Thomason Family Farm

Ypsilanti City Council Approves Backyard Henneries

2009-07-22T04:53:00.000-07:00

After a three year effort by local food and farming advocates, on July 21, 2009, the Ypsilanti City Council, in a unanimous 5 - 0 vote, approved the keeping of hens in urban backyards. For more details visit http://ypsiciti.com/section/News/-article-1013.html

Mini-Nubian Breeding bucks for sale

2009-06-17T04:27:00.000-07:00

We currently have three (3) - 2 month old bucklings for sale. These Mini-Nubians come from a good line of milkers out of our breeder and their grand-sire is well known. Contact Peter at 734-482-2438 or peterthomason@comcast.net for prices and more information.

Free Registration to Indiedibles

2009-05-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

Right now you can register for free with Indiedibles at http://www.indiedibles.com/ and watch cool videos about urban farming. In the "How To" section there are sessions on cold frames and greenhouse plant starting by us. In the "Stimulus Package" there is an introduction to our family and a discussion about what we are trying to do with cooperative urban agriculture. There will be more pieces done throughout the year, I hope you enjoy them and tell your friends!

May 2009 - The Vision Expands

2009-05-02T06:18:00.000-07:00

I am terribly behind posting new photos and information. Between the normal stuff of daily life with a large family, Becky's and my other jobs, trying to expand our growing capacity, transplanting 10,000 vegetable starts, preparing for goats to be born, and trying to figure out how to make room for 60 rabbits, I just have not gotten to it...BUT I WILL KEEP TRYING!!

This year, our daughter Aubrey has taken on the role of farm manager. She brings a lot of passion to the job as well as a wealth of wisdom and experience that are unusual for a 24- year old. She has traveled the world, spent a summer internship at Spannochia http://www.spannocchia.org/ , been involved in the renaissance of artisinal cheese making in the U.S. , and worked for Zingerman's http://www.zingermans.com/ for 7 years. She will be running our downtown farm market stand selling our produce and cheeses that she makes under the Zingerman's brand name. We are very excited to have her on board! She joins Rebecca, me, and Jil as the other part-time staff and has already helped plant more stuff tan we have ever had in the ground before by this date.

Also, we are very excited to publish this link to indiedibles http://www.indiedibles.com/ a venture headed up by our friend Michael Peters to promote and to support urban micro farming. For only $5 a month, you can get access to cool videos that provide practical advice on a whole host of topics. Their first visit here was in February and they will be documenting our work throughout the year. One of the things that will be explained in the shows is our vision of urban micro eco-farming as a cooperative community enterprise for utilizing fallow land, increasing our growing capacity, and restoring fertility to our local soil. Follow the link and subscribe!

Grass-fed West Michigan Beef & Downtown Farmers Market

2009-04-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

Be sure to check out the excellent grass-fed West Michigan beef we will start supplying to our beloved Ypsilanti Food Co-op beginning this week. The animals are lovingly raised near Hesperia (North of Muskegon) by our dear friends Bill and Patrice Bobier on their two-hundred acre farm.

One of the reasons grass-fed beef is more expensive is that the animals are not fattened in crowded, unhealthy feed lots with GMO corn. Grass-fed animals are healthier but they are leaner and smaller with a hanging weight per side of around 250 pounds as opposed to their much heavier conventionally-raised counterparts. Grass and forage is the main stay of their diet, as it is naturally for cattle. We think the meat has a better taste and consistency from this more humane and healthier way of raising them. Though it does cost more we think it is worth it - both for them and for us - so we eat less of it and use it more like a protein condiment! Try it, we think you will like it too. There will be ground beef, steaks, roasts, stew meat and even soup bones if you need them. The supply is limited so get it while it lasts.

We are also looking forward to the opening of the Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers Market in May. We will again have a stand there and be selling our fresh vegetables and Zingerman's locally made cheeses. By early May we will have our own locally grown greens for sale. See you there!

