Agricultural News
Oklahoma Farm Bureau's John Collison Says State Question 777 Offers Protection for Future Farm Generations
Tue, 26 Jan 2016 05:22:03 CST
The general election is ten months away. Americans will be voting for their selection for President and choosing which party will control both the House and the Senate. That's also when Oklahomans will also have the opportunity to vote on State Question 777, the Right to Farm Amendment. Opposition to the constitutional amendment is starting to come forward. Oklahoma Farm Bureau Vice President of Public Policy John Collison said this is going to be a tough fight.
"You know it always is," Collison said. "A state question is really hard to do, it really is. If it wasn't, it would happen all the time."
Opponents of State Question 777 are trying to pit small farms against large farms. Collison responded in saying 95 percent of all farms in Oklahoma are family-owned farms, regardless of size. In educating citizens throughout the state, Oklahoma Farm Bureau talks how the "Right to Farm" was put together by Oklahomans, for Oklahomans. Collison said this measure will protect family farms from these outside interest groups.
Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays interviewed John Collison of OFB at the end of this past weekon the current status of work on telling the State Quesiton 777 story. Click or tap on the LISTEN BAR below to hear their conversation.
One of the biggest opponents of State Question 777 may be the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The resources that HSUS could bring in opposition to State Question 777 has has caused some observers to estimate this ballot initiative may result in millions of dollars being spent in trying to persuade Oklahoma voters to approve or vote down the proposal.. Collison said the money raised by HSUS doesn't go toward saving dogs and cats, but rather to fund outside interests that will harass Oklahoma farmers and ranchers and tell them how to farm to ranch and tell us what to eat. He said we don't need environmentalist activists telling us how to raise our crops or livestock.
"What's good for Oklahoma? - We're farmers and ranchers. We live on the land. We are the original environmentalists. We are the ones that take care of animals every single day, because they are our lifeblood. We understand this question and I think Oklahomans will too," Collison said.
The state's agricultural groups have formed a coalition to stand united against opponents of State Question 777. While agriculture can be divided on certain topics, Collison said all of agriculture stands in harmony and unity for this amendment. Consumers also have a role in this amendment. He said if you eat, you're involved in agriculture. Collison said State Question 777 will protect the state's food production and food security, an important topic when 650,000 Oklahomans go to bed hungry each day.
"We shouldn't be taking food off the table," Collison said. "We should be creating ways to put new food on the table. These other environmental groups, they want to take food off your table. That's not the business we're in. We live here. We ranch here. We farm here. We understand Oklahoma."
To learn more about the coalition that is supporting State Question 777, click here.
Opponents of State Question 777 have also organized- the group that has been formed to oppose this initiative is the Oklahoma Stewardship Council- you can see their arguments against the State Question by going to their website that is available here.
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