Voters in the Northern California district will vote on whether to allow large-scale farms

PETALUMA, California. — In a part of Northern California known for its scenic coastlines and famous vineyards, hundreds of brown-bodied chickens waddle around a large barn at Weber Family Farms.

“You provide them with a stress-free environment with water, food and fresh air at all times, making them disease-free – and they will reward you whether they give you milk, eggs or meat. said owner Mike Weber, proudly presenting his company with hundreds of thousands of chickens.

But some animal rights activists say large farms like Weber’s are a problem.

Kristina Garfinkel said she doesn’t believe in confining tens of thousands of chickens in facilities that don’t provide access to the outdoors, and she argues that these massive operations are actually displacing small egg and dairy farms and making it harder for them to stay in business.

Garfinkel, lead organizer for the Coalition to End Factory Farming, has pushed for a ballot measure aimed at ending factory farming in Sonoma County. Supporters say the move is about the humane treatment of animals. But critics claim it is a misguided effort that could harm local egg farming and dairies.

Residents of Sonoma County, home to half a million people north of San Francisco, will vote on the measure this fall. The proposal would require the county to phase out what federal regulators call concentrated animal feeding, or operations that keep large numbers of animals in close quarters.

The measure is supported by animal rights activists. But it has also sparked an enormous backlash, as residents have posted large numbers of signs along streets, in front yards and on farmland opposing Measure J.

Weber said California already has strict rules for dealing with animals. Farmers are required to keep records, carry out annual inspections and provide space for livestock. He believes the measure would bankrupt his family’s more than century-old farm, one of several farms in the county hit by bird flu last year. His commercial egg farm produces organic and conventional eggs as well as organic fertilizer.

“Making a blanket statement that all animal agriculture is bad and therefore our mission is to eliminate it is completely unreasonable and not at all American,” he said.

Garfinkel said 21 large farms would be affected by the measure and would have time to downsize their operations.

“It only affects the largest and most destructive farms,” she said of the measure.

In 2018, Californians overwhelmingly voted for a statewide ballot measure requiring that all eggs in the state come from cage-free chickens. The country’s most populous state had previously voted in favor of another measure to improve standards for raising such animals.

Kathy Cullen, who runs a farm animal shelter, said she opposes confining animals for any reason. But Cullen said advocates aren’t trying to close all farms, but rather are calling for them to change, and that the measure has helped bring more awareness about farm animal welfare.

Farmers believe the measure has also created awareness of the challenges they face, said Dayna Ghirardelli, executive director of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau. Many local communities oppose the measure in a county that has a long agricultural history and had more than 3,000 farms in 2022, according to national agricultural statistics.

The county is primarily known for wine growing, but there are also dairies and poultry farms, as well as farms that grow vegetables and apples.

“If we can find a silver lining to some degree, that’s what brings the community together,” Ghirardelli said.