Quite contrary indeed, if your concern for public health is founded on pocketing meager financial savings from not getting your livestock immunized against disease.Â
I read with interest Ms. Prince’s column (“Wrong on goats,†Sept. 3) about how her goats don’t require immunization (and she shouldn’t pay a cat- or dog-type license fee). I’ll rest my case for mandatory urban livestock immunization on the contrariness exhibited in her editorial and her behavior.
In a perfect world, those raising livestock wouldn’t need to be made to follow USDA or NCCE vaccination guidelines. They’d do it on their own, holding the health of their animals above their small financial investment towards public health. Vaccinations don’t harm the animals, so we’re only talking about money.
When I lived on a rural farm and raised goats, we vaccinated the goats (against more than just rabies), despite the lack of close neighbors. It was better for the goats.
Ms. Prince’s conduct exemplifies why mandatory livestock vaccinations in urban settings should be required. You can’t always count on dabblers doing the right thing when it comes to public health. “My animals will never spread disease†is more than hubris. It’s bad public policy.Â
As to the misleading and inaccurate motives and labels imputed to me by Ms. Prince, I have to smile.
If only Ms. Prince had stopped by before she wrote her editorial, then she could have seen my gardening. No, I don’t call it “urban homesteading.†It’s plain, old-fashioned gardening, even if it’s on about the same acreage as Ms. Prince’s “Quite Contrary Farm.â€Â
She would’ve learned that I harvest four kinds of fruit, six types of herbs and over 16 varieties of vegetables.Â
She would’ve learned I garden organically. I’ve done so since before she was born.
She would’ve learned I garden without offending my neighbors, maintaining the dreaded (by the “incognoscentiâ€) “suburban landscape look.â€Â
She would’ve learned I sequester carbon while enhancing the soil. I capture carbon from the air by lawn fixation, bag the lawn clippings, compost them, then I enrich my nutrient-challenged red clay by tilling in luscious organics. (Yes, I admit it. I enjoy the oxygen released by my lawn.)
She would’ve learned I don’t proselytize or self-congratulate about the benefits of my lifestyle.
Oh well, you can lead a goat to water, but you may get head-butted for your efforts.
Brian D. Voyce
Carrboro
Voyce is a candidate for mayor of Carrboro
Re: “and she shouldn’t pay a cat or dog-type license fee”
This is false.
Marianne proposed a $250 fee for keeping goats, which is a fair sight more than what one pays for dogs and cats and makes your whole “she’s in it for the riches” point look silly.
You can watch her ask for the fee right here:
http://www.ci.carrboro.nc.us/BoA/Agendas/2009/04_07_2009.htm
I think the point of my letter is being taken out of context. I am in no way attempting to avoid providing vet care for my goats. They receive regular care from a vet that specializes in goats. They are up-to-date on their immunizations, and have been vaccinated with an off-label rabies vaccine. A legally valid rabies vaccine for goats does not exist in the US, and it is not standard practice for towns to mandate rabies vaccines in livestock. If there were an incident of rabies, any domesticated animals not vaccinated within a 5-mile radius would have to be destroyed. For me, that fact alone is enough reason for me to have my animals vaccinated.
Raising animals is a constant education. I have done my best to educate myself through books and by talking with long-time goat owners. Owning my own goats has taught me even more, but I will not deny that I am always learning.
The lines between urban and rural are going to become more and more blurred as we continue to encroach on and develop rural areas. The articles I have shared are to show that urban farming is a popular lifestyle for many people, and it can be (and should be) approached in ways that are non-offensive.
We have a really tight-knit neighborhood here. One neighbor disagreed with my keeping goats and chickens, and is over 500 feet away from my house, and her concerns had more to do with property value. We have settled matters and made amends, and it is futile continue to refer to that issue.
It is obvious that the real issue here has to do with an annexation that took place several years ago. It is no coincidence that the people who are getting upset over my goats are also all people who were annexed into Carrboro, and are oppositional to everything that the Carrboro Board of Aldermen support. That includes Sharon Cook and Brian Voyce. I am sorry that you deal with this frustration, but I am not the person to blame. I realize that the reason you pick on me is because the town was supportive of me. They made a small amendment that would make it possible for me to obtain a legal permit to keep my goats on my lot, which is over half an acre. They made the amendment specific to my breed, and only allowed for 2 goats. The amendment protects my neighbors by requiring me to keep my goats from ever becoming a nuisance.
If you will look at the included links, there are people who legally keep goats on lots a fraction the size of mine, and have been doing so for years. In fact, I believe they farm on about 1/10 of an acre.
http://thomasonfamilyfarm.blogspot.com/
http://www.pathtofreedom.com/
Wow. I am struggling to find the connection you refer to between hostile annexation and the complaints about your behavior.
To me, the issue is the natural separation of farm animals and urban living. While to some it may be “cool” or “hip” or “eco-green” to raise farm animals in a postage stamp size lot, it really does not make sense from a sustainability and health perspective. Green, Sustainable Farm animals are supposed to be “free range”, right?
This is a public health issue. I feel sorry for your neighbors, who are now faced with farm odors when they try to sell their house, for example.
My biggest problem is with a Board of Aldermen who would make an uneducated decision, such as allowing the amendment in the first place. I am sure this is anathema to someone such as yourself who passionately for some reason wants to have goats in their yard, but the law they changed applies to ALL of Carrboro, not just your little neighborhood. So now, it is okay for my next door neighbor to have farm animals in their little lot, too.
Thanks for being selfish enough to fool the BOA into allowing this and impacting all of Carrboro in the meantime.
Actually, the amendment is written in such a way that it would apply to very few lots in Carrboro, HOAs would override it, and it only allows for 2 goats of a specific breed. It also requires input/approval from adjacent neighbors, so anyone who is close to my house actually had veto power. You are aware that you have an HOA, aren’t you.
Goats in my neighborhood? NAAAAAA.
Thanks for tying up the BOA with your personal needs. It keeps them from dealing with such nagging problems like the town budget.