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Copyright: Robert Nickelsberg for TIME Magazine. Photo
of a former asphalt-covered playground in Brooklyn, NY |
Animal husbandry, of which urban hen-keeping is the most popular version, forms a significant part of the urban agriculture movement. Sarasota, Austin, Charlotte, San Francisco, Little Rock, Mobile, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Boise, and Albuquerque all allow a limited number of hens on private property. Proposed legislation is for hens in Duval County and a regulatory process. Organizations such as Urban Chickens help dispel myths pertaining to urban chicken-keeping.
Community Forum Cliff Notes
Community Gardens in Riverside Avondale Historic District
Sally Robson, RAP Board Member and Master Gardener
Sally spoke about RAP's Green space Committee and efforts to start a community garden in Riverside Avondale Historic District. Potential locations include: Willowbranch Rose Garden Park, Peace Memorial Garden (next to Rose Garden), and Fishweir Park. There is a possibility to have more than one community garden. Some options include either a large, shared garden or individual plots.
Jump-starting a Community Garden: Ideas and Partnership with Sustainable Springfield
Amanda Searle, Sustainable Springfield
Sustainable Springfield will be helping RAP set up one or more community gardens in Riverside Avondale. Amanda spoke about how Sustainable Springfield runs their community garden. Some of the most important aspects are establishing by-laws and annual dues that help keep the garden looking great and preventing issues from lack of maintenance. By-laws help establish rules such as whether the garden will allow pesticides, size of plots, and other responsibilities of members. The most important aspect is buy-in from the community in establishing how the garden should be run.
Urban Hen-keeping and Proposed Hen Legislation for Duval County
Lauren Trad, Hens in Jax
Benefits of urban hens:
·
Health – better source of protein than
Concentrated Animal Feed Operations (CAFO’s) that send eggs to our grocery
stores, often from poorly run facilities and months old by the time they are
consumed.
·
Economic - Cheaper source of protein and
promotes the local food movement that keeps more dollars and jobs in our local
economy.
·
Safer – CAFO’s are more prone to E coli and
salmonella and often use antibiotics and hormones - McDonald’s just dropped a multi-state egg
supplier after “serious violations” were found.
·
Education and Knowledge – Kids learn firsthand
knowledge of where their food comes from and since they are home raised, we
know that they are antibiotic and hormone free.
·
Environmentally sensitive – eggs are brought in
from the backyard instead of hundreds or thousands of miles away.
·
Natural pest control – chickens eat worms, roaches,
slugs, fire ants and termites among other pests.
·
Domesticated pet – in current Jacksonville
coding, the following are considered domesticated animals – dog, bird, cat, rodent, such as a gerbil, guinea pig,
hamster, domesticated mouse, and domesticated rat, domesticated or European
ferret, rabbit, fish, nonvenemous reptile and amphibian. Poultry is not.
Some misconceptions about urban hen-keeping:
·
Noise - Roosters will not be permitted and are
not needed to produce eggs. Laying hens
make some soft noise when laying an egg, but are basically silent at all other
times. From sundown to sunup, because
chickens can’t see in the dark, they lay quietly in their coop.
·
Odors – Much like a cat litter box, the laying
hen’s coop does need cleaning from time to time. Unlike cat’s, a hens waste is a great source
of fertilizer for lawns and garden beds. The slaughtering of chickens is expressly
prohibited unless at a USDA approved facility.
·
Disease – Chickens carry far fewer diseases than
cats or dogs. As to “bird flu”, there
has never been human infection in the US and the spread in Asia, Africa and
Europe is largely due to the unsanitary and tight quarters seen more often in
CAFOs.
·
Attraction of predators – Raccoons are the most
common predators to chickens and they exist in Jacksonville currently, usually
feeding off the plates of outdoor cats and dogs, as well as the trash created
and left out by humans. Laying hens,
when secured in proper coop at night, are safe from these nocturnal creatures.
Key elements from Proposed Draft Hen Legislation
·
As an accessory use to a permitted single family
dwelling.
· A maximum of 6 hens – no roosters.
· Enclosing structure required, screened from
street view, and consistent with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural
Services Publication.
· Chickens
are not raised for consumption. Sale of eggs is already regulated and
enforced by the State Department of Agriculture.
Restaurant Trends: Why Fresh Ingredients Matter
Brian Siebenschuh, Chef, Orsay Restaurant
Brian spoke about the trend of urban argiculture and the importance of providing fresh ingredients. The Black Sheep Restaurant Group not only purchases meats from local farms, but also has their own farm and grows their own ingredients. Rather than a passing fad, fresh, sustainable food production is here to stay. There is a marked difference in quality of food, in the opinion of many chefs. 7 of the top 10 Restaurant things Restaurant owners and chefs find to be important for 2012 pertain to locally-produced foods and sustainability.
Top 10 Trends for 2011- survey of over 1,500 chefs:
1) Locally-sourced meats and seafood
2) locally-grown produce
3) Sustainability
4) Nutritionally-balanced children's dishes
5) "hyper local" restaurants having their own gardens and chefs butchering their own meats.
6) Children's nutrition
7) Sustainable seafood
8) Gluten-free products and allergy-conscious dishes
9) Simplicity - "back to basics"
10) Farm/estate-branded ingredients
SOURCES & MORE INFO
* USDA, "Urban Agriculture: Farms and Community: Alternative Farming Systems Information Center. http://afsic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=2&tax_level=2&tax_subject=301&topic_id=2719
