Arkansas folks speak up.........

[MrsBachbach]

I don't think the registration is a good thing at all it is just another way for big government to keep track of what you are doing. It creats more government jobs and drains your monies. $5 per chicken are you nuts that is absolutely outrageous!!! Most breeders hatch a thousand or more chickens a year, how many of those must be registered. Homestead chickens for the most part are to suppplement food stuffs for the family, no real money is being made. This is just another intrusion into our lives and you guys welcome it, give me a break. This is not in any way an effort to make the life of the individual better. It is all about big Agribusiness.

I agree with much of that. It may be a private enterprise but I think I read something awhile back that this is the type of program the government wants for all livestock. They want to know everything you have. They want to track everything you have. While it may be (for now) to track disease, I believe I read something along the lines of if TSHTF the government can come and confiscate everything of yours it wants in the guise of national security. Those census papers have sure become invasive over the years. It's suppose to find out how many people are in your household, period. Nothing else. The minute you enter some government program with your livestock, you start recieving these agricultural census papers that ask all kind of stuff that hardly even applies to you. I tried filling one of those out years ago and said to my husband this was BS. Our few livestock hardly justified the filling out of pages of reports about your property. We got rid of them a few years later. Person can't even own a few head of anything without big brother wanting to drown you in paperwork under "penalty of law".
Five dollars a head is outrageous. One dollar a head is also outrageous. Chickens (especially backyard flocks) don't generate enough income to even justify their feed much less entry fees into some government or private enterprise club. What little I sell is only to help with feed costs. While I think the testing program of Npip is a good thing, it's something I'm reluctant to join for reasons given above. It's simply not worth the paperwork it's going to generate or the yearly cost. I don't make enough money off my birds and I don't have the time or inclination to start filling out ag census reports again. I take a few birds to show every year and sell a few there, so some of my birds get tested then and I know they are "clean". Without having the hassle of joining a government program.

 

[MrsBachbach]

hau, qball53, Wouldn't a registry have to be managed by the government in order for the government to get any information?

Since all registries I've ever found are managed by private sector folks, for the use of private sector folks, there is nothing that has to be reported to the government. Registries are also mostly designed for breeders of show animals. Think of it as if it were the American Kennel Club, they are the registry for Dog Breeds. They do not have to report anything to any governmental body. Registries are all about record keeping for blood lines, not about food production.

If you are in the commercial business of raising animals for processing, then you have some USDA and FDA papers to fill out but that is not a registry it is consumable food for sale and the paperwork is about contamination of human food.

If you are a homesteader, only providing food for your self or family, there is nothing that requires you to report anything to the government (USDA OR FDA). Registries traditionally are for keeping track of breeding of an animal, the health of said animal could be added in to that.

If you decided to become a Hatchery, then you have entered the government regulated arena and will be required to have some accountability to the government but not nearly as much as if you decided to become a Tyson Foods or Pilgrim Foods type of business. Any time you choose to become a seller of food stuffs such as eggs, meat, vegetables, there will be some government involvement at the local, state and or federal levels. If you don't choose to enter that arena, then you don't have to enter the accountability to the government frame work.

If you don't sell to retailers, you can sell your country eggs without government involvement. That's what I read.

 

[Deleplank]

I'm an Okie but I only live about 30 minutes west of Ft. Smith, AR

 

[draye]

I'm an Okie but I only live about 30 minutes west of Ft. Smith, AR

You're very welcome here. Enjoy the thread and post away.

 

[MrsBachbach]

I don't think that is the purpose, to register every chick hatched. Only the best that you would want to keep would be registered.

I don't think that this is tied to any government agency or big Agra.

Could be. Still hardly worth the cost. Chickens only have a few good
breeding seasons and your ribbon winning bird is likely going to be breed to several birds in your flock. Registering all of them would get pricey. Registering only your best proves what to the buyer?
If the buyer wants to know what kind of birds I have, I can provide the show results and pics.

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

Very true MrsBackBack, In Arkansas, there are protections for Farmer's Markets sellers.

Some states do have some regulations but they are not as restrictive as the ones for the "big businesses".

