MDARD has now proposed changes to the 2014 MAEAP to ensure that folks that meet their newly defined "Primarily Residential" criteria are no longer eligible to be MAEAP verified.  

This can be seen on 220 of the 2014 DRAFT MAEAP Standards document.  Look in the Under Odor Management section.  The fourth column is HIGH RISK -1 SIGNIFICANT HAZARD.  Then look at the bottom row, which is for farms with under 50 animal units.  Go to the intersect of the 4th column and that last row, and you'll see that Category 4 sites are now being defined as a SIGNIFICANT HAZARD in terms of odor control.   Yes, that does mean that as few as a single chicken is now considered to be a SIGNIFICANT HAZARD by MDARD, and so ineligible for MAEAP verification.

This has not yet been approved.  The vote of the Agriculture Commission will be on September 17th, beginning at 9 am in Lansing.  Details below.

Agriculture Commission Meeting
September 17, 2014
9 am - 12 noon
Constitution Hall, ConCon Room
525 W. Allegan, Lansing

Rosemary Parker just published another story in her series on Right to Farm issues, this time for a young, MAEAP-verified farmer growing tomatoes and a few goats for a living in Richland Township.  

The decision of Judge Robert C. Kropf can be found here.