OKAgPolicy Today is a morning email containing the day’s top agriculture and policy headlines. The inclusion of a particular story does not equal an endorsement. Subscribe to the email here.
TOP HEADLINES
California methane regulations are excessive, pointless (editorial):
Many have questioned whether State Question 777, the “Right to Farm” constitutional amendment, is truly needed in Oklahoma. While supporters argue constitutional protection is a must to prevent pointless and job-killing regulation of farms and ranches, opponents reasonably note that Oklahoma has never been hospitable to such movements. Now if we were talking about California…[The Oklahoman].
Five things you should know about Tuesday’s election:
The lineup for November’s general election ballot will be settled after candidates in one congressional and 13 legislative races face off Tuesday. The run-off elections will feature the top two vote earners from the June primaries in races where no candidate received at least 50 percent of the votes [Oklahoma Watch].
ELECTIONS
Legislative runoff elections in Oklahoma will complete November field:
In a year that could bring change to the Legislature, Tuesday’s elections will go a long way in defining any shift that might take place. Twelve of the 13 runoff races are for open seats. Ten of the races will produce November favorites because of voter demographics in those districts [The Oklahoman].
Is ‘rural resentment’ driving voters to Donald Trump?:
Rural voters heavily lean toward supporting Trump, so it’s no surprise that the stats that describe America’s rural areas also happen to describe Trump supporters quite well. Trump does particularly well among older, white and non-college-educated Americans [NPR].
STATE
Attorney: Water district fight about other state-versus-tribe issues:
The state is hassling a tribe about the rural water district it operates because of other legal issues between the two, an attorney for the water district said Friday [Journal Record].
Fallin will get her first opportunity to appoint Supreme Court justice:
Next year, Republican Gov. Mary Fallin will have her first chance to appoint an Oklahoma Supreme Court justice, selecting from nominees appointed by a commission that has drawn criticism as highly politicized and heavily weighted with trial lawyers [The Oklahoman].
Funding tightens for Oklahoma trooper raises as teachers step up in line:
Two years after troopers got hefty raises, the state can no longer afford them and is considering furloughs and other cuts to make ends meet in the Department of Public Safety. The plight of troopers now concerned about whether their raises will stand up is feeding doubts about plans to give an even more expensive boost to the state’s 44,000 public school teachers [Norman Transcript].
FEDERAL
Obama readies one last push for Trans-Pacific Partnership:
Yet President Obama is readying one final push for approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the largest regional trade agreement ever, between the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim nations. And though the odds may be long, a presidency defined by partisan stalemate may yet secure one last legacy — only because of Mr. Obama’s delicate alliance with the Republicans who control Congress [New York Times].
Agri-Pulse Open Mic: U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack:
In this interview, Secretary Vilsack discusses the current cyclical swing in farm income and the policy decision Washington must consider to protect the nation’s farms and ranches [Agri-Pulse].
MISCELLANEOUS
Changes in meat consumption:
There’s been a lot of discussion lately about changes in meat consumption over the last year or two. Much of it seems to have been generated by a Rabobank report (based on USDA’s data and projections [Jayson Lusk Blog].
