Island farms

Private endeavors need city support as well

Last week the City Council voted to provide a very generous package to Friends of the Farms for the next 30 years. Now it’s time for that same council to vote some very necessary protections for the island farmers who have the courage to invest in their own land.

These protections should be in place for the same time period, 30 years. Let’s see if the council is concerned about protecting all-island farmers and not just Friends of the Farms.

From my perspective, this is what the council needs to remove from the new code to protect all privately owned farmers so as not to disadvantage us with the FOF farmers:

1. Right to Farm Act guaranteed for all privately owned farms.

2. Artificially low numbers placed on organic egg-laying poultry farms removed totally – approval from the Department of Agriculture is all that is necessary.

3. Requirement to obtain approval for any exceptions through a Conditional Use Permit Hearing removed totally.

4. Fees assessed under the CUP totally removed.

5. Oversight and approval from the conservation representative or any other city representative removed.

This is my challenge to the council if it wants to be successful in portraying that it supports farming on Bainbridge.

Protecting the city-owned farmland farmers is inadequate; you must show support for those of us willing to purchase our own land, invest our time, energy, talent and money into making our private food farms viable for the benefit and protection of this community.

Patti Dusbabek

Bainbridge organic food farmer