Michigan has lost it's Right To Farm Act. This act was put in place in 1981 to protect farmers from the complaints of people from the city who moved to the country and attempted to make it more urban with anti-farming ordinances. Under the current changes, local government can arbitrarily ban animals such as chickens, goats, and beehives on any property where there are 13 homes within 1/8 mile or where there is a residence within 250 feet of the property. One of the reasons this law was changed is to fix a perceived loophole in the legislation that allowed, in some instances, "city folk" to keep chickens. These new changes affect rural residents too, this is not just about the urban and sub-urban residents. For example: I live in a rural/agricultural area on 15 acres, yet there is a neighbor's residence within 250 feet of my property line. By the current ruling, I would not be allowed to have chickens. This is absolutely ridiculous. This completely ignores the growing trend of people wanting to be more self-sufficient and knowing where their food comes from. Under this ruling, state law trumps any local zoning ordinances. Seems that the local cities/townships should be able to make/follow their own rules based on the needs/wants of the local people. This should've been brought up before a public vote, so more voices of Michigan could be heard. Please sign this petition in the hopes that we can persuade the state law makers to reconsider and/or ammend this ruling. Thank you.