Collective Urban Micro Farming

2009-04-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to a new article in the Detroit Metro Times about our urban micro farm and what we are doing new this year.

http://www.metrotimes.com/news/story.asp?id=13878

Early April 2009

2009-04-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, I just noticed that it has been nearly a month since my last post. We have been busy here and life has a way of getting in the way of blogging - so to speak. Rebecca has been off work since February on a medical leave so that has been a big concern. She has gotten some good care though and seems to be improving, plans to be back to work this month. She and Jil are making progress on the rabbit business, sales are up, especially through a local pet store, Pet City, owned by our friends Annette and Stuart Collins. We have some really cool Lionhead rabbits...

A big event this Spring was the coming of the greenhouse courtesy of Amanda Edmonds and Growing Hope. We got all of our March starts seeded with the help of a class of 1st and 2nd graders who have come to learn and to help for the last two weeks. Collectively they planted over 1200 seeds! We now have 50 or more flats and troughs going with 3000 - 4000 seeds started.

Other news is that we are the subject of a yearlong documentary / instructional film series being produced by Michael Peters of indiedibles http://indiedibles.com/ . One of the cool things they are doing is advocating for urban farming while providing "how to" segments on everything from building cold frames to how to plant really small seeds and a bunch of things in between. I will let you know when the first piece is complete and available for viewing, it will be very soon, we have already previewed the final rough draft.

What else? Our daughter Aubrey, a cheesemaker for Zingermans and a member of the board of directors of Growing Hope has agreed to take on the role of farm manager for the Thomason Family Farm. She is helping us to take the urban farming venture to the next level of growing enough fresh and storage crops for our 5 households. By utilizing unused urban yards (unused in the sense that they are just growing grass lawns) we expect to have about 1/4 of an acre or more under tillage this year. What we don't need for ourselves we will be selling through our co-op, the Ypsilanti Food Co-op, or the downtown farmers' market in the KeyBank parking lot. From our stand at the market we plan to be selling our veggies, Zingermans cheeses, and some other items so look for us there! It looks like it will be a fun season.

Let's see, we also thinned out our flock of hens, down from 37 to 24 this week. We decided that was a number we were comfortable with so we donated the extra pullets to Dawn Farm http://www.dawnfarm.org/index.htm l. Manager Rick Weirich graciously took them in to help their cause.

I will try to get some photos posted soon, way behind on that. Goat kids due in a few weeks, hope to get video of that for you and write more about our collective / cooperative approach to growing more food in an urban setting and restoring fertility to the soil.

More soon!

Appeal Update

2009-03-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

As of this moment, we are actively pursuing the appeals process of our case "The People of the City of Ypsilanti v. Thomason" in which we are challenging the legality of the existing animal control ordinance. Ironically, I really think that by and large, "the People" are not opposed to what we are doing. What the process entails right now is a lot of legal maneuvering and setting of court dates for hearings, discussions, etc. We are deeply grateful to Professor David Santacroce and his students at the U of M Law Clinic for their help and their passion for winning our case. I encourage you to follow this discussion of civic life, you can read it at a local blog hosted by Mark Maynard http://markmaynard.com/?tag=urban-chickens .

Whatever the eventual outcome of the case, the good news is that there has been a groudswell of interest in urban agriculture over the last three years and many city residents now want to have a voice in shaping the policy. We are strongly encouraging Mayor Paul Schreiber to listen to knowedgable citizens and not to simply rely on the input of city staff and attorneys in formulating a new ordinance. Whether that happens through an ad hoc citizens' committee or a more formal Urban Agriculture Commission remains to be seen. Either way, it is important that the mayor and the council listen to what people are saying about the importance of food security and the place of agriculture in urban life. If you want to send him your thoughts he can be reached at Mayor@cityofypsilanti.com , his name is Paul Schreiber. To his credit, Mayor Schreiber has asked the city staff to look into writing a modified ordinance that would allow chicken raising and beekeeping - so far. We would like it to be even more inclusive but an email thanking him for being open to this and encouraging the formation of a citizens' advisory group would be in order, I think.

