An open letter to Kitsap County Planning Commissioners and Kitsap County Commissioners:

My wife and I have owned and operated a 20-acre tree farm for 50 years raising Christmas trees, timber trees and vegetable gardens.

We have both read the 18-page draft document for the Agriculture Code and wish to reply.

Our plea is that you put this proposal in the trash can and forget the ill-conceived proposal from your staff. The proposed code is oppressive and redundant.

The purpose statement says it’s to promote and encourage agriculture in the county, but if you study it, it’s just to create additional fees and permits and agencies and government intrusion into the work of the farmer.

It’s redundant in the fact that all the discussed items are already covered under existing permits. Example: forest practices, drainage permit, health department permits for septic systems, water systems, etc.

There are numerous government and private agencies that can assist the farmer in determining the best management  for the farmer. Example: Extension Office, 4-H programs, Washington State University Experiment Station, Christmas Tree Growers Associations, Master Gardeners to name a few. All of these agencies are ready, willing and able to help the farmer determine how many animals, trees, vegetables, etc. his property can sustain.

We don’t need to create more government inspections — bean counters to inspect our properties and determine that we have 26 chickens, two houses, three cows, etc.

Please have all commissioners go to the DCD castle and review and understand all the permits and fees that are required to do anything with the private farms.  Maybe we could codify the regulations we have and make the system user-friendly.

Please reduce the regulations and forget this new proposal. It is not needed.

Herb and Elda Armstrong
Kingston