Nothing ever happens in our little county….
….and we like it that way. But now “mass” protest has struck and it’s farmers with pitchforks.
Seems the zoning people have gone downtown on us and want to crack down on roadside farmers’ stands who are engaging in what economists call “line extension”. The problem apparently is that some folks want to stretch the definition a bit and are also selling crafts and cakes and other “contraband” supplied from off the farm.
The word is someone even had a kids’ birthday party at the farm. Horrors! So Fauquier county, about as farm friendly as a county, cracked down. That provoked a “pitchfork protest” by some of our neighbors….and that drew the attention of Fox News.
I have no single point of view on all this. Obviously I support roadside farm stands though we sell our meat away from the road. But if these stands reach some size and carry more than their own produce, they’re clearly competing with my other neighbors who have small businesses and have to carry all the licenses and insurance and endure the inspections that come with running a store.
A small birthday party for a group of kids may not be a problem, but again that’s competition for places that stage parties for the income or to create new customers. And at some point, there’s a danger those parties can become a nuisance (noise and traffic) for those who live nearby.
So I guess I’m suggesting a little prosecutorial discretion….police do it all the time. And even the folks at the county building here are unlike bureaucrats anywhere else in the country. They actually encourage you to bring in your records and they’ll do the paperwork for you. Their neighbors, too, and I’ve made many good friends with these public servants.
I’d hate to see the well-intentioned “pitchfork protest” create a big-city polarization in our little paradise.