are the nuisance not I.
 
And you would be absolutely right, personally and legally. The concept of 'coming to the nuisance' refers to those who move to the nuisance.
In my example I had a farmer move into an already populated situation.
In any case growing food is so important that it is worth fighting for. My little garden though minuscule provides me with a lot of fresh vegetables.

The problem is that we have become an adversarial society. Instead of the parties affected sitting down with the town elders and trying to work something out, a law is passed. And the government is all too happy to let that happen, because what actually passes into law is heavily influenced by special interest lobbyists that contribute to political committees.

I heard somewhere years ago that one of the most important duties of a newly elected representative is to raise money for committees and reelections and so on, and I think that is probably true. When I heard it (in school) it quashed any thought I had of representing folks, dinner parties and fleecing people for money isn't why I had an interest in the law.
 
"The Law" is a perfect example of "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."
 
WebSlave said:
"The Law" is a perfect example of "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."
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It is true, the actual practical use of the concept of law, like everything else, can suffer from misuse. I do not think anarchy is an answer, but neither do I think that codifying the solution to every possible dispute is healthy or workable.
 
WebSlave said:
I suspect that there is very little, if any, gold bullion left in the USA.
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Maybe not. But in our home we take great pride in buying gold for our retirement. I started when it was only 380 per oz.

It sounds as if at some point we will be back to the barter and trade method. Which I like myself.
 
What in the hell do these city people think goes on in the county? I'll be honest,I would provoke them if I lived in the country and they told me no raising my own food anymore.
 
WebSlave said:
Sorry, but I may very well tolerate using tools and appliances made in China, but damned if I will knowingly eat any foodstuffs coming from there.
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My wife is Chinese and she refuses to buy and foodstuff that comes from China. She will get stuff that was imported from Japan but she just does not trust the safety of Chinese grown foods because of the pollution levels and other shady practices.
 
allreptiles1966 said:
They probably have led in their food too.
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probably, China is just notorious for contamination.

My brother lives in S. Korea (teaching English) and a few years ago became ill. the doctors thought he was suffering from kidney stones but they would not pass and they could not find any. As it turns out he had been eating some candy (made in China) that he had in his classroom for the kids; it had melanin (or something) in it, the same stuff that was killing dogs when it was found to be in dog food.
He threw away the candy and has since recovered.

The imported food controversy is not just here; my brother tells me that South Koreans are opposed to importing food from China under some free trade deal for the same reasons Americans are opposed to it.
 
Missouri is having a 'Right to Farm' constitutional amendment vote soon.
Some appear to be fighting the passage of the amendment because they are linking it to Big Ag, saying that if Big Ag uses genetically altered crops or other measures that harm a smaller neighboring farm, the amendment would make redress more difficult because it would give Big Ag a right to use their farming methods.
 
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