Tag Archives: Joe Gatto

Chicken Parade – Don’t Take Away Our Birds

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On Monday, July 29 at 8:00 a.m., Des Moines residents opposed to changing the City’s chicken ordinance will parade with their birds around City Hall, 400 Robert Ray Drive, to show community support for maintaining Des Moines’ strong, long-standing ordinance allowing residents to raise chickens and other poultry. The event is called Chicken Parade – Don’t Take Away Our Birds.

At least one Des Moines City Council member wants significant changes to the City’s ordinance, with a proposal under consideration that would outlaw roosters and reduce the number of hens allowed from 30 to 12.
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Des Moines: Free-Range Egg Capital of America?

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To be clear, the rules in Des Moines on urban farming are way better than most cities. We are grateful for that leadership. Also, we’re grateful that the Council embraced a proposal Kathy and I made in 2020 to establish the Food Security Task Force. Out of that came a promising set of recommendations on how to move the City forward toward greater food self-reliance.

But the momentum has ground to a halt. Perhaps public concern over the increasing price of eggs will change that.

Much needs to be done — and now! More community gardens. Edible plantings in public spaces. Dedicated land for urban farmers. Incentives for urban agriculturists.

For today, let’s focus on chickens, with a goal of making Des Moines the Free-Range Egg Capital of America. This requires thinking out of the box, so bear with me while I crunch some numbers. Then tell me what you think. Continue Reading →

Victory-Over-the-Virus Gardens

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It’s past time to revive the Victory Garden movement. As we hunker down in our homes to minimize the spread of COVID19, perhaps we can call this new wave of urban food production “Victory-Over-the-Virus (VOTV) Gardens.” Continue Reading →

Cars Matter More Than Kids

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Dear Friends, My birthday is next week, and in the great tradition of Hobbits – who instead of receiving gifts on their birthdays give them – I’m offering four of you Continue Reading →