Posted on 03/26/2015 5:24:29 AM PDT by HomerBohn
This is but another example of Big-AG, and their bought and paid for politicians and law enforcement, driving the little guy, who uses humane farming practices, out of business, thereby eliminating competition. (Not to mention healthier foods.)
What happens when enough small farms are raided, such as the West Wind Acres farm, is that the State, and its power wielding enforcers, create more enemies. All the relatives and friends of the raided farms begin to look at the power structure in a new way. Those who buy healthy foods from these farms, likewise, begin to see it is all a massive power struggle. Eventually, the tide will turn, when enough small farmers have been raided, all to please Big-Ag.
More and more people are turning away from Big-Ag products, looking for healthy, natural foods for their families. The tide IS changing. Politicians and law enforcement need to wake up. – Shorty Dawkins, Associate Editor
This article comes from thefreethoughtproject.com
By John Vibes on March 24, 2015
Schenectady County, New York – Earlier this month, a family farm in rural New York was raided by police after the owners were cited on a number of trumped up regulatory violations. Joshua Rockwood, the owner of the farm, is being accused of mistreating his animals, and the local government has began confiscating some of them.
Police initially visited Rockwood’s property on February 25th to investigate reports of unlicensed working dogs, weeks before the raid. Unfortunately, Rockwood voluntarily showed local police around his property, which he had not yet tended to that day because of their unexpected interruption. After showing them around, they began to critically assess every aspect of the farm, writing a number of citations for arbitrary offenses.
The very next day, Rockwood had a veterinarian visit the farm to check on the animals to confirm that they were well taken care of and in good health. According to numerous reports, the vet said that the animals were just fine, and did not seem to share the concerns that the officers alleged during their walk-through.
A second veterinarian was also called in to verify the health of the animals and they also found them to be in perfect health.
A week later, police returned again to notify Rockwood that he was to appear in court the next Thursday on a number of charges relating to the animal’s food and shelter. In total, 12 different charges were brought against Rockwood, but he has posted a number of photos to a Facebook support page, which shows the animals with sufficient housing, and plenty of food.
Rockwood has been charged with 12 counts of animal neglect and abuse – some of the charges relating to frozen water bowls and tanks – despite the animals still having access to water. His dogs and horses have been seized and taken away.
Rockwood treats his animals better than most factory farms do, but since he uses traditional farming methods, his farm will fail regulatory inspections, while factory farms will pass.
Meanwhile, New York is one of many states that are currently considering “ag-gag” laws, which place criminal penalties on activists who expose animal abuse at factory farms.
Not sure what the weather was in rural New York on Feb. 25th, but for most of the Northeast corridor we all had deeps snow and brutal cold...like -17F during Feb. day after day after week.
I had one farm sitter have the water lines in the barn freeze and she had to lug water from the house to the barn several times a day to keep the horses properly hydrated.
Second, ‘free range’ in the brutal weather we had going on? That sounds odd to me as most animals were kept indoors except for 15-30 minutes or exercise depending on temps. But that does mean stables and barns we’re a poopy/pee mess and demanded high efforts to keep them clean. If his barns are dirt floors that makes for a very sloppy situation and pretty much unavoidable all weather matters concerned.
Trumped up charges? Maybe, maybe not. Lazy...hard to say. I know what at least one farm sitter went through for at least one week in Feb. and it was far, far from normal circumstances.
Not “unavoidable.” You work. I know what it’s like to lose ten pounds in twelve days after a bad blizzard. So if this guy’s animals did not have proper shelter, water, or food “because the weather was bad,” he should find another line of work.
Yes, you work. But if the barn floor is dirt...and after 21 days of brutal cold where animals can’t be turned out for extended periods of time...that dirt floor is going to be an unavoidable mud pit. All the cleaning and straw bedding isn’t going to change it.
And yes, I know very well how it is to work hard enough to lose 15lbs. in 2 weeks.
Homeschoolers are advised that too. The police do not show up because they are your friends!!!!
Really? That’s what you get from this?
And again, if that's too much to do, then hire someone or get out of the business.
Yeah, I’m jaded . . . from experience.
Tell me about them at the Bundy ranch. I missed out.
I have seen a trend over several years since the MSM business over the Spotted Owl in the Northwest. The Spotted Owl became a protected species and this stalled and maybe even completely stopped economic activity. This kind of controversy of animal survival over human economic activity happens many times in this country. It has to be more than just a coincidence but I have not followed up on subsequent land use. I wonder if the land that was reserved for a particular animal species will get rezoned later for economic usage by a more politically connected person.
In this day and age, “Stranger Danger” works in a lot of cases.
Sadly you won’t wait. They will detain you away from your property until they get said warrant.
That’s what I’ve heard some people say, but I wonder what they’d tell a lawyer?
Our property is posted. You come on without a warrant and you are criminally trespassing. Never let any regulator near your property without a warrant.
They detain you to prevent you from destroying or hiding evidence or that they feel you may flee knowing you are “busted”.
Again, I’d see what the lawyer has to tell them.
The whole thing started from the moment they got on the ground - Stewie showed up with his posse of followers, not prepared for a confrontation with weapons or equipment, but with trunks of T-shirts, ball caps and membership forms.
After the confrontation calmed down, Stewie realized there was no more revenue, member signups or free publicity for him to strut for.
So he concocted a lie about an impending drone strike at the militia compound, and told his guys to bug out - forty men fled the site, and holed up in an air-conditioned hotel room, to wait until the next location for the road show to arrive.
This was reported over the web and patriot social media by eyewitnesses for weeks. Half of Texas’s Oathkeeper members quit when they heard the tale, and the TX oathkeeper staff had utterly no excuse to offer.
I agree. Their damn paycheck is way more important than a few infringements and abuse of local American Citizens.
Since I’m noticing more and more illegal aliens in my own neck of the woods, I’m going to assume their damn “OATH” doesn’t include actually following the law either.
+1
[ Rockwood has been charged with 12 counts of animal neglect and abuse – some of the charges relating to frozen water bowls and tanks ]
I grew up on the high plains, growing up we had to take care of hundreds cattle when the Temps were -10F and there was a Arctic wind blowing down from the north that pushed the Temps so low that GASOLINE FROZE INT HE GAS TANK!
We had automatic watering that were insulated and heated and even THOSE FROZE UP!
We had to take HOT water from the the house to use to try to thaw it all out...
It was so cold me and my siblings took turns doing 5 mins of work then scrambling back to the idling pickup with a heater on full that was still COLD....
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