News

Nebraska ag leaders won’t support ‘Right to Farm’ effort

Leaders of six Nebraska farm organizations have issued a joint statement saying they do not support adding “Right to Farm” to the Nebraska constitution.

The ag leaders say they don’t want another Right to Farm debate to distract from what they consider more important issues facing Nebraska agriculture, particularly property taxes and tax reform.

Barb Cooksley of Anselmo is the president of Nebraska Cattlemen.

“We may still have to agree to disagree on some things. But if we can all say, ‘ag is important to us—it needs to succeed across the whole state, for the good of the state’, that brings us closer to coming up with something then that we can work with the governor and the senators on,” Cooksley says.

In a news release, Nebraska Farm Bureau president Steve Nelson clarified his group’s stance. “We are united in our belief that protecting our member’s interests and the future of agriculture isn’t about a single ballot measure or initiative. It’s about initiating actions, policy and otherwise, that creates an environment where our members can thrive and boost local and state economies”, Nelson said. “Our efforts are targeted to immediate challenges such as making sure high property tax burdens aren’t the reason families are pushed out of agriculture.”

A bill introduced in the last legislative session, sponsored by Senator John Kuehn of Heartwell, would have put a Right to Farm constitutional amendment on the 2016 election ballot. That bill was tabled, but Kuehn told the Omaha World-Herald he plans to keep pushing for a constitutional amendment despite the lack of support from the major farm organizations.

AUDIO: Barb Cooksley