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
Sen. Inhofe visits Ada:
Inhofe says he believes State Question 777 is the state’s last chance for farmers to make their own decisions. “See Oklahoma is not California, Oklahoma is not New York, Oklahoma is different than any other state,” the Republican Senator said. “We know, in the state, that our farmers know what is best for them and for feeding the people, it’s a tough, competitive business” [KXII Ada].
U.S. Senator Inhofe talks about “Right to Farm” bill:
Inhofe, who’s also the chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in Washington, D.C., says State Question 777, the Right to Farm bill will help protect Oklahoma farmers and ranchers from environmental activist groups trying to over-regulate them [KTEN].
Letter: ERDA supports SQ 777:
Please don’t take our local newspaper editorial board’s opposition to State Question 777 as a reflection of the opinions of our community. Obviously, they do not speak on behalf of the majority of Northwest Oklahomans when they endorsed Hillary Clinton for President since her polling numbers in our region hover somewhere around 35 percent [Enid News & Eagle].
Pollster: How voters are leaning on state questions, and why:
think they (voters) are very sympathetic toward farmers and ranchers. I think that they see their plight from outside groups that want to change the way that they form or produce the food we all consume [Oklahoma Watch].
FEDERAL
Proposal would hold livestock haulers accountable for animal abuse:
A proposal by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service would hold transporters responsible for the mistreatment of livestock [Land Line].
How U.S. farmers would gain from the Trans-Pacific Partnership:
At The Wall Street Journal’s recent Global Food Forum, Ms. Vetter sat down with Rebecca Blumenstein, deputy editor in chief of the Journal, to discuss TPP and why she thinks it will level the playing field for U.S. farmers and food companies [Wall Street Journal].
MISCELLANEOUS
Farm groups urge food companies to think twice on GMO bans:
Several leading U.S. farm groups are urging food companies to think twice about their sustainability goals, saying they may actually be causing more harm than good [Agri-Pulse].
Dairy farmers in California say anti-flatulence law stinks:
How are farmers and ranchers supposed to cut down on methane emissions, short of cutting down the size of their herds? The air resources board will spend the next couple of years investigating whether it can be done by changing animal diets, something the industry worries could hurt the animals [CNBC].
