State move to help Detroit, other cities with urban farming

LANSING -- Detroit and other cities in Michigan exceeding 100,000 in population got a break from a state commission that could open the door to more urban farming.
The Michigan Agriculture Commission approved amendments Wednesday to state farm regulations aimed at promoting commercial agriculture that effectively exempts large cities from a provision of the state Right to Farm Act, which prohibits local regulation of farm operations.

Without the exemption, cities around the state, including Detroit, have been reluctant to permit commercial agriculture out of concern they would not be able to control nuisance odors, traffic and similar issues under the Right to Farm Act.

http://www.freep.com/article/2011121...-urban-farming

So they take away food stamps and then tell us we can grow our own food. Very nice

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Originally Posted by MSUguy

Without the exemption, cities around the state, including Detroit, have been reluctant to permit commercial agriculture out of concern they would not be able to control nuisance odors, traffic and similar issues ...

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Riiiiggghht. That's why Detroit put a trash incinerator and hangars of stinking, smelly trash in the middle of town.

They should have exempted the Michigan Department of Agriculture from having any oversight over municipalities. Nothing but trouble, they are.

This is actually a pretty constructive move for the legislature. I hope the city will now feel it is adequately protected and allow agricultural uses to move forward.

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Originally Posted by casscorridor

So they take away food stamps and then tell us we can grow our own food. Very nice

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Allow a man to farm and he can eat forever.

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Originally Posted by Zozo

Allow a man to farm and he can eat forever.

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i think you are missing the point...

Our government is cutting anything it can get its hands on while everyone praises them for allowing urban farming in Detroit.

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Originally Posted by casscorridor

So they take away food stamps and then tell us we can grow our own food. Very nice

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Mayor Hazen S. Pingree started his potatoe patch farming for poor Detroiters who couldn't buy food. It was pure urban farming but it fed some Detroiters during its ecomonic crisis of 1895.

So, pragmatically speaking, what would farming regulation mean in Detroit? My guess is that city government will probably stall any farming projects beyond of people's backyards.. Still too many folks here wrapped up in the idea of agribusiness = slavery/sharecropping.

And yet Snyder's on his knees begging young people to not move to Chicago [[where this type of legislation would be asinine).