State attorney general visits Cape for right-to-farm tour

Missouri State Attorney General Chris Koster's farm tour continued today with a stop in Cape Girardeau.

The statewide tour is part of an effort to support Amendment 1. The measure, commonly known as right-to-farm, will appear on the Aug. 5 ballot.

Koster and members from state agriculture groups such as the Missouri Farm Bureau and the Missouri Corn Growers Association gathered to discuss the issue at Joe and Mildred Kirchdoerfer's dairy farm in Cape Girardeau. A sign on the edge of the property designates the land as a Missouri Century Farm, and Mildred Kirchdoerfer said when her grandchildren take control of the farm, they will be the fifth generation to do so.

State Sen. Wayne Wallingford said Missouri's history of farming predates the nation's establishment and has grown from an industry feeding local families to one that feeds the world. As the agriculture industry is attacked by outside interests, he said, a measure such as right-to-farm is necessary to protect its future.

Koster said if he heard just 10 years ago of efforts to place the right to farm in the state's constitution, he would have been skeptical. But a number of experiences have led him to support the measure.

He pointed to a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gave local governments the authority to seize private land -- including farmland -- for economic development, a 2008 attempt by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to restrict concentrated animal feeding operations, and Proposition B -- the 2010 measure related to puppy mills -- as actions that have jeopardized the state's agriculture industry.

Prop B was drafted and funded by outside interests, Koster said, and while it contained animal care provisions he said were "long overdue," the attorney general said it raised one problem.

"It had one provision that limited any dog breeding business in Missouri to 50 dogs," he said of the measure that was approved by voters but later drastically changed by the state Legislature. "... Imagine how you would feel if voters could determine how successful you could be."

That could have opened the door to limiting cattle and hog operations around the state, he said, and created opportunities to "throw Missouri's agricultural practice into chaos."

Groups like the Humane Society of the United States have opposed Amendment 1, claiming it will undermine policies to protect animals and the environment. Koster said throughout his farm tour, which has included stops in areas such as Springfield and Webb City, he's noticed some members of the public have similar concerns.

Like many proponents of right-to-farm, he said the measure would not have the power to repeal federal laws, nor would it repeal local policies. The focus is to ensure careful consideration to future policies, he said.

"Future regulations will have to serve an important state interest and may not be arbitrary or prejudicial in nature," Koster said.

srinehart@semissourian.cm

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau, Mo.