The truth about Right to Farm Amendment

On behalf of the Cape Girardeau County Farm Bureau, a 100-year-old organization of local family farmers, we want to express our strong support of Amendment No. 1: Right to Farm.

The Humane Society of the United States recently hosted a meeting in Cape Girardeau, covered in a Southeast Missourian article, in which they represented themselves as speaking for all family farms. HSUS is an out-of-state activist group that will not hesitate to bend the truth, or completely disregard it, in order to raise money. Less than 1 percent of the money they collect actually goes to rescuing animals. How much confidence can we have in an organization that operates by misleading its donors to such a great extent?

Here's the truth about Amendment No. 1: Right to Farm. The wording of the amendment specifically designates farming and ranching as a right, similar to free speech. It does not excuse any farmers, regardless of size or location, from any regulations or laws enacted by the government. So why is this amendment needed? It gives legislators who want to defend us from extreme activist groups, like HSUS, credibility for their support. It sends the message to HSUS to stop funneling out-of-state money into initiatives that will make it impossible for our farmers to stay afloat. HSUS will tell you that Farm Bureau supports Amendment 1 to allow foreign investors to infiltrate Missouri agriculture. The truth is that Missouri enacted a new state law this year that allows 1 percent of Missouri land to be under foreign ownership, and Missouri Farm Bureau opposed, and continues to oppose, the change from none to 1 percent.

Amendment No. 1 not only protects farms, it protects the entire Missouri economy, which is closely tied to agriculture. While less than 2 percent of the population lives on farms, $11.5 billion of goods and services were generated by agriculture this year. When activist groups attack Missouri farmers, they also attack the many citizens employed by agriculture, such as grocery stores, truck drivers, farm retail stores, food processors, marketers, engineers, etc. Even scarier than the threat of lost revenue is the loss of a safe, abundant, reasonably priced food supply.

If the claims opposition groups make are scaring you, please reach out to local farmers to hear both sides of the story. We welcome your questions and your visits. If you are unfamiliar with the tradition of the agriculture industry, you would be amazed at the pride the 98 percent of family-owned Missouri farms take in being good stewards of the land and animals. They don't do it because it's politically popular; they do it because it's their passion to care for creation, and because it's just plain the right thing to do.

Cape Girardeau County Farm Bureau will begin visits to civic groups to answer questions about Amendment 1 beginning in April. If you are interested in attending or hosting a presentation, please contact the Jackson Farm Bureau Office. Join us in Keeping Missouri Farming by voting yes for Amendment No. 1 this fall.

Dale Steffens is the president of the Cape Girardeau County Farm Bureau.