Ohio and Issue 2~poll results are coming in, for now, 2 is passing

[patandchickens]

Country Momma, do you mean voting yes or no? I'm a little confused. Voting yes would mean you WANT the regulatory board put into place and given power to determine and enforce the conditions under which farm livestock can be kept.

The reason for the humane society rep on the board would undoubtedly be both a) it makes logical sense, and b) it is probably intended as a bit of a bone thrown to the humane society to decrease their opposition to the bill or at least make their opposition seem less sensible to the average joe on the street.

I don't see that whether it passes in Ohio has anything much to do with the chances of it being proposed/passed/implemented at the federal level. Them as wants that to happen will still want it to happen; them as don't, still won't.

To me the biggest issue, and one which HOPEFULLY will be widely recognized and booed-hissed down, relates to the process by which they're trying to get this enacted (amendment rather than legistlation) and that the proposed board composition is pretty much all [political] appointees.

Pat

 

[Javamama]

Ugh, this one is messy, isn't it? I keep hearing "farmers" are supporting this, and the farm bureau is too, and the yes signs are in every freakin field I see. I think it has a good chance of passing, because people just don't understand it. The supporters keep saying we have to do this or else Ohio is going to end up like California, that we should want Ohioans to regulate instead of outsiders.
Also heard that it will not affect backyard chicken keepers, but what's to stop them?

 

[FarmerDenise]

I hate government messing in my stuff. I have been around a while and it seems that everytime government gets involved, that it hurts the little family farmer most and benefits agribusiness, by eliminating one more bit of competition.

Just look at the whole raw milk issue. When that law passed, it was supposedly for the benefit of the consumers, to prevent bad milk being sold. We were buying our milk from two neighbors, one had two cows, the other 200. Both had to stop selling to us after that law passed, because they could not afford to pay for compliance with the new government rules.
We knew these people and knew how they operated their farms. We liked the milk. Now my folks have to buy milk at the store instead of going next door for it.

The only thing consumers need to be protected from is sheisters who label their product with lies and exagerations and other falsehoods.

I am not stupid and I can read and educate myself. That is why I prefer to buy from my neighbors rather than mega food industries (or grow my own).
"They" are trying to tell me that I cannot make my own decisions or that most people are to stupid to do so. Educate, don't regulate!
Let the people have their choices. I don't need or want Uncle Sam telling me what I can or cannot eat or grow or how to do it!!

It is because the people insisted on having organic whole foods, that we now have these thing readily available. When I was in college, we had to create co-ops to get access to this kind of food. The people made the choice by buying the higher priced organic stuff.
Big business doesn't like that, so now they are trying to regulate the little farmers, who supply most of the organic or locally grown food, right out of business.

Everytime there is a food incident, the source is big agribusiness, not the small farmer who eats the same food that they sell.
I am thinking of the spinach deal 3 years ago. It came from a big agribusiness farm in California, not the local family farm. I was in New York at the time and the local farmers couldn't harvest their spinach fast enough to keep up with the demand. I was glad I had mine growing in my California garden. I knew that it was safe to eat.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

If issue 2 doesn't pass and they then take it to Washington, so what?! We can vote NO then, too.

We can stand up and be a giant squeaky wheel screaming for them to back off.

They're advertising it as "Safe Local Food" for Ohio, but everyone on the board is almost directly related to animals.

Meat is NOT the only food grown in Ohio. We grow other foods as well.

Someone on BYC said that HSUS has managed to get control in 11 states?? How is having them on our Ohio Board not giving them control?

Also, why would they take it to Washington for just 1 state (Ohio) not passing it? I don't think it matters if Issue 2 passes, they will still go to Washington because HSUS and PETA want control in all of the States.

If they still go to Washington it won't matter if we have this added to Ohio's constitution, because Federal overrides state. HSUS and PETA will take it to the Federal level whether we vote yes or no.

But, I'm still voting NO.

 

[Country Momma]

If they still go to Washington it won't matter if we have this added to Ohio's constitution, because Federal overrides state.

That is incorrect. The government cannot touch a state's constitution. It's in the Constitution. Our forefathers wanted the states to have more power over their people than the government. This is why Issue 2 is a constitutional ammendment.

 

[Farmfresh]

I hate government messing in my stuff. I have been around a while and it seems that everytime government gets involved, that it hurts the little family farmer most and benefits agribusiness, by eliminating one more bit of competition.

Just look at the whole raw milk issue. When that law passed, it was supposedly for the benefit of the consumers, to prevent bad milk being sold. We were buying our milk from two neighbors, one had two cows, the other 200. Both had to stop selling to us after that law passed, because they could not afford to pay for compliance with the new government rules.
We knew these people and knew how they operated their farms. We liked the milk. Now my folks have to buy milk at the store instead of going next door for it.

The only thing consumers need to be protected from is sheisters who label their product with lies and exagerations and other falsehoods.

I am not stupid and I can read and educate myself. That is why I prefer to buy from my neighbors rather than mega food industries (or grow my own).
"They" are trying to tell me that I cannot make my own decisions or that most people are to stupid to do so. Educate, don't regulate!
Let the people have their choices. I don't need or want Uncle Sam telling me what I can or cannot eat or grow or how to do it!!

It is because the people insisted on having organic whole foods, that we now have these thing readily available. When I was in college, we had to create co-ops to get access to this kind of food. The people made the choice by buying the higher priced organic stuff.
Big business doesn't like that, so now they are trying to regulate the little farmers, who supply most of the organic or locally grown food, right out of business.

Everytime there is a food incident, the source is big agribusiness, not the small farmer who eats the same food that they sell.
I am thinking of the spinach deal 3 years ago. It came from a big agribusiness farm in California, not the local family farm. I was in New York at the time and the local farmers couldn't harvest their spinach fast enough to keep up with the demand. I was glad I had mine growing in my California garden. I knew that it was safe to eat.

Preach sister!

Growing it yourself is the safest way. The small organic or spray-free grower is the next best. It is AMAZING how many times in recent years people have DIED eating simple fresh foods grown and handled by big business. I have a page on my website "Another Reason to Grow Your Own" devoted to documenting recent food recalls in the US. Take a look you might be surprised. I documented only fresh grown vegetables and fruits not processed foods or meat products. There are plenty of scary ones on there and I am just scratching the surface.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

OK, so I googled HSUS and Ohio Issue 2 and found this:

http://www.hsus.org/legislation_laws/ballot_initiatives/ohio_issue_2.html#

HSUS is dead set against Ohio's Issue 2 and doesn't want Ohioans to pass Issue 2!!

After reading this on the HSUS website, I'm now thinking and praying really hard before I commit myself to a No vote.

 

[BeccaOH]

This is sooo confusing. I can't decide what is best for Ohio (and me).

 

[FarmerChick]

In South Carolina I just read a big fight between an old timey apple farm and the state. LONG ago they granted them to sell apples, cider and all that at the festivals....in fact a huge apple festival is based around the farm each year. Thousands attend and it builds biz for the community.

The state just said they are in big violoations cause they don't have permits, kitchen permits and all this other mess to be selling to the public....and the state decides this after 28 years in business!!!!

go blow I say to the state.

problem is they want to back charge the violations, and it should take like 2 years to clean up the legal mess.....the farm is just flabbergasted and the citizens are ticked.

UGH

 

[sylvie]

QA, just passed a You-Pick fruit farm that has "vote yes issue 2" signs up along their frontage. They seem to be a fruit produce agricultural business only so not representative of animal/livestock farms, IMO.
I have chickens and hopefully goats (would LOVE an alpaca) in the future so I am concerned.