Agricultural News
Right to Farm- HJR 1006- Passes Oklahoma Senate 44 to 3
Tue, 22 Apr 2014 03:56:37 CDT
After the passage of HJR 1006, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau issued the following statement on Monday afternoon:
"Oklahoma Farm Bureau thanks the Oklahoma Senate for passing HJR 1006, known as the right to farm resolution, with a vote of 44-3.
"The resolution would allow Oklahoma voters in November to vote on a constitutional amendment protecting the rights of the state's farmers and ranchers to produce food, fuel and fiber. The resolution will next go to conference committee.
"We appreciate the work of Sen. Eddie Fields and his fellow senators for passing right to farm in the senate," said Tom Buchanan, OKFB president. "We urge the conference committee to pass the bill and allow Oklahoma voters the opportunity to stand up for agriculture in our state."
"The resolution passed the Oklahoma house earlier this session by a vote of 84-6."
Last week, eleven Oklahoma Ag and Wildlife Conservation groups signed a letter sent to the entire Oklahoma Senate urging a "Yes" vote for the bill, arguing that farmers and ranchers need this protection against out of state groups coming in and attempting to dictate specific production practices that may or may not be based on sound science. In the letter the groups said "Advances in technology have afforded many industries the opportunities to do a better job in producing their products. Agriculture is no exception. Oklahoma needs to secure the ability to continue to produce food, fiber and shelter within the modern agriculture community while emphasizing the importance of proper animal husbandry. As organizations with grassroots membership, we understand and take very seriously the stewardship of the animals entrusted to us. We value the responsibility to raise food and have committed to do so with integrity and efficiency.
"Many of our volunteer animal management programs, such as Beef Quality Assurance and Pork Quality Assurance, utilize modern agriculture practices and technologies to ensure better animal handling and health. Because our members have adopted enhanced practices, our ability to produce safe, high quality and affordable food has improved directly benefiting consumers. Indeed, Oklahoma farmers and ranchers feed the world and we are proud to do so."
Language in HJR 1006 that passed the House was modified in the Senate, so those differences must be reconciled before the proposal can be sent to the Secretary of State to be placed on the November ballot.
To see the language that passed the Senate on Monday, click here.
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