MICHIGAN GARDEN-FARMERS ARE THREATENED BY Michigan's Generally Acceptable Agricultural Practices (GAAMPs)

 

WEIRD LAWS OF THE LAND: While Leaders of every nation are well-known HYPOCRITES who proposed Laws & Policy Making that instead of saving and benefitting the citizen, actually harms more. It is well-known fact that all the "SAVE THE PLANET" cries of the GOVERNMENT of every country in the world are two-faced --- While they (GOVT) are destroying the Planet at an alarming pace, they preach SAVE SAVE... GLOBAL WARMING... and all the CRAPS one can imagine.

What is the harm in growing Organic Vegetables for one's own consumption in one's own piece of land? Why Governments are against such a noble healthy habits of its citizen? But obvious, healthy citizen means less money making racket for the Pharma, Medical, Chemical, GM Companies and less kickbacks for the politicians.

Michigan garden-farmers who are growing Organic Vegetables for self consumption are being targeted by the Government, who are introducing changes in GAAMPs... Read on: 

Small individual acts. This morning I wrote a letter. There is much I do not understand, about some of our human-ways. But I keep trying. I must keep myself informed of what's happening in the outside world. Even though I'm so wrapped up in my little O'k garden-farm worlds, and daily doings like many of us of making ends meet. 

Some of my other small-scale and family-farmer friends help me out in big ways. By bartering some of their goods and services, and also in knowledge and info sharing. Several of them have helped me understand that I need to be informed about something called GAAMPs via the Michigan Right to Farm Act. They say that we all need to work towards protecting and extending the rights of urban, suburban, and rural small-scale farming operations throughout Michigan. And that our rights as garden-farmers, etal are threatened by proposed changes to Michigan's Generally Acceptable Agricultural Practices (GAAMPs) currently under review by "first bring(ing) operations as small as a single animal under the control of the Site Selection GAAMPs," the alert warns, "and then using (a new category) to exclude those operations from Right to Farm protection in residential areas." As a worm farmer, and CSA proprietor, I felt the need to respond. 

Here's my not very-well written letter----and I encourage any/all of you Michiganders to consider how you feel about the issues raised of added regulations for small-scale and urban garden farmers, and possibly to do the same. 

This is a today thing. 

As in Wednesday, January 22nd. E-mail comments/public input of the GAMMPS to the Michigan Right to Farm should be directed to WilcoxR2@michigan.gov, and must arrive by p.m. on Jan. 22, 2014. 

Dear Ms. Wilcox, 

I'm an urban garden-farmer in Traverse City, Michigan. I work within three neighborhoods, developing small-scale garden and food/crop production sites. Through a program we call LLOOF (Learning Local on Organic Farms) we share knowledge and teach organic growing and permaculture skills/practices and are greatly concerned about as well as committed to, the very important need of empowering families with a grow your own skill-set. I believe the proposed Michigan Right to Farm Act, changes are overkill and a dangerous move for small-scale and urban garden-farmers like myself and the families I work with. We are mostly trying to feed ourselves, like the kitchen gardeners and victory gardeners, because we need to eat and can't afford or don't have access to good, clean, healthy, nutrient-dense food. 

The approach that continually DOES NOT work and is far from fair to the citizens is to compare small-scale and suburban practices to large scale agricultural practices. Education is necessary. Laws and methods of economic punishment and regulatory overkill are not. Those of us tending small-scale and urban garden farm sites are the ones truly promoting sound environmental stewardship by choosing to step away from large-scale and damaging practices of what has become "traditional" big agriculture farmers. Many of us are inspired by devoted, large scale farmers--this isn't an issue about who's right. It's about what we can do better and sensibly, considering the results of practices that need to be put to rest, because of what we've learned from experience. 

What small-scale and urban farms are doing---especially in urban centers like Detroit---is a decent and necessary act of care-taking people, planet and giving something back. Please voice my concern about this continued practice of over-doing and over-kill and take action based on the realities we are living with and the conditions that so many Michigan citizens are struggling through, economically. Give back to us through a well-thought out plan and step away from a broken down system that is spinning it's wheels and destroying our common, basic human needs. 

My final suggestion and offer is that each and everyone on this committee (and in this room if you should share my comments) attend a Permaculture Design Course, a 72 hour certification which will teach a new whole-system approach to issues like this, and includes guidance through a set of principles, ethics and ecological design process. In fact, I'm happy to recommend several which are scheduled to take place throughout the Great Lake State in 2014. Thank you for your time and consideration of my comments. 

Gracias, 

`penny Krebiehl Directress/Founder, 

Little Artshram www.littleartshram.org 

Sponsor/Organizer, 

Michigan Permaculture Convergence www.michiganpermacultureconvergence.com Founder/Administrator, Northern Michigan Regional Permaculture https://www.facebook.com/pages/Northern-Michigan-Regional-Permaculture/163332607035880 

Owner/Garden Farmer, O'k CSA and Permaculture Design www.pennyokart.com 

For information on 2014 O'k CSA Cooperative membership, distributed weekly, June-Sept (or Dec.) at the Peace Patch Garden in the Central Neighborhood in Traverse City contact us! 

penny.ok.art@gmail.com 

231-922-2014