The Right To Raise Your Own Food

Cornish Rock

I have been considering how to approach this subject for sometime. When one lifts a knee to stand upon their soapbox they run the risk of simply looking and sounding silly if their discourse lacks a solid foundation. After much thought I decided that the best approach would simply be an honest account of my intentions with the hope that anyone who has planted a seed or raised an animal could relate.

For those of you who regularly read Seed To Harvest (thank you!) you may remember a piece I published last year called Urban Livestock. It described our experience with raising rabbits, chickens and Pygmy goats in a suburban/urban environment. Not long after this article went up on our blog I received a knock at the door from a local code enforcer. I live in a reasonably small town so I happen to know the gentleman who was at my front door. Basically, in a very apologetic manner, he quickly flashed some paperwork which stated I was violating a local code and that the goats and chickens would have to go. I happened to be ill with the flu at the time and was planning on selling a few of the animals anyway so did not argue it. My children were of course devastated and as I regained my health I became very irritated for a number of reasons.

To begin with I used to be a local councilman (please don't hold it against me) so I had done my homework reading the laws and even contacted local officials when making my decision to add urban livestock to the mix. Though a number of minor issues bothered me about the visit such as the fact our community is riddled with an opioid epidemic and yet a healthy lifestyle was being policed. What really got my goat (see what I did there?) was that I was being told by the local government that I did not have the right to raise my own food. In other words I am not allowed to feed myself by my own hand and labor.

Now, before I go much further I do want to say this. I have never had any direct complaints from the village about my massive vegetable gardens. But as soon as I added animals to the mix it changed. It changed to the extent that if I continue to do so, which I am,  I can potentially face a number of fines.

Fizz Gig our lionhead buck

I added animals to the mix for a number of reasons. Initially the rabbits were brought in for their manure. Your garden is only as healthy as your soil, fact. We added hens, no roosters, for a protein source. Fresh eggs, not that garbage from the factory farms, are very healthy. They have everything your body needs except vitamin C. Not to mention you can always sell the excess and make a couple of bucks here and there which was a great learning experience for our children. Our family consumes meat so eventually it just made sense to raise rabbits and chickens for meat once a year. The numbers were small and we kept the area clean not only for our neighbors sake but most importantly the animals themselves. Admittedly the goats were a bit of an afterthought but in the long run we were hoping to have a source of dairy.

I got rid of the two goats, one duck and two hens. They never mentioned the two pairs of breeding rabbits so I left them. I also kept two of our hens. I just recently bought half a dozen chickens for the freezer and a few small bantams to replace the birds I lost.

I raise food for my family of six because it helps us financially to do so. I grow vegetables, fruits and herbs because I am educated on the hazards of not only synthetic pesticides but also organic pesticides. I raise small, quiet and healthy urban livestock because I want a safe source of animal protein for my familys diet and I want the manure for my heavily farmed gardens. I do it for environmental reasons, physical and mental health reasons, I do it because I have access to land and I refuse to have anyone tell me I cannot feed my family so I suppose you can say I do it for political reasons.

I have decided after all of this to simply carry on as if no one ever knocked at my door. I went nearly 3 years without a hassle. If I do have another visit I am going to fight it. I was elected by a record number of votes when I ran for office and I will gladly use that influence to make a positive change in our community again.

You can also find the work of Tobias Whitaker at Mother Earth News, Grit Magazine and on Facebook. Be sure to see what he is up to on Instagram

All photographs by Tobias Whitaker unless noted.