Organic Farmer Fined 5000 For Growing Crops On Own Land

[Filthy Keynes]

Organic Farmer Fined 5000 For Growing Crops On Own Land

The LAW is supposed to BENEFIT the PEOPLE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT9qKnmBqy0

[Dogman]

That case with all the publicity, should go over like a screen door in a submarine.

Ass Wipes!

[Ares]

Tell them to go F**k themselves. His land, his crops, fortify the house and arm up to the teeth.

Why conform to rape?

[Serpo]

Growing food on your own land is now a criminal offence........

Its alright sir ,we are from the Government and we are totally insane....

[7th trump]

This has nothing to do with growing your own crops being illegal.
You freaken people just dont get it and scream like the aliens on body snatchers when you see a small hint of not being able to grow your own crops. You people really want the government to step in dont you!
This is about a zoning issue.....................not growing your own crops on your land.

Stupid is what stupid does and you guys sure as hell make a great example of stupid does. I thought this place had some realistic people in it but maybe I'm wrong.
Gee wis stupids the guy even went and rezoned his property for growing more than his land was zoned for. He's being cited and fighting the issue of growing to much for the previous zoning regs. has nothing what so ever to do with not being able growing your own crops In all honesty he should have thought about what he was doing under the old zoning.

[TheNocturnalEgyptian]

Whatever, 7th Trump...The man "Owns" 2 acres...his charge? Growing too many vegetables!

That alone is bullsh*t, give me a better reason to fine him.

[7th trump]

Whatever, 7th Trump...The man "Owns" 2 acres...his charge? Growing too many vegetables!

That alone is bullsh*t, give me a better reason to fine him.

Hes well within city limits for such regs to apply, so dont stab me in the dick with nonsense.
And what makes you think he owns the land?
He pays property taxes so he doesnt.................he rents!
He bought land that had regulations attached to it. His fault!

I dont like eithe,r but hey lets look at it for what it is. He violated the regulations and codes.

The heading is misleading to scare people who organic farm. This is about zoning niot being able to grow your own food.

[Tumbleweed]

I wonder what the hell they want him to do with his two acres rather than grow vegatables? I suppose they think he should grow grass, mow it once a week then haul it to the dump. Seems like a waste to me.

[7th trump]

I wonder what the hell they want him to do with his two acres rather than vegatables? I suppose they think he should grow grass, mow it once a week then haul it to the dump. Seems like a waste to me.

If you were paying attention he rezoned his land to grow on the two acres.

PAY ATTENTION!

[Tumbleweed]

well if he had it rezoned to grow food on then they should just leave him alone!

[7th trump]

well if he had it rezoned to grow food on then they should just leave him alone!

I agree, but cities all over are looking for revenue. We dont know if the city sent a letter to tell him he was growing to much either and he just ignored it. Most cities will first tell you and give you a chance to correct before imposing a fine.

[hoarder]

Zoning is stealing.

[gunny highway]

This is about a zoning issue.....................not growing your own crops on your land.

Stupid is what stupid does and you guys sure as hell make a great example of stupid does. I thought this place had some realistic people in it but maybe I'm wrong.

no, you were right. of course it's a zoning issue. zoning is one of the mechanisms by which govt gains control of your property. but it is also about growing your own crops being illegal, by virtue of the fact that classic Euclidean zoning makes it a civil offense, thus illegal, to grow more than the legal limit. while i disagree completely with the municipality here, they have every legal right to fine him. they have the zoning ordinance to back them up. there is a solution to this and it's call Form Based Code which is based much less on land use and simply dictates density and urban form. much much fewer restrictions, unless you want a gas station next to a coffee shop or a junkyard next to a bakery. for health reasons. Beaufort County, SC is in the process of adopting a form based code for Daufuskie Island in order to save it from the Euclidean zoning that was ruining it.

http://www.co.beaufort.sc.us/about-beaufort-county/public-service/planning/index.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Form-based_code

[Dogman]

well if he had it rezoned to grow food on then they should just leave him alone!

I agree, but cities all over are looking for revenue. We dont know if the city sent a letter to tell him he was growing to much either and he just ignored it. Most cities will first tell you and give you a chance to correct before imposing a fine.



Also another thought comes to mind, in the video he says he has been growing on that property for what 13-15 years??

The question that comes to mind , was the zoning law in place or did it come after? If after he should be grandfathered in I would think? If they did it later and he was not informed, I would call it sneaky on the city's part.

?

[Joe King]

If he'd been doing it for that long, it's probably when he started doing it commercially that he drew attention to himself.

