Government versus Small Farms

It always seems that it boils down to government versus small farms. It certainly does not need to be that way. As we have talked about before it is not the way Thomas Jefferson envisioned it. I read two different articles recently that proves that small farms are under siege.

We should not be surprised as they can not pay the lobbying fees to be represented in government. The assault of government versus small farms is shown with the FDA going after an Amish milk farmer. Notice in the article that it is not a responsive problem as there are no reports from this farm of causing a health problem.

How come all the big recalls on big food providers are after a health outbreak? This poor Amish farmer apparently is trying to ship milk over state lines, which automatically makes it a Federal problem due to the Interstate commerce clause. What is surprising to me is that Pennsylvania actually allows the sale. Usually they shut down the milk operations due to state law.

The use of raw milk versus pasteurized should be a personal choice and not one the government should be involved in. Obviously if there are known health problems with a dairy that is another issue. However I hazard to bet that a relationship with a local farmer would be better than any government inspector could be. This government versus small farms does nothing but stifle innovation.

The newest case of crushing innovation comes from Oxford,NC where the government versus small farms shows a bias against the smallest innovator. They are crushing a small bee-keeper without any known problems caused by the bees.

The town requires that any beehives be at least 75 yards from the nearest property line. This insane requirement despite the average hives average foraging base being 1 square mile. Do you see the disconnect.

I don’t expect government to understand a farmers plight and I can tell that they do not understand. What starts out in a small backyard could lead to new innovation and the launch of a big bee-keeping business. I am all for allowing more innovation by small farmers.

The reality to growing a bigger and better economy is releasing the chains that hold us back. Allow the small farms a chance to innovate and they will provide products to local consumers. Of course that goes against the large petro-chemical dependence our government seems to strive for.