City Council Meeting on Tueday Feb 17th, 2009

2009-02-18T03:09:00.000-08:00

No real surprises at the meeting last night but there was clearly a lot of support. The city council approved the first pass on the amendment to the existing animal control ordinance, a provision that simply incorporates legal language deferring to the protections granted by the Michigan Right to Farm Act. There was also extensive discussion and a great presentation by our friend Amanda Edmonds on the virtues of urban farming.

In brief, if our appeal is successful the current ordinance will be nullified and any new one that in any way tries to limit the protections of the RTFA will have to have the permission of the Michigan Commission of Agriculture as stated in the law. The good news is that we have come a long way in the three years since we first tried to amend the ordinance. There is tremendous support for what we are doing and willingness on the part of council (if somewhat reluctantly) to consider the whole issue - a little fire under the feet never hurts now does it? The main reason for filing an appeal now (instead of waiting until Judge Tabbey renders a final decision in my case) is simply that we believe that his interpretation of the RTFA is wrong and must be challenged. Stay tuned!

Our Decision to Appeal Ypsilanti v Thomason Ruling

2009-02-14T02:13:00.000-08:00

I met with our attorneys from the U of M Law Clinic yesterday, and was very pleased to find out that they are going to represent us in our appeal of Judge Tabbey's ruling on our challenge of the Ypsilanti City Animal Control Ordinance. We believe that there are some really questionable interpretations of languauge and the law in his ruling and continue to be puzzled as to how the city attorney knew about the outcome weeks before it was made public. At that time, he (the city attorney) notified the city council that "the city had prevailed" in the case, and used it as an occasion for introducing an amendment to the ordinance that would add some Right to Farm Act language into it that appears to give deference to state law though it really fails to clarify anything. The first public hearing of the proposed amendment is this Tuesday and will include a presentation on urban agriculture by our dear friend Amanda Edmonds of Growing Hope and me. Members of the public will also have a chance to speak then and at the second public hearing. We were never granted these public hearings when we attempted to amend the ordinance three years ago - even though we followed the city's rules for doing it - but were denied that kind of due process by then mayor Cheryl Farmer.

Anyway, the city will most likely proceed with its proposed amendment, though I do not know for sure, even with litigation pending. If we win on appeal, the ordinance will be nullified since it will be shown to have been enacted contrary to the requirements of the Right to Farm Act. If this happens, the slate is, in effect wiped clean, and we can truly have a new community-wide discussion of the place of agriculture - of all kinds - in our city. This is very exciting not just because I, and many others, love our urban micro farm, but because it represents a large step forward in creating a sustainable and healthy future. In the meantime, if the city proceeds with trying to amend the existing ordinance, I encourage you to attend the city council meeting Tuesday night and voice your support for urban farming!

By the way, a big thank you to the more than three hundred visitors to this blogsite last week. We appreciate your stopping by and your interest in what we are doing!

Latest From the Ann Arbor News

2009-02-12T03:20:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to the latest news article. Please fill out the survey if you haven't done it already. On another note we have been approached by an independent film production company that wants to document our urban farming efforts through the seasons. They have asked if we would be willing to be the subject of their first podcast on March 1st and want to come next week to start filming.

http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2009/02/growing_hope_nonprofit_pushing.html

Court Ruling on Ypsilanti v. Thomason

2009-02-08T05:51:00.000-08:00

As you may know by now, Judge Tabbey's opinion on our motion to dismiss our case came down on the side of the existing Ypsilanti ordinance. You can read the whole thing here on this blogsite if you want by going to https://share.acrobat.com/adc/adc.do?app=org and clicking on the document called, "Decision on Motion to Dismiss." We think his interpretation of several key issues is questionable and are weighing the value of an appeal. However, if we can simply get the city engaged in a community-wide discussion of the value of urban farming and sustainable local agriculture there will be no real need for an appeal. The link to a survey by Growing Hope below will help to gather information and to gauge support for a better public policy. Please take the survey and get as many others to take it as you can. I will keep you posted on developments but there is a city council meeting currently scheduled for Feb 17th during which the city attorney is planning to introduce an amendment to the animal control ordinance which will incorporate some language deferring to the Right to Farm Act protections. Unfortunately it still leaves many things vague and does not protect what we are already doing. There is need for much community discussion and the support of those who believe in urban agriculture. There may be need for a write in campaign, either by email or postcard; I will keep you posted!

