Finally a post about planned Urban Farming activities!!!!

So with this month devoted to research and bibliograghing, I find myself using what I learned in college. That's right PROCRASTINATION!!!! So instead of working I'm doing something funner!

My plan is to develop my long-term investments. I have always looked at a farm as an investment agent. Weird, I know, last thing I bet you thought you would hear someone compare there farm to. But let me break it down for you. As a farmer I'm using my land to provide me with food. Now investment accounts provides you with money to buy food. So they are related.

Now investment accounts have short term savings, mid-term savings and long-term savings. A farm needs to have short term food, mid-term food and long-term food. Good examples of each would be chickens and garden plots are short term food in less than a year of starting you have food. My mid-term food is berry bushes and meat-cows both of these take from 2-3 years from start to producing food. While Trees are long-term food taking 5 to sometimes 25 years to start producing food.

Now seeing that I don't plan on dying or moving anytime soon and even if the unthinkable happens to me my wife and children will still be around, I'm starting this year with long term investments. That's right it will be a summer of trees and bushes. Walnut, apple, raspberry, blue berry, and more.

Sadly because I explained this to my kid's grandparents is looks like i will be planting two properties with long term investment this summer.

First round was a tie

Just to keep everyone updated I presented to the Planning and Zoning on Monday and it was interesting. The head of the board is 100% against Urban Farming and I was informed the next day he was in the Township Supervisors office trying to find some way to block this from even coming to Planning and Zoning and effectively killing it before it began. Luckly the advice I got from my supporter on the Township Board was very valuable. The board made an offical action to send the Ordinance to Planning and Zoning so they have no choice but to go through the whole process with me. But I know it will be an up hill battle. The next meeting is the second Monday in March. I have been charged with editing the ordinance with what I felt were reasonable request for changes and to gather a packet of research on the topic of Urban Farming. I'm also going to do a patition drive of residents and letter drive from local businesses to show interest and support. I'm also getting all my research (and more of it) in a packet along with making an annotative bibliography to explain where and why each section of the ordinance came from. It's a lot of work but I feel I have enough time to get it all done.

My big hope is someday soon I will be able to fill this blog with more fun stuff on farming instead of just political stuff. The last thing I want to become is the Yooper C-SPAN blog!

Step One check

So I have passed step one for making urban farming legal where I live. The township board approved the first draft of the ordinance to the planning and zoning commity. At the meeting I learned some interesting information out. It looks like of all the people on planning and zoning only one is 100%  against the idea. But this person likes to make big waves.

I also had a surprising amount and kinds of people come forward to say they already practise urban farming in my community. I even had one of the higher ranking police officers tell me not to go though the headache of getting an ordinance and just do it as long as the animals kept confined and not free range. I was shocked by all this but I'm still going though with the ordinance, just to insure our rights are protected despite who is on the board or in the local police department.

So I now have all weekend to double check my facts and get a presentation for this Monday's meeting OF JOY

(oh and to throw something else into the mix my wife gave birth to our 3 child this weekend so I have a new born to care for too)