So we made the papers once again. The article is very dry, I think everyone - including the reporter - is getting tired of the situation. There are some comments on the article, but for the most part they seem good. Almost everything in the article is correct, except for the description of the hen house, it's going to be wood not wire and PVC. Anyways here is the link.

As I think you can tell from my lack luster posting, both me and Jeff are pretty much fed up with this whole situation. The town's handling of it is also pissing me off; sometimes it seems like they are trying to help and other times its as if they are trying to dissuade us from moving forward. When we started out we didn't think it would be such a hassle just to put a few dozen birds and a couple animals in the field. It was one thing when we were just fighting the neighbors, but now it seems like we are fighting against the town as well. *sigh* I think I feel another gray hair coming in.

Ok so here is the link to the forum topic I posted on BYC about the varience issue LINK 
and here are the comments currently on the Press-Republican page.

greenacres2  Today 11:15 AM   

Maybe the neighbors would like a section-8 housing complex on the 13 acres instead. Drugs and violence would be so much better than farm animals. Unbelieveable. 

passnod  Today 11:30 AM in reply to greenacres2   

Ah yes, resort to instilling fear of low income housing and the residents of such. The issue with these animals is that they are in close proximity to a residential neighborhood that has been in existence for over 50 years and has NOT allowed anything but domestic animals. Having a pig/chicken farm in the back yard will diminish quality of life here and will adversely affect property values. Ask the people who live near the poultry farm in Chazy. The people who want to have these animals here do not even LIVE here! If they had a home on the property, they would not have needed the variance to begin with. There is a legal process and they need to follow it.  

greenacres2  55 minutes ago in reply to passnod   

There is 13 acres not 1 or 2.

There is a huge difference between a pig/chicken farm and someone who wants to raise the animals for their own consumption. That is what these people want to do. Not have 200 chickens and 300 pigs to sell to the public.

It doesn't matter if they live there or not they own the property and should be allowed to do with it what they want.

You sound like a neighbor who should go back to the city and keep eating that processed crap that is sold in the stores. If you only knew what was injected into that steak you just bought you would think twice about shooting down someone who doesn't want to be poisioned.  

passnod  Today 11:56 AM in reply to greenacres2  

I might also add that the environment that these animals will create (food troughs, feces) will attract rodents and other predatory animals. How attractive does that sound? Can you honestly say that you'd like to have that on top of your neighborhood rec park or your yard? Not so much, I'll bet. 

greenacres2  16 minutes ago in reply to passnod  

Well your preaching to the wrong person. I happen to own an 8 acre farm in CT and with proper manure management and feed storage the smell and rodents are minimum to none.
There are predatory animals all around not due to the "environment that these animals will create", but due to developments be erected all over the place and displacing them. 
Its funny how the two closest neighbors don't seem to have a problem with the small farm.
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 I beleive I have a friend from the BYC community defending me! :)

We made the news! the Press-Republican news paper to be exact. Click here to view the article on the Press-Republican's website or continue reading below.