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
Backers of SQ 777 fighting for support:
Supporters of the “right to farm” state question that will be on the ballot Nov. 8 will be working hard to turn out the vote in favor of State Question 777. And because Oklahoma is a reliably red state, and there are no close statewide races, so it’s possible that 777 may be one of the most publicized issues on the ballot [Lawton Constitution].
STATE
Rotarians hear pitch in support of SQ 777:
An Oklahoma Farm Bureau representative spoke Thursday in support of a controversial state question that would grant constitutional protections to farming and ranching practices and technology and Oklahomans engaged in those occupation [Muskogee Phoenix].
Senate clears water projects bill, advances historic Oklahoma agreement:
The Senate easily approved a water projects bill on Thursday that promises $10 billion for flood control, navigation, safe drinking water and other needs, while also advancing a historic Oklahoma water agreement [The Oklahoman].
Pass or fail, the 1 percent education sales tax will likely be misinterpreted at the Capitol (editorial):
That leaves me about where I started on SQ 779: Unsure whether I would take the wrong tax for the right reason or hold out for a better tax, suspecting it will never arrive [Tulsa World].
FEDERAL
Senate’s odd couple: Boxer, Inhofe forge unlikely alliance:
The oddest of Senate odd couples — California Democrat Barbara Boxer and Oklahoma Republican Jim Inhofe — have accomplished something highly unusual in this bitter election year: significant, bipartisan legislation on the environment that has become law [AP].
EPA weighs in on glyphosate, says it likely doesn’t cause cancer:
No chemical used by farmers, it seems, gets more attention than glyphosate, also known by its trade name, Roundup. That’s mainly because it is a cornerstone of the shift to genetically modified crops, many of which have been modified to tolerate glyphosate [NPR].
Free trade means more business for U.S. ag:
With the lowest commodity prices on corn and soybeans in more than a decade, farmers need access to more markets if they’re going to keep their farms and our rural economies afloat [American Farm Bureau Federation].
MISCELLANEOUS
Activists pushing Massachusetts ban on eggs from some farm animals:
Animal rights activists are facing little organized opposition as they push a ballot question that would ban the sale of eggs and other food products in Massachusetts that come from farms where animals are confined to overly restrictive cages [WCVB].
The food industry’s influence in nutrition research:
NPR’s Scott Simon talks to Dr. Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest about the state of industry-sponsored research and how it might influence medical and policy advice [NPR].
