Quite possibly one of the most important ballot questions of the last 10 years will be on the August primary, and that is the Farming Rights Amendment.

Constitutional Amendment 1 will ask:

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to ensure that the right of Missouri citizens to engage in agricultural production and ranching practices shall not be infringed?

The potential costs or savings to governmental entities are unknown, but likely limited unless the resolution leads to increased litigation costs and/or the loss of federal funding.

Fair Ballot Language:

A “yes” vote will amend the Missouri Constitution to guarantee the rights of Missourians to engage in farming and ranching practices, subject to any power given to local government under Article VI of the Missouri Constitution.

A “no” vote will not amend the Missouri Constitution regarding farming and ranching.

If passed, this measure will have no impact on taxes.

Amendment 1 is a result of House Joint Resolutions 11 & 7, which were passed by the Legislature earlier this year. A lot of time was spent debating these resolutions, in part because of a large number of people who do not realize the impact agriculture has on not only our country, but the world. Agriculture is Missouri’s No. 1 industry, even with all of the major corporations in the big cities on either end of our state. Unfortunately, too many people think the food they buy magically appears on grocery store shelves, and that is the end of that.

Nothing could be further from the truth. They don't understand the commitments of time and finances that many Missouri farm families make every day. These commitments provide us with access to the most abundant and safest food supply in the world. By voting "yes," we are ensuring that future generations will have the opportunity to choose to farm.

Amendment 1 does not remove laws that are already on the books, but it does strengthen the level of anything new that would be added. An example of these is foreign ownership and local control ordinances. I have been asked why we need this. The idea is that this will allow us to stay in front of the regulations that radical activist groups have pursued that have pushed small family farmers out of business in other states.

There has been a lot of talk about Right to Farm as a backdoor for corporate farms to ignore regulations and do as they please, and this is just not true. Amendment 1 is designed to protect family farmers as well as larger operations, and not give anyone an unfair advantage. It is aimed at keeping the backbone of America alive and well.

I hope everyone studies all of the issues, and I will see you at the polls on Aug. 5.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office. Thank you.