Local, State, and Feds Descend on Farm

Aug
27

Earlier today, workers with the county sanitation department, the state health department, and the Centers for Disease Control appeared here to take samplings and conduct a free well water analysis as part of a CDC program. They’ll be testing our water for 33 chemicals plus bacteria and who knows what else.

We were selected because of our location–they’re trying to spread out the samplings over the county–and because our well is relatively new.

I hope they don’t discover that our water is deadly or anything.

The analysis would cost $800 if we were paying for it. Then they gave me a $20 Wal-Mart gift card for participating in the program!

While they were taking water samples from an outdoor faucet, three chickens climbed up in the back of their vehicle, which they had left open. The girl from the CDC put her hands over her face and cried, “I hope my samples aren’t contaminated!”

Tip: When visiting a farm, never leave your vehicle open.

More posts you might enjoy:

31 Responses
RSS feed for comments on this post | TrackBack this post

8-27
1:53
pm

I have white Leghorns, Turkens and Cochins. Seeing your pictures make me realize I need to get some Barred Rocks again. :P Hubby will be so glad I found your blog!! Heh heh

karen daniel

Flag this comment
8-27
1:53
pm

that’s funny! (chickens)

Gen

Flag this comment
8-27
1:57
pm

OH MY WORD!!!!!

Merlin

Flag this comment
8-27
2:07
pm

Chickens are so nosy!!!

susan

Flag this comment
8-27
2:10
pm

ROTFL! They’ll find your water is safe but they’ll require you to put up a “beware of chickens” sign. LOL

Christine

Flag this comment
8-27
2:22
pm

Good deal: save $820 and have your water tested. But it sounds like the girl from the CDC hasn’t spent a lot time around farms (or she wouldn’t have left the back of the car open). This is probably quite an adventure for her.

Any idea why they want to check the water all over the county?

whaledancer

Flag this comment
8-27
2:27
pm

That is so funny. Thanks for sharing.

Debby

Flag this comment
8-27
2:45
pm

Oh gosh, chickens ARE nosy! Whatever we are doing outside, they must come check it out or if we have a door open, they feel the need to peek into that too. So funny.

Jo

Flag this comment
8-27
2:46
pm

I don’t know. I don’t think it’s just our county. I think it’s some kind of general rural project to analyze well water and that it involves other counties, maybe all over the state. (And maybe not just our state, either.) It’s spearheaded by the feds, so I think it’s an overall type project.

Suzanne McMinn

Flag this comment
8-27
2:56
pm

LOL Too bad they couldn’t have done some soil samples for you while they were at it. [Most crop problems / issues / failures are usually related to soil issues such as poor soil.]

~ jackie

Flag this comment
8-27
3:01
pm

At our house we say “Chicken see, chicken do”. They are the nosiest creatures around. Dh left the back door open and sure enough, two of our hens decided to come into the kitchen for a visit. Most of the time they make me laugh. We’ll take chairs into the yard and watch their antics. We call it “chicken TV”.

I’d say the young lady is new to the farm.

kellyb

Flag this comment
8-27
3:21
pm

Makes me wonder what they are REALLY looking for….do they want to shut down your farm for some lame reason? Are they looking for salmonella because of the big egg factory bruhaha? On the other hand it’s probably because of the oil drilling and production that went on years before and they’re trying to see if there’s any residue contamination still left. Please keep us informed. It’s hard for me not to be suspicious of ‘big government’.

rmsrosedawson

Flag this comment
8-27
4:15
pm

It’s not a nefarious conspiracy. We’ve had people checking wells in the area too though it’s been years ago. It was to check that the water table hasn’t become contaminated by either farm run off (large farming with lots of fertilizer or animal run off, not a few goats and a cow!) or mining or oil drilling either. If one well in an area has some problems, they can tell it’s an isolated issue, if several wells have problems, they can tell if it’s nitrates from fertilizer, petroleum related chemicals from oil drilling, or chemicals/mineral run off from mining operations. A whole aquifer can get ruined from large farming/mining industry and yes, they may want to control that but it makes sense to me. I don’t want our well ruined that way.

