In the town of Shawangunk, you can't have a farm on less than ten acres, according to the town's zoning law. That means that Linda Borghi, who wants to do intensive biodynamic farming on her 2.7 acre plot on Saxton Rd., is out of luck, according to the town government, which is opposing her attempt to get agricultural district status from Ulster County, according to the Times Herald-Record:
Now Borghi has applied to become part of an agricultural district, which would largely exempt her from town rules. Ulster County lawmakers will vote on her application in July. The Town Board voted unanimously to oppose the move and wrote a letter asking the county Legislature to vote it down.
But the real issue is that no one in the h
Linda Borghi and partner Barry Adelmanamlet of Walker Valley, which is located in Shawangunk, wants to live near a farm. According to the article, Borghi's neighbors moved to Walker Valley to get away from industry, small-scale farms included:
Nick Hoffman grew up on farms in Montgomery before he moved to Saxton Lane for its quiet setting. "I'm all for farming, but it's the wrong place," Hoffman said. "If she wants to be a hero, she should go down into the valley and save some farm and down there — I'd even give her a donation and buy from her."
The town leaders are also telling the Shawangunk Journal that they aren't keen on the smell of manure either:
John Valk, Supervisor of the Town of Shawangunk commented, "It's the animals that are the problem. They can be noisy, and they smell. In hot summer weather manure attracts flies and the smell can be bad."
