BY ANDREW KOK
DETROIT FREE PRESS GUEST WRITER
The Michigan Farm Bureau supports a greener Detroit, and we're happy to help residents farm or garden. But growing Detroit does not require changes to the Michigan Right to Farm Act.
Every state has a Right to Farm Act. Michigan has a model that already covers greenhouses and farm markets in Detroit, Grand Rapids and many other cities. If there are unique situations in Detroit that require special ordinances, the city can address them without amending the law.
The Right to Farm Act allows local governments to enact additional ordinances, subject to review by the Michigan Commission of Agriculture. We urge Detroit to work through this established process.
We also encourage city planners to think twice about adopting their own regulations; farmers don't want to grapple with inconsistent rules. The Right to Farm Act is popular largely because it prevents a patchwork of regulations.
Continued at: http://www.freep.com/article/2011030...9/1068/opinion
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