[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town of Greenfield (now City Council of the City of Greenfield) as amended 5-18-2011 by Order No. FY 11-083 (Ch. 142 of the 2002 Bylaws); amended 4-17-2019 by Order No. FY 19-125. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Subdivision regulations — See Ch. 550, Art. V.
A. 
The purpose and intent of this chapter is to state with emphasis the right to farm accorded to all citizens of the commonwealth under Article 97 of the Constitution, and all state statutes and regulations thereunder, including but not limited to MGL c. 40A, § 3, Paragraph 1; MGL c. 90, § 9, MGL c. 111, § 125A and MGL c. 128, § 1A. We, the citizens of Greenfield, restate and republish these rights pursuant to the City's authority conferred by Article 89 of the Articles of Amendment of the Massachusetts Constitution ("Home Rule Amendment").
B. 
This chapter encourages the pursuit of agriculture, promotes agriculture-based economic opportunities, and protects farmlands within the City of Greenfield by allowing agricultural uses and related activities to function with minimal conflict with abutters and City agencies.
C. 
This chapter shall apply to all jurisdictional areas within the City.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
FARM
Includes any parcel or contiguous parcels of land, or water bodies used for the primary purpose of agriculture, or accessory thereto.
FARMING OR AGRICULTURE OR THEIR DERIVATIVES
A. 
Includes but is not limited to the following: farming in all its branches and the cultivation and tillage of the soil; dairying; production, cultivation, growing, and harvesting of any agricultural, aquacultural, floricultural, viticultural, or horticultural commodities; composting; growing and harvesting of forest products upon forest land, and any other forestry or lumbering operations; raising of livestock, including horses; keeping of horses as a commercial enterprise; and keeping and raising of poultry, swine, cattle, ratites (such as emus, ostriches and rheas) and camelids (such as llamas and camels), and other domesticated animals for food and other agricultural purposes, including bees and fur-bearing animals.
B. 
Farming encompasses activities including, but not limited to, the following: operation and transportation of slow-moving farm equipment over roads within the City; control of pests, including, but not limited to, insects, weeds, predators and disease organisms of plants and animals; community responsible application of manure, fertilizers and pesticides; conducting agriculture-related educational and farm-based recreational activities, including agritourism, provided that the activities are related to marketing the agricultural output or services of the farm; processing and packaging of the agricultural output of the farm and the operation of a farmer's market or farm stand, including signage thereto; maintenance, repair, or storage of seasonal equipment, or apparatus owned or leased by the farm owner or manager used expressly for the purpose of propagation, processing, management, or sale of the agricultural products; and on-farm relocation of earth and the clearing of ground for farming operations.
The right to farm is hereby recognized to exist within the City of Greenfield. The above-described agricultural activities may occur on holidays, weekdays, and weekends by night or day and shall include the attendant incidental noise, odors, dust, and fumes associated with normally accepted agricultural practices. It is hereby determined that whatever impact may be caused to others through the normal practice of agriculture is more than offset by the benefits of farming to the neighborhood, community, and society in general. The benefits and protections of this chapter are intended to apply exclusively to those agricultural and farming operations and activities conducted in accordance with generally accepted agricultural practices. Moreover, nothing in this chapter shall be deemed as acquiring any interest in land, or as imposing any land use regulation, which is properly the subject of state statute, regulation, or local zoning law, nor is it intended hereby that the creation of an implementation of this chapter supersedes, replaces, modifies, alters or changes any existing or future Greenfield City ordinance or zoning ordinance, or state or federal law related to agricultural uses within Greenfield.
The City of Greenfield shall be responsible for providing a copy of the following notice annually to Greenfield property owners/residents through an annual legal notice in the local newspaper. Moreover, the City will post a copy of this notice prominently at the City Hall, and will include the notice and a copy of this chapter on the City's official website.
"It is the policy of this community to conserve, protect and encourage the maintenance and improvement of agricultural land for the production of food, and other agricultural products, and also for its natural and ecological value. This disclosure notification is to inform buyers or occupants that the property they are about to acquire or occupy lies within a City where farming activities occur. Such farming activities may include, but are not limited to, activities that cause noise, dust and odors. Any concerns or complaints regarding agricultural practices in Greenfield shall be addressed to the Mayor, who shall forward them to the appropriate City authorities and the Agricultural Commission for resolution."
Any person who seeks to complain about the operation of a farm may, notwithstanding pursuing any other available remedy, file a grievance with the Mayor or his/her designee. The filing of the grievance does not suspend the time within which to pursue any other available remedies that the aggrieved may have. The Mayor or his/her designee shall forward a copy of the grievance to the appropriate City authorities, including but not limited to the Board of Health and/or Zoning Board of Appeals. The Mayor or his/her designee shall also forward a copy of the grievance to the Agricultural Commission or its agent, which shall review and facilitate the resolution of the grievance, and report its recommendations to the Mayor or his/her designee within an agreed-upon time frame.