Your Opinion: Right to Farm does not eliminate standards

Dear Editor:

Tom Judge wants answers on Right to Farm. Seems he is worried that farmers, particularly livestock farmers, will farm as many critters as we want in whatever conditions we see fit.

We have always had the right to raise any number of animals we want and that was a right we sought to protect.

As for raising them under whatever conditions, well there are so many different ways to raise livestock and all of them are acceptable and they work for that particular producer. Diversity is a right we also sought to protect.

People, hobby farmers who own livestock inside city limits, are still subject to that city's ordinances.

Depending on what type of farming and where, we will still have to answer to the EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers and DNR for approval and/or permits for structures as levees, lagoons and composters and of course mishaps.

Believe it or not livestock producers have guidelines that we follow. Science has given us a whole book full of recommendations that we do follow.

I am a pork producer and I cannot sell hogs to a major processor unless I sit through a Pork Quality Assurance Plus course and a refresher course every three years. The course covers animal welfare and handling, antibiotics use, environmental stewardship and producer safety. Those big factory farms are not exempt. All their employees and producers are required to attend the same course.

Most all livestock producers adhere to humane treatment of their animals, the animals are their livelihoods and mistreatment lower their value and production. Any livestock producer found actually abusing animals (not the HSUS version) will still face charges through the state.

We are given a lot of latitude for what we do but please don't think that we can do whatever we want.

Amendment 1 will give us some protection from nuisance lawsuits keeping urban encroachment from forcing us out of business. It will rein in the initiative petition but not totally disallow it. It will just be harder for people who know nothing of what we do to tell us how to do it by passing laws.

From the tone of his letter, I think Judge feels that agriculture infringes on his life but Mr. Judge it is because of agriculture that you can live the life you have.