BuckeyeGirl

Flag this comment
8-27
4:48
pm

She’ll never leave her vehicle open again!!

Did the chickens leave her any “presents?”

rileysmom

Flag this comment
8-27
5:00
pm

Are you sure that your chickens aren’t terrorists trying to subverte the entire well checking project!

DonnaTN

Flag this comment
8-27
5:51
pm

She’s lucky it was chickens and not those little goats!

Johanna

Flag this comment
8-27
5:55
pm

Dad has his private community well tested each year and he pays for it. One year it showed some water contamination but it was because the outside faucet (where they want to draw from) must have had something that transferred into the sample. After dad did a thorough cleaning of the faucet (including a bleach water soak/fresh water rinse) a second sample was drawn and it came out fine.
Just letting you know in case the sample shows any contamination…not to panic, the faucet could be the culprit.
Glad you are getting yours done for free….sweet!

princessvanessa

Flag this comment
8-27
7:43
pm

I’m thinking when the Feds, State and Local descend on your farm…might not be a good thing. Hope I’m wrong. Ask Georgia if she pulls out the shotgun when they come a’callin’…

VaGirl2

Flag this comment
8-27
8:27
pm

Once we had a cat get relocated five miles away because a worker left his van open. Fortunately, a really nice woman rescued him and her neighbor saw a sign we posted near the church of a friend, “Old, neutered, yellow tabby cat missing.” A week later, someone called. You’re lucky your chickens didn’t get relocated. Actually, have you inventoried them since the visit?????

greensborodailyphoto

Flag this comment
8-27
8:37
pm

Hmm … leaving the back end of the vehicle open sounds like a common case of “book smart” and “common sense” FOULISH! lol

chershots

Flag this comment
8-27
9:43
pm

Hey, I left a front door open one time and found three chickens inside arguing about who was going to work the pedals and who was going to steer!

BuckeyeGirl

Flag this comment
8-27
11:10
pm

You’re in W.Va. Water, heck, they were looking for the still!!!lol

Lauren

Flag this comment
8-27
11:13
pm

The above comment was by Patrice, not sweet innocent daughter, Lauren who probably has no idea what a still is! Perhaps she saw one on a rerun of Andy Griffith Show. Next time I need to see who is logged on my computer before I post a comment!!!!!!

Patrice

Flag this comment
8-28
8:53
am

Visitors to our place always seem to leave their car windows open – our cats are in their vehicles within minutes.

Kathi

Flag this comment
8-28
7:14
pm

you have had quite the day

lisa b

Flag this comment
8-28
9:00
pm

I actually had to chase the UPS truck down the driveway to have him let our senile cat out!

Patrice

Flag this comment
8-29
7:02
am

That’s a great gift. When we had the dairy, the county or state tested our well water on a routine basis. It was good then. We haven’t tested it since.

It’s a good feeling knowing the water is safe.

glenda

Flag this comment
8-29
12:20
pm

what a great deal to get your water tested regarding all those chemicals. I hope your tests come out very clean.

Miss Becky

Flag this comment
8-29
10:19
pm

Rural wells are tested all over the country, I think. I know Mama’s was checked by the “health” department about every 5 years in NW Florida. Just to make sure of good drinking water.

Sue, a Florida Farm Girl

Flag this comment
8-31
8:55
am

For some reason when I read the title all I could hear was Jeff Foxworthy giving Farm News in one of his funny voices.

JoLinda

Flag this comment
9-4
6:08
pm

Scariest words in America: “I’m from the Government and I’m here to help.”

lavenderblue

Flag this comment

Registration is required to leave a comment on this site. You may register here. (You can use this same username on the forum as well.) Already registered? Login here.

Discussion is encouraged, and differing opinions are welcome. However, please don't say anything your grandmother would be ashamed to read. If you see an objectionable comment, you may flag it for moderation. If you write an objectionable comment, be aware that it may be flagged--and deleted. I'm glad you're here. Welcome to our community!