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Missouri Supreme Court upholds Right to Farm Amendment

The Missouri Supreme Court has upheld the Missouri Farming Rights Amendment, approved last August by a thin margin of the state’s voters.

Missouri Farmers Union President Richard Oswald was one of three plaintiffs who sued to block the amendment.  He tells Brownfield he’s disappointed about the high court’s ruling, but not surprised.  Oswald says the suit was brought because ballot language was misleading.

“We thought the voters weren’t well informed about what the amendment was and what it would do,” Oswald told Brownfield Ag News on Tuesday, “and we felt that it was in the best interest of family farmers to try to do something to had that thing off.”

But, Mike Deering, with the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, says ballot language can NOT be challenged after the fact.

“If they had a problem with the language,” Deering tells Brownfield Ag News, “If they would have filed suit before it even hit the ballot, then that’s one thing, but to file a lawsuit after something already passed is just a sore loser,” said Deering.

The Missouri Farm Bureau also worked to pass Amendment One.  President Blake Hurst says that organization is pleased the election results were upheld.  Hurst says the amendment provides farmers and ranchers the right to produce food safely and humanely so that consumers have adequate and affordable food choices.

AUDIO: Richard Oswald (2 min. MP3)

AUDIO:  Mike Deering (2:00 MP3)