I am a mom and grandmother who has always had a desire to live sustainably in a small town setting. When I moved to Shepherd, I was so excited to set up a small, responsible garden and small flock for food. Shortly after moving to Shepherd, however, ordinances prohibiting poultry were instituted. Many families in the village who once participated in 4-H and are not fortunate enough to own a qualifying parcel of 5 acres or more were no longer given the opportunity to participate. Families were told to immediately “get rid of” all qualifying birds, and given no chance to prove the ability to create clean and environmentally beneficial backyard agriculture. Any one who lives on less than 5 acres was expected to just, “get rid of your birds or face fines and more”. With the rising cost of food and the options for organic poultry products being few, sustainable village agriculture is becoming increasingly essential to many families. Shepherd is a place where we can make a difference and set an example to other communities that agriculture in a small town WORKS and is highly beneficial to the residents. Places like this were built on agriculture! Please sign if you agree that the Village of Shepherd must stop their over reach and allow for clean and responsible small flock subsistence husbandry to once again be a part of our community.