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pj-dQ-ivCZlO0jFXNU0hISQ&hl=en

Mistake by Ypsilanti city Attorney Causes Alarm

2009-01-22T03:55:00.000-08:00

Despite reports by the Ypsilanti City attorney's office that our case, Ypsilanti v. Thomason had been decided and that the city had prevailed, NO decision has been rendered and the District Court Judge has NOT published an opinion. How this mistake happened is baffling, to say the least, especially since the attorney's office even circulated it as fact to the city manager and the mayor. They even went so far as to write a proposed amendment to the existing animal control ordinance and to schedule it for council review on February 17th. Huh?

Update on Ypsilanti v. Thomason

2008-11-26T05:48:00.000-08:00

Well friends, we had our day in court yesterday and Annica, our student attorney from the U of M law clinic, did a wonderful job of representing us. She made a very clear statement and answered questions in support of our motion to dismiss the city citations based on the wording of the Michigan Right to Farm Act. We are currently awaiting a ruling by district court judge Kirk Tabbey and expect it to be issued in the next few weeks.

We will keep you posted - Happy Thanksgiving!

Farm News - Ypsilanti v Thomason and Lionhead Rabbits

2008-10-17T03:32:00.001-07:00

For those of you following our legal case with the city, we go back to court November 18 to formally present our motion to dismiss the charges. We filed the motion on Monday the 13th of October and are in a period during which the city has two weeks to respond and we have a week to counter their response. We really appreciate the support we have gotten from all of you, we'll keep you posted!

On another note, it's a typical farm scene here these days as we finish harvesting potatoes, tomatoes, basil, squash, and other things, and get ready for winter. A new consideration this year is improving the accommodations for our growing rabbitry. We just acquired 22 new cages from our dear friend Stewart Collins, the owner of Pet City here in Ypsilanti http://www.petcitypets.com which has made our life much easier! These Lionhead Rabbits are for sale and are among the cutest critters on earth. Photo by Jil Romine

News from the Farm

2008-09-24T03:48:00.000-07:00

Hello friends -

Follow this link for the latest news on our legal battle-

http://www.mlive.com/annarbornews/news/index.ssf/2008/09/ypsilanti_man_challenges_ticke.html

Last week we had a great group of about 50 people come through (mostly on bikes) for our locally organized "Tour de Fresh." The tour is put on by Growing Hope, the brainchild of our inspiring friend, founder and director Amanda Edmonds.

We also put on a workshop on Saturday morning for about 10 people called Urban Livestock 101 partially funded by the FSA (Farm Service Agency) of the USDA. We spent about 4 hours together doing the things we normally do on a Saturday like milking the goats, processing the milk, caring for chickens, collecting, cleaning, and packaging eggs, feeding rabbits, etc. and having a kitchen table discussion of all-manner of things related to keeping livestock in a city. It was great!

News From the Thomason Family Farm

2008-09-12T17:12:00.000-07:00

Well friends, it has been a very busy summer, this is the first time in many weeks that I have been able to sit down and write a new post! Lots has been happening so here is the news in brief:

