Measure J Sees Sonoma County Rally Around Its Farms

PETALUMA, CA — With scenic shorelines a few short miles away in a region of celebrated Northern California vineyards, hundreds of brown-bodied hens waddle around a large barn at Weber Family Farms.

"You provide them a stress-free environment with water, with food, with fresh air at all times, make them free of illness — and they’re going to reward you whether they’re going to give you milk, eggs or meat," said owner Mike Weber, proudly showing off his business that has hundreds of thousands of chickens.

Some animal rights advocates say such large farms like Weber's are a problem. Kristina Garfinkel said she doesn’t believe in confining 10s of thousands of chickens in facilities that don't allow them access to the outdoors. She argues that these massive operations crowd out small egg and dairy farms and make it hard for them to stay in business.

Garfinkel, a lead organizer of the Coalition to End Factory Farming, has been campaigning for Measure J, a ballot measure to end large-scale confined animal agriculture in Sonoma County. Proponents say the move is about the humane treatment of animals.

"Sonoma County is well-known for its hundreds of small farms," Measure J propoents state on their website. "But throughout the county, there are approximately two dozen 'Large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations,' as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which confine a total of nearly 3 million animals.

"This includes factory egg farms, like a Sunrise facility in Petaluma that confines around half a million chickens in massive industrial sheds. It also includes chicken farms that supply to Perdue, one of the largest meat producers in the country, and a handful of large dairy farms with an average of over 1,000 cows.

"These factory farms hide behind Sonoma County’s reputation for small-scale and sustainable agriculture, but they are poisoning the environment, hoarding the limited water supply, spreading disease, and confining animals in deplorable conditions."

Critics contend it is a misguided effort that could harm local egg farming and dairies.

Although some animal rights activists support Measure J, it has stoked a tremendous backlash, with residents posting massive numbers of signs on roadways, in front yards and on farmland opposing the ballot measure.

• ALSO SEE: Petaluma Election Guide: What’s On The Ballot, What To Know

The cities of Petaluma, Sonoma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, Cloverdale and Sebastopol, the town of Windsor, and the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors all passed resolutions officially opposing Measure J. The city of Cotati initially voted against crafting a resolution but then formally its stance earlier this month and adopted one.

If Measure J were to pass, Sonoma County’s Economic Development Board estimates that it would result in the loss of $259 million worth of agricultural products and decrease spending in our community by around $38 million. The impact of the loss of these dairies and farms would be felt not just in Sonoma County, but throughout California and the United States, opponents believe.

According to the city of Petaluma, which holds an annual Butter and Egg Day Parade and has historically been known as the "Egg Capital of the World," Measure J’s proponents' website lists 21 Sonoma County farms that would be outlawed under Measure J. Fifteen are poultry farms, and six are dairies, and most of the targeted farms are in south Sonoma County near Petaluma.

The city of Petaluma's resolution states that if approved by the voters, Measure J would prohibit new farms and phase out within 3 years existing Sonoma County farms that qualify as Concentrated Animal Feeding operations, as defined in Environmental Protection Agency pollution discharge regulations, in all zoning districts in unincorporated Sonoma County outside the coastal zone, and apply to cattle, veal calves, swine, horses, sheep, lambs, turkeys, chickens and ducks, subject to penalties of $1,000 for the first day, $5,000 for the second day, and $10,000 for the third and subsequent days, creating a private cause of action with attorneys fees awards to enforce violations, and imposing new, unfunded regulatory and administrative mandates on Sonoma County government to enforce Measure J’s prohibitions against local farms.

"Some Sonoma County families have been operating farms targeted for closure under Measure J for three and four generations, some for more than a century, and the three-year period for farms to close under Measure J would be inadequate for such long-term farm operators to recover the value of generations and decades of investment in land management, livestock and animal husbandry, buildings, equipment, vehicles, financing, and other investments, including generations and decades of farming expertise," the city of Petaluma said.

• See the Measure Y ballot arguments and rebuttals.

Weber, whose family farm is more than a century old, said California already has strict rules about how animals must be treated. Farmers are required to keep records, have annual inspections, and provide space for livestock. He believes the measure would put his family's farm—one of a series of county farms walloped by avian influenza last year—out of business. His commercial farm produces organic and conventional eggs and organic fertilizers.

"To come out with a blanket statement that all animal agriculture is bad, therefore it’s our mission to get rid of it, is absolutely unreasonable, and it’s not American at all," Weber said.

Garfinkel said the measure would affect 21 large-scale farms. They would be given time to downsize their operations.

"It just impacts the largest, 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 hens. The nation's most populous state had already previously voted for another measure to enhance the standards for raising such animals.

Kathy Cullen, who runs a farm animal sanctuary, opposes confining animals for any reason. Cullen said proponents aren't trying to shut down all farms; instead, they are asking them to change, with the measure creating more awareness about farm animal welfare.

Dayna Ghirardelli, executive director of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, said farmers feel the measure has also raised awareness about their challenges. 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-grape growing, but it also has dairies and poultry farms, as well as farms that grow vegetables and apples.

"If we can find a silver lining, to a certain degree, it's bringing the community together,” Ghirardelli said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.