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MO cattle producers focus on eminent domain and property rights

Missouri Cattlemen’s Association supported legislation last session requiring a company to pay farmers for the land used to install an electrical transmission line. Executive Vice President Mike Deering tells Brownfield private property rights should be respected.

“This session, we’ll also take a closer look at the Public Service Commission and see if we can expand that to make sure there are farm and ranch voices on that commission. They’re the ones who decide who gets eminent domain and who doesn’t.”

MCA’s past president Bruce Mershon says Missouri cattle producers would like to see updates to personal property taxes.

“We want to make sure we don’t assess our personal property taxes and real estate taxes at too high of a level, causing us to have greater inflated costs.”

Mershon says the association is considering a stance on classifying livestock as a personal property tax or inventory, but nothing has been finalized yet. Newly elected president David Dick will be at the capitol working on these issues with lawmakers.

“That policy piece is a big part of our grassroots organization.”

The MCA set policy priorities at their annual meeting at the Lake of the Ozarks this past weekend.