M.T. Medeiros: Nut farmers usurping his right to enjoy his life

During a conversation with county officials, I complained that nut orchards have been allowed to spread at an unprecedented rate across eastern Stanislaus County during our drought. My comments were met with a statement about the right to farm. I don’t disagree with the right to farm. My problem is that the county has so wholeheartedly embraced the right-to-farm concept that the rights of others have been usurped.

Does the right to farm mean I must forego a good night’s sleep as I listen to tractors tear up the hillsides night after night? Does the right to farm exclude me from breathing clean air as I inhale copious amounts of chemicals sprayed on those trees and thick clouds of dust during tractor work and harvest? Is my right to a reasonably safe commute jeopardized by large trucks traveling on roads not intended for such traffic? Is that what is meant by right to farm?

Finally, does the right to farm trump my right to water? I’ve watched my deep, well-constructed well lose viability every month since the agricultural well across the street started pumping.

I was always told a democracy works to protect everyone’s rights. Is that protection yet another casualty to the right to farm?

This story was originally published August 31, 2015 at 6:54 PM with the headline "M.T. Medeiros: Nut farmers usurping his right to enjoy his life."