House Votes to Send Right to Farm to November Ballot

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 29, 2015

House Votes to Send Right to Farm to November Ballot

OKLAHOMA CITY – A constitutional amendment approved today by the Oklahoma House of Representatives will give voters the opportunity in November to protect agricultural producers.

House Joint Resolution 1012, by state Rep. Scott Biggs, would allow Oklahomans to vote to amend the state Constitution to protect citizens’ rights to engage in farming and agriculture in all cases unless prohibited because of a compelling state interest.

The amendment had already been approved in both chambers, but required the House to accept changes.

“I think farmers and ranchers in rural Oklahoma deserve constitutional protections,” said Biggs, R-Chickasha. “Their contributions to our economy and our food supply are vital, but yet the federal government and environmental groups are always eager to increase their burden. We have a right to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness and that includes agriculture.”

State Rep. John Pfeiffer, a co-author, said it is easy to forget just how vital agriculture is to Oklahoma.

“As more people move to larger cities, they forget about how vital farming and ranching is,” said Pfeiffer, R-Mulhall. “There are valid concerns about the way the EPA and other groups have tried to hamstring farmers and ranchers. This amendment creates more protections for agricultural producers in a time when consumers increasingly listen to pseudo-science and rumor that they see on Facebook and Twitter.”

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