our court case, Ypsilanti v. Thomason has been postponed for a couple of weeks. We continue to gather more information to strengthen our argument that we have a Right to Farm here in the city.
our rabbitry continues to expand under the name "Mane Street Lionhead Rabbits." These wonderful little bunnies are amazing and, once the breed is officially recognized by ARBA (the American Rabbit Breeders Association) they will do very well. Right now the breed standards are still being developed since there is a fair amount of variation. We have about 35 currently and there are some real stars among them.
our mini-Nubian kids are already 6 months old. We are looking for a home for two of the kids, the other two will remain with the older dams and become part of the dairy herd.
our 43 ISA Brown hens are doing very well and we have experienced a steadily increasing demand for eggs over the summer.
we have been blessed with some wonderful and much-needed help. Our dear neighbor Jil has become our rabbit wrangler and is leading the effort to tattoo all of the bunnies with their ear ID numbers. She has also been volunteering in many other capacities like milking goats, painting signs for the upcoming Tour de Fresh on September 16th(we are the 2nd stop on the tour) organized by Growing Hope http://www.growinghope.net/?gclid=CNj17fvA15UCFSIeDQodmEHUYQ
we are giving a workshop on Saturday September 20th from 9 AM to 1 PM - also organized by Growing Hope - on Urban Livestock. Spots are still available so contact them to register.
we started a number of new planting beds and grew quite a few varieties of organic garlic and potatoes in addition to our staple crops of Amish Paste and Sun Gold cherry tomatoes
we planted 3 varieties of wine grapes
we participated in the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival Parade again partnering with Growing Hope, The Ypsilanti Food Co-op, and Bike Ypsi - an alternative transportation initiative. We were extremely well received by the crowd and it was so much fun just to see people's faces light up as all of the animals came into view.
we continue to meet neighbors who come over to see what is going on here or people who hear about us and just stop by to look and to see.

That's it for the moment but I promise that we will post a new slide show of the 2008 growing season soon.

Blessings to you all,

Peter

Apostolic Farming in a City

2008-07-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

Our good friends at Madonna House in Combermere, Ontario have had a big impact on us for many decades. Follow this link to the e-version of Restoration, and an article I wrote for them in the current print issue about the concept of "apostolic farming." While you are visiting their home on the web, take a virtual tour of their 4000 acre community and farm.

http://www.madonnahouse.org/restoration/2008/07/apostolic_farming_in_a_city.html

City Goat Herding

2008-07-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

Follow the link below to the article on the front page of the Saturday July 26, 2008 Ann Arbor News about our city goats:

http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2008/07/no_goats_allowed_hens_ok_but_c.html

Important chicken Q & A for 2008:

2008-07-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

Question: Why did the chicken cross the road?

And the Answers:

DR. PHIL:
The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.

OPRAH:
Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

GEORGE W. BUSH:
We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

COLIN POWELL:
Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...

ANDERSON COOPER - CNN:
We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

JOHN KERRY:
Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

NANCY GRACE:
That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN:
To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART:
No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS:
Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY:
To die in the rain. Alone.

JERRY FALWELL:
Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth?' That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media white washes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA:
In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS:
Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.

JOHN LENNON:
Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

ARISTOTLE:
It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

BILL GATES:
I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^(C% ........ reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN:
Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

BILL CLINTON:
I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE:
I invented the chicken!

COLONEL SANDERS:
Did I miss one?

DICK CHENEY :
Where's my gun?

AL SHARPTON:
Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

What are they thinking?

2008-07-09T02:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_13332.cfm

Here is another interesting article contrasting conventional "industrial" farming with small scale, local, sustainable organic methods.

What do you think?

Gas Prices and the Return to City Living

2008-07-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

In his article entitled:

Fuel Prices Shift Math for Life in Far Suburbs

New York Times writer Peter S. Goodman makes some important observations about the economics of living in suburbia as commuting to work and driving everywhere become more and more expensive. See the full article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/business/25exurbs.html?_r=1&oref=slogin.

The corollary of course, for those who read between the lines, is that the cost and availability of food hangs in the balance or, in the scales, so to speak, held by those who are manipulating the price of fuel with apparent impunity.

Friends, the writing is on the wall and it says, "Start learning to grow your own food!"

Home Egg Delivery

2008-06-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

Not long ago I was delivering some eggs to one of our regular customers in my wife's four door Honda sedan and the woman commented about how nice it was to have home delivery. This reminded me of two other egg-men I have known over the years, both of whom have interesting stories.

