Agricultural News
With Passage Likely- Final Vote in the Oklahoma House Set for Right to Farm
Wed, 29 Apr 2015 06:18:44 CDT
The Oklahoma State House of Representatives will vote on the Senate amended version of HJR 1012- the "Right to Farm" ballot initiative on Tuesday afternoon. After being available to be considered as early as Monday- House leaders shifted the vote by one day. The House has already approved the measure once by a 90 to 6 vote- and expectations are that the members will vote to accept the Senate amendments.
The Oklahoma Farm Report has been told the vote will occur after the Oklahoma State FFA Chorus will perform for the lawmakers at the Capitol- which ties that vote in the House to the future farmers and ranchers of the state- who supporters have said that this law is intended to protect.
The most vocal opponent to Right to Farm is the Humane Society of the US- and the group sent another round of targeted emails to Oklahomans on their fundraising list under the signature of their President, Wayne Pacelle. The latest email acknowledges that this is a final vote in the Legislature before being readied for a vote of the people in November 2016.
The email reads, in part: "Unfortunately, the Oklahoma Senate just voted in favor of a constitutional amendment that would block future legal reforms of puppy mills and factory farms. Thankfully, you and your fellow animal advocates across the state can still stop this dangerous measure!
"As a reminder: the misleadingly-named Right to Farm bill (it's really "Right to Harm") seeks to forever shield the bad practices of industrial agriculture and puppy mills from the democratic process. In addition, the amendment is absurdly vague and could allow people to raise gamecocks again, increasing underground animal fighting and illegal gambling."
Meanwhile, one of the groups that is supporting Right to Farm is the Oklahoma Pork Council. We talked in recent days with their Executive Vice President, Roy Lee Lindsey, about the proposal, who says the measure is needed to protect sound farming and ranching practices used by family farmers in future years- making sure that a more urban oriented legislature can't be duped into enacting legislation that would force a production practice onto farmers and ranchers at the urging of groups like the HSUS.
You can hear Lindsey's comments on Right to Farm by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.
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