AP: Towns With Unhealthy Air Fight Back

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Towns with a preponderance of industry usually enjoy the tax ratables and jobs those industries bring to their communities. They sometimes covet the jobs to the point of giving the companies tax incentives to build and operate in the area. The taxes that are collected from the industries mean the residents enjoy a lower tax rate than they might if they had to foot the entire bill for police, fire, schools, etc.

It seems somewhat hypocritical to me that they then complain about the very devil they welcomed into their parlor.

A number of years ago, we had a case in northwest NJ where a family purchased a new home constructed on a subdivision carved out of a farm. The neighboring dairy farm was still in operation and I’m sure the wide open spaces were one of the selling points of the home. Well, as the year progressed, the farmer did what he had always done with the cow manure that built up in the barn—he spread it upon the fields to fertilize the corn and alfalfa and soybeans he grew to feed the cows.
The new homeowner, fresh from a city to the east, didn’t appreciate the country perfume that wafted into his windows and sued to stop the farmer from doing what he had always done. The court appearance went something like this:
Judge: “So, Mr. Homeowner, you want to stop Farmer Jones from spreading cow manure on his fields. Is that right?”
Homeowner: “Yes, your honor. It smells something awful and is not what I expected when I moved into my home. Why, I’m sure the smell is driving down my property values.”
Judge: “I see. Just when did you buy your home, sir?”
Homeowner: “I purchased my home last fall, your honor.”
Judge: “Farmer Jones, have you been spreading manure on your fields this spring?”
Farmer Jones: “Your honor, I have always spread manure on my fields in the spring, just as my father, grandfather, and my great-grandfather did. It helps keep the soil healthy and saves me money on fertilizer.”
Judge: “I see. Just how long has that farm been in your family, Farmer Jones?”
Farmer Jones: “My family has been farming that land since the Civil War, sir. But it was great-granddad that switched from straight corn to dairy cattle close to 100 years ago.”
Judge: “So you and your family have been farming that land for over a 150 years? And you, Mr. Homeowner have been in your home for less than a year, correct? Case dismissed.”