Dear Editor,
Re: “All megahomes aren’t farmhomes,” Letters, Feb. 8
From what I have seen in this paper, there is a lot of outrage at large homes being built on ALR land, but dissenting opinions are few and far between.
Farming is a hard occupation, with few rewards.
When the ALR was put in place, many farmers had their lands devalued with the stroke of a bureaucratic pen, wielded by politicians. Many of these farmers were, over the years, forced to sell their land at much lower prices than they would have been able to do when they first bought them. So, they sold to those buyers that were willing to pay the highest price. The ALR itself has caused this issue.
Moreover, some of these original farmers are still active. This recent push to limit square footage of these houses is yet another blow to the rights of farmers to use their lands as they desire. Why do non-farmers think they have such right to decide what farmers do on their land? When will it stop?
Jesse Singer
Richmond
