Supporting Missouri’s Top Economic Industry
Earlier this month, Senate Bill 627, an agriculture omnibus bill, was officially signed into law. I supported this measure as it made its way through the Missouri General Assembly, and I’m proud of what we as a body managed to accomplish. The final bill has several provisions designed to help our state’s top economic industry continue to thrive.
One of those provisions will modify the Meat Inspection Program’s official definitions of “meat” and “meat product” to include captive cervids, also known as farm-raised deer and elk. The captive cervid industry is a promising marketplace, but, until recently, our legal code had a lot of catching up to do in this area. These new definitions will modernize the law and ensure the right of Missouri farmers to raise deer and elk for the purposes of food production.
Another provision, which I sponsored, prohibits city and county governments from imposing new regulations on the use of seeds and fertilizers. This will prevent local politicians from abusing their power to infringe upon farmers’ natural rights. State agencies are already authorized to regulate seed and fertilizer usage, and they do this with sound, scientific data.
Additionally, Senate Bill 627 will allow the director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture to waive specific requirements, or establish temporary alternative requirements, regarding minimum fuel standards. These waivers must be limited in scope and applied only when necessary. This provision is meant to help in case of an extreme fuel supply emergency. Hopefully, its use won’t prove necessary, but we should still be prepared.
As always, please feel free to call, email or write with your ideas or concerns. My Capitol office number is (573) 751-1415, my email is dan.hegeman@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is Room 332, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.