Posted on 07/20/2014 6:11:00 PM PDT by mandaladon
With her life’s dream of being a small family farmer in Virginia, Martha Boneta obtained 64 acres in Fauquier County, Va in 2006 to raise vegetables, herbs, raw honey, eggs, and host small animals. Little did she know that a birthday party with eight ten-year old girls would trigger zealous county regulators who saw the party as an event needing special exception permits and required a hearing that would impose fees.
Thinking she had all the right commercial permits and licenses, Boneta was still threatened with $5,000 per day fines despite Virginia being a right to farm state, where local governments are considered unable to use zoning laws to bring nuisance suits for customary farm operations.
Soon enough, it became clear that there were outside interests who seemed connected to county government, the IRS and even her mortgage company who wanted to force her off her land, and she decided to fight back. (RELATED: IRS Inspector General Probes Whether Agency Abused Virginia Tea Partier)
As citizens rallied behind her passionate defense of farming and property rights, she found her way to “Fox And Friends,” where a national following continued to build. Pressure mounted against government harassment and this month with her passionate, determined civic leadership, the Boneta bill was signed into law by Virginia’s Governor, providing farmers greater protections for customary activities at small family farms.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
Agenda 21
Good for her but sad we need a law so farmers can farm without being harassed.
were these government harassers ever fired?
probably not
Instead, no dogs shot, no innocent citizen terrorized, no babies burned. Maybe next time.
Don’t the cops get to at least come and shoot her dogs?
Damn it, if you’re a regulator, it’s your genes to regulate, hell be damned.
This is an old story from 2012-2013 which was really about zoning and her neighbors complaining about the traffic problems because she didn't have adequate parking
Sounds like she bought a farm to host workshops, classes, and public events. I bet the other locals did not appreciate a city farmer coming in like that. Appears she could provide adequate parking on a 64 acre ranch?
So what? N. VA is rotten with metastasized Californianoma. 30 years ago it wouldn’t have even been an issue but now the area surrounding DC is contaminated with lots of the D lever pulling dreck that clings ramora like to government. Any victory is good...
Good for her. The powers that be put this gal through a lot.
From the embedded link at article:
“In his correspondence, Schwartz made it clear that county officials did not approve of how Boneta used her property. In response to Schwartz, Thomas’s law firm then sent a letter to Boneta’s mortgage company requesting Boneta’s mortgage be called in or sold.”
Your comments about NoVa are spot-on.
Interestingly enough, NoVa was once the GOP vote-rich part of the state. The rest of the state (except for parts of the Valley and the Tidewater) were still voting Dem.
Any GOP statewide candidate had to do very well in NoVa in order to win. Now the shoe’s on the other foot. A GOP statewide candidate has to minimize the damage in NoVa in order to win.
Virginia politics are definitely interesting!
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