Yesterday in Somerset County,the County Commissioners,along with representatives from the Somerset Farm Bureau and the Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc. met to hear concerns from residents about large chicken farming operations in east Princess Anne.While I empathize with the citizens concerns,especially regarding water usage of "mega-farms",to place any more regulations upon poultry farmers will only effect our local economy adversely.Chicken is King on Delmarva-and those birds have supported many families in this area over the years.It is not a glamorous job,it is sometimes a high-risk gamble and it gets increasingly difficult each year.The price of electricity and fuel has placed an additional strain on poultry growers and they just may not survive more restrictions.With the national economy already on the brink,do we really want to "bite the hand that feeds us"?Think for a second about all the commerce that would be lost if the poultry industry downsized or folded altogether-not to mention jobs.Somerset County in particular is one of the poorest in the state and with the seafood industry tanking,we need the poultry farms.Contrary to popular belief,farmers are not the bad guys polluting the bay all by themselves,they are the original environmentalists.I think that with the advanced agricultural technology we have available today,we can eliminate alot of the negative aspects such as odor,runoff and litter management without eliminating the poultry farms.
I actually agree with you on this one Joe. The shore would pretty much lose alot of revenue if the poultry industry left. There are many ways to control runoff pollution without charging the farmers more, the farmers of Delmarva are the stewards of the land and take great extremes to protect the bay and its watershed. Environmentalists are quick to point fingers at us, when really they need to be looking elsewhere, i.e. manufacturing plants, golf courses.
ReplyDeleteB.E.
Proudly Born and Raised on Delmarva, I had to leave to continue to work in my profession. I miss the smells of the shore, and that includes the chicken houses. I was raised in the chicken industry and I know first hand how hard this work can be.
ReplyDeleteDelmarva is an agricultural area, no matter how hard people try to pretend it isn't. It Doesn't matter how many Mcmansions you build on another family farm that was sold off, its still farm country, and we should be proud of that.
When I was growing up a family from the city moved in next door, and immediately began complaining about the smell. We didn't smell anything unusual. Chicken manure fresh dirt, horses, cows. Those are all the smells of home, mixed with the salt air on a good day when the wind was right.
I wonder where these people that live in these brand new mcmansions think their food comes from? I buy as much local produce as I can when I'm home, and I am fortunate that I can still buy Allens Chickens where I live. I buy a half a cow twice a year from a farmer, and spend the day there while he butchers it for me. I stock up on Crab meat from a water that is a friend of mine, because I refuse to buy canned crab meat from Phillips Seafood that comes from China or Indonesia.
I was actually thrilled last summer when my farmer/butcher got me a load of chicken manure for my garden beds. I had the best looking flowers around, and huge plump juicy tomatoes. And everytime it rained, I got a whiff of home.
I miss home so much it hurts, especially this time of year, and I'm afraid that one year when I go back its gonna be gone, because all the come heres brought their big city ways with them.
Leave the farmers alone. My food is definitely one thing I don't want "Made in China"
Far From Home
This pollution permit is just another tax to put on everyones back. There will be no more or no less polluting, simply a costly permit to let them carry on, the farmers new burden will then be reflected to the rest of us when we by our chicken anywhere. It's another tax...to everyone. IMO the WWTP's all the way through MD & Penn. are the real problems with our Bay.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely detest hearing people that are come here complain about the smell and tractors. I just want to slap them and send them back to where ever they come from. There is a country song about "MY INTERNATIONAL HARVESTEERRR" I love it. Seeing a big gree John Deere with a flag on the back in the early morning working is a beautiful thing.!!!And Joe, why do you have the little word verif. thingy it is very annoying?
ReplyDeleteThe word varification thing is there to keep spam messages from coming through. A Blog like mine with thousands upon thousands of hits a day would be a major target to marketing companies. I'll add, I moderate all comments and I'm not willing to do so for thousands of BS comments selling products. I'll add Mr. From Here, this is the very FIRST comment I've ever seen you make her, correct me if I'm wrong. I could see if you were frequently commenting here but that's not the case, so please, stop your bellyaching and you're welcome for my services. LOL
ReplyDeleteI am a concerned poultry farmer from Wicomico County. I have 4 poultry houses myself. I think the concerns over these mega farms are some what valid. These farms have 10+ chicken houses. Chicken farmers with fewer houses worry poultry companies will favor these larger farms and when production is down the smaller farm will be dropped, rather than dropping a couple houses of the mega farm. Other farmers are also worried about attracting MDE and EPA bring with them more regulations for all poultry growers. I would just caution how far we let these extra large farms go. It could be negative for the poultry industry. Moderation may be a good rule of thumb here.
ReplyDeleteHey Joe. Just wanted to thank all your readers for their positive comments regarding poultry and farming.
ReplyDeleteI am a 2nd generation poultry grower and a 4th generation farmer and am very proud to be one. Even with all of the modern up-to-date technologies in the poultry industry this is still hard work. It is 7/24 for the entire time the chicks are on the farm. Even when they go out, there is all of the work to do to prepare for the next flock. I wonder how many people can stay up all night when chickens are going out and then do their normal day to day work. Anyone who wants to spend a day in my shoes is more than welcome to come and do so. Just let Joe know and we will see what we can do.
I get so tired of hearing all of the negative comments about farmers that come from all over the state. Again, it was a pleasure to read these comments. Us "dumb" farmers who keep getting dumped on appreciate all of your support.
Joe, there is a meeting Monday, March 24 from 6:00 to 8:00 at the Guerrieri Hall at Wor-Wic Community College regarding CAFO/MAFO permit scheme. CAFO is "Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation" and MAFO is "Maryland Animal Feeding Operations". I hope you can make it and continue to support those of us that feed everyone 3 times a day.
Anonymous
Wow Joe, I wasn't bellyacheing just stating facts and just curious as to why it's there, and it's exactly what I thought. So don't getcher drawers in a bunch dude!
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