No more gardening talk

[brat]

because apparently........ It's racist. 

http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/michaelschaus/2014/08/09/leftist-professor-labels-gardening-advice-as-racist-n1876789/page/full

http://www.prisonplanet.com/academic-using-gardening-terms-like-soil-purity-is-racist.html


AND...... in some states, we're talking AGRI-TERRORISM ! 

http://www.theorganicprepper.ca/dept-of-agri-shuts-down-cell-of-potential-agri-terrorists-seed-libraries-outlawed-in-pennsylvania-08032014

[Well-Prepared Witch]

Saw that last one. Ridiculous!

[JohnyMac]

OMG, that last one is RIDICULOUS and we live part-time in PA.

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Another example of large and intrusive government gone a muck.

Side story: I was given a heads up that the EPA & USDA are now visiting properties in the county that have farm animals. They are asking for the properties "Manure Management Plan." When a animal owner doesn't/can't provide one IN WRITING; with extra copies to supply on demand, they are sited and must produce said document within 15 days or be subject to the barn animals being removed.

Because I allow my neighbor the use of my meadow to feed some of his barn animals, I have to also have a Manure Management Plan. 

My neighbors plan reads as follows:

Cattle, chickens, Ducks, Goats and turkey's shit in the field. The animals are organically fertilizing the grass that then grows and they eat - To again shit in the field. This organic process continues till I take them to the butcher. Then my family eats them and they in turn shit in a toilet which goes to my legal septic tank. The septic tank is emptied when the fill alarm goes off and the honey dipper man comes to clean it out. I no-not-where the honey dipper man takes the shit that started with grass growing in my field.

Your government at work which you elect to office and you in turn pay for. 





 

[brat]

Your government at work which you elect to office and you in turn pay for

in which they in turn shit on the taxpayer. Vicious cycle we have going here. I need a steak.

[Burt Gummer]

Cattle, chickens, Ducks, Goats and turkey's shit in the field. The animals are organically fertilizing the grass that then grows and they eat - To again shit in the field. This organic process continues till I take them to the butcher. Then my family eats them and they in turn shit in a toilet which goes to my legal septic tank. The septic tank is emptied when the fill alarm goes off and the honey dipper man comes to clean it out. I no-not-where the honey dipper man takes the shit that started with grass growing in my field.

There is an art to telling the government to go fuck them selves, and your neighbor is an artist.

[Well-Prepared Witch]

There is a *reason* for manure management plans, especially when you consider that MOST for-profit farms (the largest segment of farm animal-owning people) use prophylactic antibiotics, have huge numbers of animals with massive amounts of waste, and have major issues with disease due to over-crowding.  In addition, fertilizer and farm waste run-off is a huge environmental concern for our water systems. 

Now, that said, one of the major issues facing small farmers, and growing the number of small farmers, is that they're expected to adhere to the exact same regulations as Big Ag.  First, the challenges and issues they face are different from Big Ag not only in scale, but in scope and execution as well.  Second, where hiring one person to just do the paperwork is completely reasonable for a several hundred thousand to several million dollar a year organization, for the small farmer who is accountant, legal consultant, vet, farmer, hired hand, and marketing specialist all rolled into one the paperwork burden is vastly different.

If/when we increase the number of animals on our farm we'll have to create a manure management plan, and I found that out when I was doing my research on the local laws and regulations.  Knowing that, IMHO, is part of the responsibilities of an owner, just like knowing your local leash laws for your dog.