Had he kept it as a hobby and gave his veggies away to friends and neighbors the way everyone else does that has a backyard garden, it most likely wouldn't have been an issue.
But he didn't do that. He went with a commercial agriculture approach in an area not zoned for it.
i.e. he broke the rules of the area in which he chose to live.


While I'm not a fan of zoning ordinances, here's a question for those totally against them.

Would you be ok with someone starting a pig farm, or perhaps a dog food factory, or even a concrete batch plant right next door to where you live, simply because they were the owner of that land?
You'd be ok with making a 30 year commitment to a property with that possibility?

IMO, zoning is what allows you to be able to "buy" a property to live at and be able to know that it's going to stay a residential neighborhood.

[hoarder]

IMO, zoning is what allows you to be able to "buy" a property to live at and be able to know that it's going to stay a residential neighborhood.

Deed restrictions is what allows you to be able to "buy" a property to live at and be able to know that it's going to stay a residential neighborhood.

Deed restrictions are voluntary, zoning is stealing.

[Joe King]

IMO, zoning is what allows you to be able to "buy" a property to live at and be able to know that it's going to stay a residential neighborhood.

Deed restrictions is what allows you to be able to "buy" a property to live at and be able to know that it's going to stay a residential neighborhood.

Deed restrictions are voluntary, zoning is stealing.

If the zoning in question exists at the time of purchase, how is that any different than a deed restriction?
Also, deed restrictions aren't voluntary.
Unless by voluntary you mean that you voluntarily choose to not purchase the property due to the deed restrictions.

[hoarder]

If the zoning in question exists at the time of purchase, how is that any different than a deed restriction? It isn't. The stealing occurs when zoning is enacted on unwilling landowners.

Also, deed restrictions aren't voluntary.
Unless by voluntary you mean that you voluntarily choose to not purchase the property due to the deed restrictions.


How could they be involuntary? You have to own the land to put restrictions on them. No one is forced to buy property that has deed restrictions. No force. If somebody wants to dirty up his title by placing restrictions on them, let him.

[Joe King]

If the zoning in question exists at the time of purchase, how is that any different than a deed restriction? It isn't. The stealing occurs when zoning is enacted on unwilling landowners.
Isn't that when Grandfathering comes into play? I know I've seen several cases where people who had livestock were able to keep them when the zoning in their area changed.
But when they sold the land, the new owners would have to conform with the current zoning restrictions.
So again, how is that any different than a deed restriction that you say is a better way to make sure someone doesn't open a pig farm right next door to your house?



Also, deed restrictions aren't voluntary.
Unless by voluntary you mean that you voluntarily choose to not purchase the property due to the deed restrictions.



How could they be involuntary? You have to own the land to put restrictions on them. No one is forced to buy property that has deed restrictions. No force. If somebody wants to dirty up his title by placing restrictions on them, let him.

Dirty up the Title? I thought you were in favor of deed restrictions, as opposed to zoning?

[hoarder]

But when they sold the land, the new owners would have to conform with the current zoning restrictions.The land is sold at a lesser value than it would have had were there no zoning imposed on it. That is where the STEALING comes in. The seller is not compensated for the lesser value. Besides, grandfathering is not always the rule.


Dirty up the Title? I thought you were in favor of deed restrictions, as opposed to zoning?
I'm in favor of voluntary agreements between free individuals rather than stealing or force. Who am I to oppose what those individuals agree on if they don't force anything on me or steal from me?

[Joe King]

Hoarder, zoning is what prevents your neighbor from starting that pig farm next door to you after you've made an investment in your property.
Deed restrictions can't do that.

So how do you propose to make sure that the neighborhood you bought a home in doesn't turn into an industrial area 5 years down the road?

Or do you absolutely not care what your neighbor does with his property? To the point of it having a detrimental effect on your ability to enjoy your property?

[mightymanx]

Where is Book?

I figured Book in on this suporting the state and the evils of growing things in my HOA. I bet that is where tha call came from.

[hoarder]

Hoarder, zoning is what prevents your neighbor from starting that pig farm next door to you after you've made an investment in your property.
Deed restrictions can't do that. When buying property, deed restrictions are never desireable on the property being purchased but rather on the properties adjacent to it. If zoning can impose on my neighbor that he can't raise pigs after he bought his property, the zoning can impose on me after I bought my property.


So how do you propose to make sure that the neighborhood you bought a home in doesn't turn into an industrial area 5 years down the road? Either buy property where the surrounding properties are restricted or sell it for 10 times what you paid for it. Industrial property is worth much more than residential.


Or do you absolutely not care what your neighbor does with his property? To the point of it having a detrimental effect on your ability to enjoy your property?

Freedom has a price and it's usually worth paying.

