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We’ve noted before what seems to be an increasing number of clashes between farmers and neighbors. And the Washington Post has an epic example of this emerging genre, the sort of story in which everyone’s half right.
Bobby Prigel is a fourth-generation dairy farmer in Baltimore County, Maryland. And although he transitioned to organic last year—and now sells his milk to Horizon—the farm is still going down, losing more than 100 grand in 2007. So he’s figured out a solution: a creamery to make butter, ice cream, and cheese, and an on-site retail store to sell it. As the Post notes, high-margin processing is where many small farmers are ending up: “If life gives you lemons, make $10-a-jar lemon curd.”
The problem is that Prigel’s farm is in a conservation zone, the Long Green Valley, and even though he’d received the approval of zoning officials and the state’s preservation agency, his neighbors are now suing him for violating the rules of the historic district. A decade ago, the Prigel family placed 180 acres into a preservation easement; they received a tidy sum for it—nearly $800,000—but they also promised that the land would be used for agricultural purposes only. That’s the rub: Opponents assert that the creamery would be a commercial, not an agricultural, activity. But Prigel says the new operation’s the only way that any agricultural activity will remain on the land. And he seems to have a point.
Personally speaking, I’ve always thought that if life gives you a local creamery with fresh-made ice cream, eat it.
Everyone agrees organic dairy farms producing their own products is a good idea. The main sticking point is that MALPF has decidced to allow Bobby to build this facility even though it isn't allowed through current zoning. Poor Bobby is now forced to carry MALPF's banner so that his case will open the door for allowing creameries of this size across the state regardless of long standing zoning...+READ
Everyone agrees organic dairy farms producing their own products is a good idea. The main sticking point is that MALPF has decidced to allow Bobby to build this facility even though it isn't allowed through current zoning. Poor Bobby is now forced to carry MALPF's banner so that his case will open the door for allowing creameries of this size across the state regardless of long standing zoning laws. The LGVA's charter requires that they challenge any commercial development that isn't allowed by law. They are fighting MALPF for disobeying zoning regulations, not Bobby as is portrayed in the press, for granting the approval for this facility, even though it is prohibited in zoning. If the legislature changes the laws to allow this, then there won't be anything for the LGVA to fight. I feel bad for Bobby and his family. They are being used as a pawn by MALPF in a larger state fight. Also, his neighbors have been there since 1854, They are also dairy farmers and I think they understand what it means to live in a rural area. If everyone had followed the rules to begin with, there wouldn't have been any uproar.-COLLAPSE
I think it's a viable way for the Prigel's to change their business as the market changes . Adding a local business to their community should be seen as a plus. It's a creamery for God's sake. If my neighbor wanted to open a creamery, as long as the parking and traffic issues were thought through, I'd say go for it.