 

[draye]

I agree with much of that.  It may be a private enterprise but I think I read something awhile back that this is the type of program the government wants for all livestock.  They want to know everything you have.  They want to track everything you have.  While it may be (for now) to track disease, I believe I read something along the lines of if TSHTF the government can come and confiscate everything of yours it wants in the guise of national security.   Those census papers have sure become invasive over the years.  It's suppose to find out how many people are in your household, period.  Nothing else.  The minute you enter some government program with your livestock, you start recieving these agricultural census papers that ask all kind of stuff that hardly even applies to you.  I tried filling one of those out years ago and said to my husband this was BS.  Our few livestock hardly justified the filling out of pages of reports about your property.  We got rid of them a few years later.  Person can't even own a few head of anything without big brother wanting to drown you in paperwork under "penalty of law".
Five dollars a head is outrageous.  One dollar a head is also outrageous.  Chickens (especially backyard flocks) don't generate enough income to even justify their feed much less entry fees into some government or private enterprise club.  What little I sell is only to help with feed costs.  While I think the testing program of Npip is a good thing, it's something I'm reluctant to join for reasons given above.  It's simply not worth the paperwork it's going to generate or the yearly cost.  I don't make enough money off my birds and I don't have the time or inclination to start filling out ag census reports again.  I take a few birds to show every year and sell a few there, so some of my birds get tested then and I know they are "clean".  Without having the hassle of joining a government program.

 

Guess what, if you buy or sale at auction you're getting noticed. If you sell to individuals you're also getting noticed. They go tell someone that tells someone who they bought from and it will gradually gets around.

Furthermore every time you post on here or Facebook, you're getting pegged. Don't you know government is monitoring everything you do on a phone ( smart or otherwise) a computer or tablet. They even moniter the home through the television and radio. So you're not getting away with anything. They already know it.

 

[MrsBachbach]

Very true MrsBackBack, In Arkansas, there are protections for Farmer's Markets sellers.

Some states do have some regulations but they are not as restrictive as the ones for the "big businesses".

Well, the Farmers Markets must not be aware of these protections. When I spoke to them, they informed me of all the regulations that had to be complied with and that hardly made it worth the time. Now, I don't know, maybe these were their rules and not government regulations, but they made it sound like government regulations.

 

[qball53]

hau, qball53, Wouldn't a registry have to be managed by the government in order for the government to get any information?

Since all registries I've ever found are managed by private sector folks, for the use of private sector folks, there is nothing that has to be reported to the government. Registries are also mostly designed for breeders of show animals. Think of it as if it were the American Kennel Club, they are the registry for Dog Breeds. They do not have to report anything to any governmental body. Registries are all about record keeping for blood lines, not about food production.

If you are in the commercial business of raising animals for processing, then you have some USDA and FDA papers to fill out but that is not a registry it is consumable food for sale and the paperwork is about contamination of human food.

If you are a homesteader, only providing food for your self or family, there is nothing that requires you to report anything to the government (USDA OR FDA). Registries traditionally are for keeping track of breeding of an animal, the health of said animal could be added in to that.

If you decided to become a Hatchery, then you have entered the government regulated arena and will be required to have some accountability to the government but not nearly as much as if you decided to become a Tyson Foods or Pilgrim Foods type of business. Any time you choose to become a seller of food stuffs such as eggs, meat, vegetables, there will be some government involvement at the local, state and or federal levels. If you don't choose to enter that arena, then you don't have to enter the accountability to the government frame work.

I won't debate this with you I have said my piece. I will say that any registeration for pedigree purpose is only as good as the people involved. I have been extensively involved in dog registration and cattle registeration and I know the lying and cheating and just plain lack of documentation that goes on. The registration is only as good as the integrity of the folks providing it. And besides I find it laughable that you think you need a pedigree on your chicken.

 

[MrsBachbach]

Guess what, if you buy or sale at auction you're getting noticed. If you sell to individuals you're also getting noticed. They go tell someone that tells someone who they bought from and it will gradually gets around.

Furthermore every time you post on here or Facebook, you're getting pegged. Don't you know government is monitoring everything you do on a phone ( smart or otherwise) a computer or tablet. They even moniter the home through the television and radio. So you're not getting away with anything. They already know it.

They still don't know how much.

And your a number at an auction, not a name.