The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has adopted a policy officially recognizing herdshares in Michigan and letting them operate unregulated. MDARD issued the document (Policy # 1.40) on March 12, 2013 – a key point in the department’s new policy states that
Michigan
Heritage Pig Farm Embargoed, USDA and DNR Close In
Baker’s Green Acres made the news last spring as the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) went on a mission to eradicate heritage pigs, calling them a feral invasive species. This move would wipe out the entire small-scale farm whose animals pose no threat to
Victory in Michigan! Shady Grove Farm Protected by Right to Farm Act
Fund members Randy and Libby Buchler of Shady Grove Farm learned today that their farming operation in Forsyth Township, Michigan can continue. Judge Thomas L. Solka of the Marquette County Circuit Court ruled that “because defendants’ farm . . . is protected from nuisance suits under the
Episode 2: Hogwash in Michigan
Episode 2 of the Food Rights Hour podcast is an interview with Mark Baker, who is the face of the opposition to the Michigan Swine Invasive Species Order (ISO). On April 1st, 2012, an ISO went into effect in Michigan that outlawed the possession of prohibited swine. Mark Baker and three other individuals have
Michigan Swine ISO Still Threatens Heritage Breeds
On April 1, 2012, an Invasive Species Order (ISO) issued by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) went into effect despite infringing upon private property rights, criminalizing swine pet owners, depriving small hog farms of earning a livelihood from their investment in breeding heritage swine, and denying consumers the freedom to obtain the pork of their choice. Even restaurant owners and gourmet chefs are