A backyard scene a while back
Well it appears things are moving right along with the Greeley chicken ordinance. I didn’t realize it, but apparently this last weekend the Tribune gave their approval of backyard hens with their Op-Ed article. We also received a Weld County Food Bank Letter of Support for backyard hens. I thought it was a great and thoughtful letter. I have copied the text here so it will be easy to read:
January 04, 2010
Becky Safarik
Greeiey Community Development Director
City of Greeiey
Dear Becky,
I am writing, as a representative of Weld Food Bank, in support of the ordinance to allow Greeley residents to raise backyard hens. Our mission at Weld Food Bank is to engage the community in the fight against hunger, a mission that dovetails with the benefits of residents raising chickens.
In the past year we have seen a substantial increase in the number of people requesting services from our facility. So much so that we are breaking distribution records we never wanted to break. And while we continue to be blessed by the generous donations from members of our community, this current rate of growth is not sustainable. As such, we are always looking to the future for creative new solutions to the ever growing need in our community and we see raising backyard hens as one of those solutions.
Allowing residents to raise chickens will provide additional food security for Greeley residents. It is important that our community has access to nutritious and safe food that helps to promote a healthy lifestyle. Raising hens allows a family to be self-sufficient by guaranteeing a long term food source, resulting in this increased food security. A self reliant resident who raises these hens will be less dependent on other food sources while simultaneously promoting a health conscience environment and promoting local food production.
Thank you for your time and consideration on this matter.
Assistant Director
Weld Food Bank
Britton and I also submitted a letter to the editor of the Greeley Tribune with our opinion of chickens. They wrote back and said they would like to add it as a guest column! I thought that was great!
So, things are moving right along, please help if you would like and join our Facebook page on Greeley Backyard Hens for further updates.
Is Greeley Backyard Hens your site? Way cool. Keep up the fight — you are winning. The Food, Inc. movie is on my list to watch. I have noticed that poultry (ie turkeys and chickens) from the market don’t taste like they used to, bland and kind of weird smell after cooked. I wonder what gunk they are feeding the poor things.
The Greeley Backyard Hens on Facebook is a site I made, but I am not the only administrator on it. You definitely should see Food, Inc and probably King Corn too! I heard the best comment the other day: eat plants but not from a plant (like a factory). Our food system currently is a mess and I am sure it affects taste and nutrition as well.
The food system is covered in detail in the book I mentioned to you, “The China Study,” by Cornell University nutritionist T. Colin Campbell.
There was also a good report on CBS news two nights ago about obesity in the U.S. (the latest astounding news: 67% of adults are obese and 3 of 4 children in one study (an entire elementary school was tested) already have signs of cardiac disease from poor diet, with childhood obesity rates going from 20 to 40% in only 10 years). A tidal wave of obesity/diet driven illness (inflammatory diseases such as M.S., lupus, cancer, diabetes, arthritis as well as cardiac disease) is about to hit the U.S. health care system. The CBS report also put the finger on the $58 BILLION dollar subsidy to corn. Subsidy to other plants: $0.
I will check out the movies you recommended.
Will try cooking an organic chicken from Costco tomorrow. It’s amazing the price difference. “Gunk” chickens are 2 for about $10. “Organic” with vegetable feed and no drugs: 2 for $25, over twice as much. Shouldn’t it be cheaper to NOT put drugs into chickens? I realize they do this because the poor things would be sick living in filthy crowded conditions, and yuck to that too!
I mainly cook chicken and turkey so that Ginger can eat. It is unfair to try to put a canine on a totally vegetarian diet, although she daily eats fruits (favorites are grapes and oranges) and vegetables (favorites are carrots, onions, edamame). So once or twice a week we cook poultry. She gets chicken animal protein from kibble but it is only a supplement for the grains.
We are mostly vegetarian (fruits, vegetables and whole grains)with little dairy or eggs. Our health has really improved on this diet, our weight, body fat and cholesterol has gone down (bad kind, good cholesterol is way high). When we buy eggs we buy from a friend with hens or the “organic” free range ones (taste better). Larry has really improved athletically on this diet, it’s amazing to watch him play racquetball with 20, 30 and 40 year olds at the University and beat them all.
Your Backyard Hens site is amazing. I think you should be on Oprah!!