Without zoning, no stop to 28,000 turkeys on farm
BEDFORD, Ind. (AP) — The prospect of 28,000 turkeys as neighbors has ruffled the feathers of many people, though they might not be able to do anything about the birds moving in.
When some people who live near the farm complained to Lawrence County commissioners about the coming fowl, they were told that the county cannot block the plans since it does not have zoning ordinances.

“And even if there was zoning, I am almost positive it would be zoned agricultural, which means they would have to give them the permit anyway,” commission President Bill Spreen said.

Kyle Hall said his family would be spending nearly $600,000 for the venture in a rural area about 25 miles south of Bloomington. Hall and Commissioner David Flinn said the farm would not need a state permit as long as it had fewer than 30,000 turkeys.

Hall said he was seeking a building permit for a $20,000 structure to keep manure dry. “Without the permit, I don’t build that building and I just spread the manure over the 50 acres,” he said.

“That’s where you get the smell.”

Residents living near the farm said they were concerned it would hurt their property values. “I’m not concerned so much about the sight of the buildings, but I am about the smell, the rats and attracting coyotes and other wild animals in the area,” Rickie Anderson said.


Former Miss America stops intruder on Kentucky farm
WAYNESBURG, Ky. (AP) — Miss America 1944 has a talent that likely has never appeared on a beauty pageant stage: She fired a handgun to shoot out a vehicle’s tires and stop an intruder.
Venus Ramey, 82, confronted a man on her farm in south-central Kentucky last week after she saw her dog run into a storage building where thieves had previously made off with old farm equipment.

Ramey said the man told her he would leave. “I said, ‘Oh, no you won’t,’ and I shot their tires so they couldn’t leave,” said Ramey, formerly of Cincinnati, Ohio.

She had to balance on her walker as she pulled out a snub-nosed .38-caliber handgun. “I didn’t even think twice. I just went and did it,” she said. “If they’d even dared come close to me, they’d be six feet under by now.”

Ramey then flagged down a passing motorist, who called 911.
Curtis Parrish of Ohio was charged with misdemeanor trespassing, Deputy Dan Gilliam said. The man’s hometown wasn’t immediately available. Three other people were questioned but were not arrested.

After winning the pageant with her singing, dancing and comedic talents, Ramey sold war bonds and her picture was adorned on a B-17 that made missions over Germany in World War II, according to the Miss America website.

Ramey lived in Cincinnati for several years and was instrumental in helping rejuvenate Over-the-Rhine historic buildings. She returned to Kentucky in 1990 to live on her farm.

“I’m trying to live a quiet, peaceful life and stay out of trouble, and all it is, is one thing after another,” she said.


Tennessee dairy farmer gets 40 years for drug running
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Richard “Milkman” Milburn, a Greene County dairy farmer, was sentenced to 40 years in prison Thursday for drug running.

“Mr. Milburn, you made it through hard times. This sentence won’t be easy, but you’re a strong man.” U.S. District Judge Leon Jordan told him.

The sentence was effectively a life sentence for Milburn, 54. He will not be eligible for parole.

Milburn, according to his supporters, was charitable, hardworking and kind. But he has admitted using methamphetamine. An FBI probe revealed that he also served as financier for a massive marijuana and meth drug ring that put eight tons of pot and at least eight pounds of a potent form of meth known as crystal meth into the hands of drug dealers.

Several of Milburn’s former associates testified against him at his trial last year, where he was convicted of 10 charges, including conspiring to peddle methamphetamine and marijuana and carrying weapons while drug trafficking.

Truckers transported the drugs. Milburn’s dairy farm served as a stash house where bales of pot were broken down for resale. Dealers rode horses together when they weren’t conducting illegal business.

Defense attorney Alexander M. Salerno said Milburn had much support. “His whole life, he’s been a hard-working farmer. He’s also a victim of his own addiction to methamphetamine. He got involved with the wrong people. This is a good man.”


Some Amish oppose Wisconsin farm ID program
CASHTON, Wis. (AP) — Amish dairy farmers who oppose a Wisconsin livestock identification system that takes effect May 1 contend it’s forcing them to make a choice between their livelihood and their religion.

The Amish, members of a Christian sect that favors plain living with little reliance on modern conveniences, cite Biblical passages as prohibiting them from buying and selling animals that are numbered, or have what they would consider the “mark of the beast.”

About 200 Amish dairy producers recently met with state officials about the new ID system passed into law three years ago. It requires livestock farms to register with the state and receive a farm ID number as a way of making it easier to track animals in case of a disease outbreak or other emergency.

Last week, a number of Amish producers at a meeting near Cashton said they may stop selling milk and animals if the number requirement stands.

“Look at all the electronic gadgets in the world – have they done more good for the American family or have they done more evil?” one asked state Sen. Dan Kapanke (R-La Crosse) and former Republican state senator Brian Rude, who serves on the state agriculture board.

Donna Gilson of the state Department of Agriculture said farmers have had more than a year to comply with the law, and as of May 1 it will not be possible for producers to renew their dairy license without a premise identification number. She said 90 percent of the state’s livestock farms, or about 54,000, have registered.

According to Gilson, there has been a high degree of acceptance in the Amish community, but the religious objections have arisen among certain Amish in the Coulee Region of western Wisconsin.

Kapanke and Rude said the law is not likely to be changed, although he believes the state could have been more diplomatic.

“I think there was a letter sent out that said, ‘You don’t follow the law, there will be fines, et cetera,’” Rude said. “I think we can get people to participate in this without being threatening or using heavy-handed tactics like that.”

Gilson said the agriculture board has been in contact with the Amish community and plans to discuss the issue at a meeting in Madison April 25.