[Joe King]

Hoarder, zoning is what prevents your neighbor from starting that pig farm next door to you after you've made an investment in your property.
Deed restrictions can't do that. When buying property, deed restrictions are never desireable on the property being purchased but rather on the properties adjacent to it. If zoning can impose on my neighbor that he can't raise pigs after he bought his property, the zoning can impose on me after I bought my property.


So how do you propose to make sure that the neighborhood you bought a home in doesn't turn into an industrial area 5 years down the road? Either buy property where the surrounding properties are restricted or sell it for 10 times what you paid for it. Industrial property is worth much more than residential.


Or do you absolutely not care what your neighbor does with his property? To the point of it having a detrimental effect on your ability to enjoy your property?

Freedom has a price and it's usually worth paying.
Ok. I think I see where you're coming from now.
i.e. you want those around you to face restrictions while facing none yourself.

So the next question is, how do your neighbors keep you from opening pig farm? ;)

[Tumbleweed]

I've lived next to people raising pigs over the years Joe and I've come to the conclusion that the best way to deal with that situation is to eat some of their pigs when ever they get on your property. It's very satisfying and I like pork ;D Just think of them as survival preps on the hoof.

[hoarder]

Ok. I think I see where you're coming from now.
i.e. you want those around you to face restrictions while facing none yourself.

So the next question is, how do your neighbors keep you from opening pig farm? ;)
Raising pigs is not a criminal activity. If neighbors don't want me to raise pigs all they have to do is get me to voluntarily agree not to raise them by signing restrictions.

A lot of rural people like to shoot firearms on their property. In Texas, County government can dictate whether you can do this on your own property of 20 acres or less. Most people in the country don't want to hear gunshots all the time, myself included, although I like to shoot guns myself. I would not support zoning against shooting not because I like to hear it but because freedom has a price and I will pay it.
Should states and counties have the power to zone out gunshots? I think not, definitely not in rural areas.

[Buddha]

Again,

No victim should equal no crime

[nunaem]

Who's military might is defending the land? That is the owner. It's simple really, whoever is strong enough to defend or conquer land gets to keep it. It's always been that way.

lol at the people who think these sorts of things are decided in courtrooms.

[Joe King]

Ok. I think I see where you're coming from now.
i.e. you want those around you to face restrictions while facing none yourself.

So the next question is, how do your neighbors keep you from opening pig farm? ;)
Raising pigs is not a criminal activity. If neighbors don't want me to raise pigs all they have to do is get me to voluntarily agree not to raise them by signing restrictions.

A lot of rural people like to shoot firearms on their property. In Texas, County government can dictate whether you can do this on your own property of 20 acres or less. Most people in the country don't want to hear gunshots all the time, myself included, although I like to shoot guns myself. I would not support zoning against shooting not because I like to hear it but because freedom has a price and I will pay it.
Should states and counties have the power to zone out gunshots? I think not, definitely not in rural areas.
Of course not in rural areas. But do you think it appropiate in a town, city or other urban area that has people living in close proximity to each other that anyone should be allowed to go out in their backyard and start popping off rounds whenever and however they want?

In the OP the guy in question doesn't live in a rural area but in a city or town that has agreed upon rules by those living there via their duly elected represenatives.
He also started his venture after agreeing to those rules by virtue of having moved there to begin with, but then attempted to circumvent those same rules as it suited him.

Do you think his neighbors would have been as supportive had he decided to run a rendering plant on his 2 acres as opposed to farming it?
I mean, it his land to do anything he wants with it. The smells that may blow into your bedroom window are your problem, right?
...but I'm sure if you go talk with him that he'll voluntarily give up what he's doing via deed restriction that he'll impose upon himself. ::) :)

[keehah]

All you guys trying to prove he is in the wrong have to come up with examples that are not what he was doing. ::)

In my area they have recently expanded the regional districts (and thus zoning regulations) to included basically any area of the country that people live and even areas no one lives, but has a smattering of non-crown, privately owned land. And yes growing any vegetables for sale on one's rural acreage (not officially designated as farmland by the zoning) is illegal.

The irony is if these people get their land rezoned to agricultural, the state will see less tax revenue.

If one is allowed the activity as per zoning (and growing non-nuance plants on an acreage outside the city generally is), it should not matter if you eat it or exchange it.

http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/news/story.html?id=c59ffbaa-16ec-4768-a0d1-d6df650e2ff0

November 20, 2010
Well-known urban farmer and local food production advocate Dirk Becker has been ordered to shut down his 2.5-acre Lantzville farm because of a home business bylaw that does not include agriculture in its regulations.
People can grow food for personal consumption, but they cannot sell the food for profit, according to the district's bylaws.