When we first moved to Ann Arbor in the mid-1970s we got connected somehow with Harold Sias, a long-time local farmer who lived west of town and used to come around with the trunk of his Ford full of eggs. We bought his eggs for years and were also invited out to his place occasionally to slaughter his hens who had stopped laying. I remember doing about a hundred one day and taking thirty or forty home to put in the freezer. I also bought a lamb from him one year for our Easter dinner which he dispatched with a 22 and I then butchered. He lived there with his wife Margaret, also from an old local farming family. She had grown up on a farm in northeast Ann Arbor which was eventually bought up by a developer but the family had retained ownership of the homestead itself. Harold and I went there one day to make some roof repairs and it struck me as very odd that this old farmhouse was surrounded by a modern subdivision.

Walking into the house was like stepping back a hundred years in time. The kitchen had a cistern in it that received all the water collected by the eave troughs via a series of pipes, and the old pie safe in the cellar still held mason jars of canned foods even though no one had lived there for years. Lots of other personal effects were still there; it was as if they all just left everything right where it was and moved out as soon as they got the check from the title company.

Another egg-man I knew was a gentleman farmer and his wife who lived outside of Asbury Park, New Jersey. My mother grew up in Asbury and, according to family legend, one day Henry Clay Folger II, heir to the Standard Oil fortune showed up peddling eggs from the back of his Rolls Royce and soon became a friend and benefactor. When I was still quite small, I was astonished when they came by my aunt's house and took me for a ride in what seemed like an impossibly luxurious automobile. How was it possible that my parents knew these people I asked?

How do you get your eggs?

The Need for a Local Farming Revolution

2008-06-06T03:25:00.000-07:00

I get email from people around the country who are interested in urban and small farming questions. Here is one from a woman in northern Oakland County Michigan. I think that it shows quite clearly that there are more issues at stake here than just farming in the city for subsistence or for commercial reasons. The idea that you just need to move out "to the country" to do what we are doing just doesn't hold water anymore if we allow townships to do what is happening all over. Restrictions are being placed on land use everywhere which, in effect, pushes people to buy into the industrial farming system instead of raising food for themselves and their neighbors on small local farms:

Dear Peter,
I have been reading your story on the blog – your struggles with your neighbor (Daniel), and now about your recent citation to appear in court. I just want you to know that you are in our thoughts and prayers and we support what you are fighting for. We will continue to monitor your situation and share with others locally, what they too must be prepared to fight for.

Our township (in North Oakland County) is in the process of attempting to greatly reduce our ability to own chickens. They will at least allow (1) chicken per acre – isn’t that thoughtful of them? They unfortunately, passed the ordinance already (with no one’s awareness, of course) and it is due to go into effect the end of June (08) with a grandfather clause for those who already owned chickens exceeding this number. We just found out about this yesterday. The township planning meeting is this coming Tuesday, of which we will certainly be attending. We are at a loss as to why they have done this, since most of the township is a rural setting. There is a village within the township, but a very small one – at that. There are however, automotive executives (with much political clout) who have their country ‘estates’ here --- and my suspicious mind is a bit inflamed, I admit.

We wish you well in your battle. It would just seem as if there should be something they (your city) can do --- some sort of adjustment that can be made, to accommodate their need to satisfy the concern for '...if we let YOU do it, then we'll have to let OTHERS do it' dilemma. Perhaps some sort of local committee of volunteers can form to monitor any others' attempt at this, and to assure that GAAMP is satisfied, if so.

Economically - our society simply cannot continue with 'business as usual' ... but of course, the difficulty is in convincing others of that - isn't it? If there are any shreds of wisdom that you can toss our way – please do so. Thank you for your vigilance, and God bless…
Debra

Chickens in Ann Arbor

2008-06-04T05:21:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Steve K and the City of Ann Arbor for approving their new ordinance. I hope things go well. Ironically, the same day the ordinance was approved in Ann Arbor I got a citation to appear in court within ten days regarding our urban farm flock of 44 chickens and our herd of 6 dairy goats.

While doing some research recently, I found this quintessentially American quote attributed to the late urban legend Benchicken Franklin former president of the FRA:

"They can take away my chickens and goats when they can pry them out of my dead, cold fingers."

It was allegedly spoken as he was addressing a convention of the FRA while holding a chicken above his head and was met with wild cheers from his fellow members.