| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Sheep Mom 2 |
Posted - Jan 09 2012 : 4:23:29 PM
Did anyone else receive a 2012 National Agricultural Classification Survey in the mail? I am not sure exactly how to fill it out simply because the questions asked apply to family production ie: do you own land with the potential for agricultural production & do you have any type of livestock. If you answer yes to any of the first page questions then the rest only applies to commercial operations and not family homesteads. Just wondered what anyone else thought of this "required by law" form?
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran
http://farmsteadfripperies.blogspot.com/ |
| 17 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Jan 25 2012 : 3:41:36 PM
Well, I went ahead and filled out my survey and sent it in today. I have been thinking about it and talking to some people about it. I wanted to go ahead and get my sheep registered for scrapies too so talked to that guy who does that and gives out the tags. He said it's just basically a way for each state to show about how many animals and what kind they have. They will not come to my door and haul me off to jail. The survey asked how much I spend on these animals and I figured about $2400. last year. That's feed, hay, salt blocks. Plus I added seeds for gardens too in there. Because I do want to do farmer's markets and be able to sell my lamb there. That's why I want to be legal and have the right certification. Plus I would also like to make cheese to sell at markets as well. So I suppose I should be legal and honest about what all I do here. So I bit the bullet and did it. I also have a number for someone who will help me make labels for my lamb when I get ready to sell meat. Cool!
Sheri, I definetely do not make any money at this. But I hope to this year with the garden and the lamb. Not much money in small farms.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Sheep Mom 2 |
Posted - Jan 12 2012 : 4:25:52 PM
Here is the skinny as the WSU Extension office explained it to me. If you make $1,000 or more per year from Agriculture you are supposed to participate in this Census. If you don't make money off your animals/crops you don't. Just write "Not involved in Agriculture" and send it in. If you don't send it in they may send a Census worker out to collect the information (or not). If someone shows up you are compelled to answer the questions if you meet the criteria just as with the general census. I still think it's creepy....
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran
http://farmsteadfripperies.blogspot.com/ |
| sherrye |
Posted - Jan 11 2012 : 5:14:14 PM
hey kris, i never got one of them. i would not fill it out. that is just my way. sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Jan 11 2012 : 07:15:20 AM
Shannon, did you get one too? And Sherrye? I don't understand why everyone doesn't get one. How can they be accurate if not? That's why I think there's something up. It's just strange.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Betty J. |
Posted - Jan 10 2012 : 7:20:11 PM
Kris, could it be that all the regulations are from the corporate farmers trying to put the mom & pops out of business? I don't trust anyone anymore. Maybe those folks in New Hampshire are right--too much government is NOT good. I don't know.
Betty in Pasco |
| sherrye |
Posted - Jan 10 2012 : 6:29:52 PM
oh my goodness girls, i am so sorry you went through this. how scarey this must be. man i want to know what you do kris??? sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| ShannonLK |
Posted - Jan 10 2012 : 6:26:39 PM
We are in the same boat. We've been here for 12 years and have never received such a request. It must be some kind of info gathering mission.
Farmgirl and luvin' it! |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Jan 10 2012 : 6:24:50 PM
Sheri, I know. I have never gotten anything before. And why just my name on the letter? How do they know what I have here? A few years ago I got a call from Atlanta, the Ag place there. They wanted to come out and test all my chickens for the avian virus. They were here at 7am the next morning, wearing space suit outfits. They asked all kinds of questions about all my poultry. At the time I have some ducks and turkeys. they were more concerned about the ducks. They wanted to test each one of them. Wanted to know if they were ever around wild ducks or geese. All kinds of questions. They tested a few chickens and a turkey but all the ducks. Well, come to find out, the people across the road have chicken houses. They had some inspectors there a few weeks before and they were testing the chickens and they found the avian virus. They said they had to test all poultry within 25 miles. Well, I was the only farm they tested that I know of. AND when I called to get the test results, they said ALL my birds were fine. AND that the inspectors had made a mistake on the chicken house birds. A MISTAKE in the LAB! A bunch of idiots! Scared me to death. I thought they'd have to come with air masks and suits and kill all my birds. Very scary. And I have not heard a word from anyone since.
I am going to be involved with agriculture this starting this year again. I want to have a market garden and sell lamb. And cheese. Why is it so hard to do this anymore? Why so many laws and rules? If there are too many at the farmer's market this year, I probably won't go. I'll find out when I go Thursday.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Dusky Beauty |
Posted - Jan 10 2012 : 6:14:05 PM
That's doubly scary after all the "regulation" that the current administration promised to keep America safe from itself...
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
| Sheep Mom 2 |
Posted - Jan 10 2012 : 3:58:36 PM
What I find so strange is that I have been here for 30+ years and actually do less now than I ever have now that the kids are gone so why now? How do they pick and choose who to send the form to? I tried to look up what law requires us to send it in and found nothing from the numbers on the form - only the right to privacy legislation and that doesn't even apply to that agency even though they site it. My daughter called the Dept. of Ag office in Wanatchee and they told her to have me just mark the form "not involved in agriculture" and send it in since I don't sell anything agricultural. I don't even know if I want to do that. It's just down right creepy if you ask me.
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran
http://farmsteadfripperies.blogspot.com/ |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Jan 10 2012 : 3:28:55 PM
That is my worst fear. I do not want to be told what to do here. That's why I haven't registered my goats and sheep. I know I should at least do the sheep for scrapies. I may do that. They don't do anything about that unless there's a problem. And I don't forsee any. It's just that if I sell lamb meat it would have to be inspected by a USDA inspector. I think I would be ok with that. Then people who buy from me will know it's good. But yeah, my instinct is to not fill it out at all. It's too much like the NAIS thing from a few years back.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Jan 10 2012 : 3:09:54 PM
DO NOT FILL OUT AND SEND BACK!!!! If you do, then big brother (and not a nice one) will have the right to show up and tell you what you can and can not do, unless you are fully commercial, they can not force it...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Jan 10 2012 : 2:27:38 PM
I didn't get to the town that has the extension office so will probably go Thurs. I did ask at Bible study today and one lady said they got it too. They have chicken houses and cattle.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| smiley |
Posted - Jan 10 2012 : 1:33:57 PM
Do you have an extension agent you could ask? |
| Sheep Mom 2 |
Posted - Jan 10 2012 : 07:45:15 AM
I have no idea why I got one as I have never sold anything grown on this place. I agree, it makes me uneasy as well. I think what weirds me out the most is that it asks if the land has the "potential" to be used agriculturally even if it isn't being used that way now. Please let me know what you find out.
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran
http://farmsteadfripperies.blogspot.com/ |
| Betty J. |
Posted - Jan 09 2012 : 8:01:06 PM
Makes you wonder, doesn't it? As a recipient of Social Security and Medicare, I get a lot of "official" forms to fill out. Usually they are from businesses that are just trying to find out more about me--and that I don't need.
Betty in Pasco |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Jan 09 2012 : 7:51:02 PM
I got one today. I am going to take this to town tomorrow to the AG. office to see what they say about it. I have asked a few friends who have small farms if they had gotten one and they have not. So do you think it's a random thing? It only has my name on it, not my husbands. He said they probably got my name from when I went to the farmer's market as a vendor. I am really nervous about this. It does say required by law and I have til Feb. 3rd. I don't know what to do with this.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
