Governor Signs Farming Bill
On May 31, the governor signed into law an important piece of agriculture legislation intended to help our farmers throughout our state.
Senate Bill 391, which I sponsored, helps create a uniform framework of agricultural laws across our state. Currently, a patchwork of city and county regulations provide regulatory hurdles, in addition to state requirements, for farmers to jump through in order to put food not only on their table, but everyone else’s as well. These varying regulations from county to county can cost time and money to comply with and can ultimately complicate or hinder the success of an agricultural operation. To solve this issue facing our state’s most important industry, SB 391 prevents additional country regulations on larger agricultural operations from being stricter than state laws and regulations.
I believe these larger agricultural operations, like concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), play an important role in today’s food supply. Over the years, improvements to technology and mechanization have spurred agricultural operations to increase in size and become more efficient. These farms produce more at a lower cost, which means lower food prices in grocery stores.
With that in mind, I think it is important that we create a level playing field across the state for farmers to do their jobs. After all, farmers shouldn’t be forced to play by different sets of rules just because they enter a different county by a couple of acres. Senate Bill 391 is a commonsense policy that I believe removes red tape and allows farmers to succeed in Missouri.
I am glad to see the governor sign such an important piece of agriculture legislation into law. Know that I will continue to help hardworking farmers succeed and prosper in our state.
Please feel free to contact my office at (573) 751-2076. For information about my committee assignments or sponsored legislation, please visit my official Missouri Senate website at senate.mo.gov/Bernskoetter.