Right to farm wins out in Michigan Tuesday, February 5, 2013 In Michigan, a Marquette County Circuit Court judge ruled that a family can continue raising 150 chickens and eight sheep on their 5.6 acre property even though it is not zoned as a farm. The state's Right to Farm law has precedence over local zoning, the judge ruled.According to a statement issued by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, "Michigan's Right to Farm Act contains a broad and clear edict stating that commercial farms that conform to applicable Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices (GAAMPs) are not subject to nuisance suits."Forsyth Township had argued the "farm" was in a "lake residential district," the most lucrative in terms of tax.According to the news release, Randy and Libby Buchler sell eggs and wool produced on the farm. The Legal Defense Fund "defends the rights and broadens the freedoms of family farms and artisan food producers while protecting consumer access to raw milk and nutrient dense foods." BF Is dog breeding operation a 'puppy mill'? North Carolina producers import record amounts of corn
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 6, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online
AgriStability Program Updated to Include Pasture-Related Feed Costs Beginning in 2026 Monday, March 2, 2026 In case you missed it last week, the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that pasture-related feed costs will be added as an allowable expense under AgriStability starting with the 2026 program year. The update addresses rising operational... Read this article online
Bringing more Food and Ingredient Processing Back to Canadian Soil Monday, March 2, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced the second cohort of nine companies participating in its Program, an initiative designed to bring more food and ingredient processing back to Canadian soil and expand the nation’s value‑added agriculture sector. The selected companies span the... Read this article online