BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – Homeowners in Botetourt County could soon have certain kinds of livestock in their backyard.
The county is considering changing an ordinance to allow home agriculture. After the county began discussing the possibility of home agriculture, county officials decided they needed to hear from residents about the pros and cons.
Now the idea is officially on the table after the county hosted an open house about home agriculture.
"We needed to go out and sort of gauge community sentiment," said Cody Sexton, assistant to the county administrator.
The county board of supervisors and planning commission are considering a proposal to allow people to have chickens, rabbits, ducks and other small birds on their property. The discussion began after a request for more bees in Botetourt County.
"We were approached by the beekeepers association to start looking at beekeeping in residential areas, and from there, we saw the opportunity to expand that to other small domestic animals," said Sexton.
At the open house, the idea of allowing limited agriculture was mostly met with support.
"I think home agriculture is very important because of the commercial agriculture side of it. If something happens to large farming then we need a quilt work if you will, of backyard home agriculture," said Michael Wolfe, a Botetourt County resident.
But still, some people had concerns. County officials said overall the night was a success.
If you weren't able to make it to the meeting, officials say you can still ask questions or provide comments by calling the county office.