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
Right-to-farm or right-to-harm: Oklahoma voters get final say with SQ 777:
Oklahoma voters decide on State Question 777 in November. Supporters call the ballot initiative right-to-farm, but opponents prefer right-to-harm. It’s a divisive, national issue that’s made its way to Oklahoma, pitting agriculture against environmentalists and animal rights activists [StateImpact Oklahoma].
Trump immigration plan may let some workers stay but offers little else for farms:
Many undocumented workers would be allowed to stay in the country under a legal shadow, but Donald Trump’s 10-point immigration plan otherwise offers few assurances to farmers worried about maintaining access to a foreign labor force [Agri-Pulse].
STATE
Oklahoma’s property tax problems have festered for decades (editorial):
Oklahoma schools may have lost out on hundreds of millions in funding over the past 20 years because county assessors failed to properly estimate property values. Politicians’ tendency to combine half-baked planning with failure to demand accountability is to blame [The Oklahoman].
Gov. Mary Fallin decides against a special session on teacher raises:
Gov. Mary Fallin will not call for a special session of the Legislature to address raises for state teachers.Instead, following a meeting with legislative leaders on Thursday, Fallin’s office announced that an excess $140.8 million in revenues will be returned to state agencies [Tulsa World].
FEDERAL
TPP faces tough road in Congress:
President Obama, reaching Asia on Friday, will reassure allies of his determination to win congressional approval of the far-reaching Trans-Pacific Partnership trade accord, but back home in congressional races, his party is on the air and online slamming it as a bad deal — and hitting Republicans for supporting it [New York Times].
Sen. Ernst says opening farm bill could do more harm than good:
Due to the downturn in the ag economy over the past few years, some members of Congress are discussing the possibility of rewriting the Farm Bill next year, but Ernst is hesitant [Radio Iowa].
Key question for the U.S. farm economy: How bad is it, really?:
Farmers got good news from the government this week — and not just in the form of cheese. Two USDA reports showed increasing exports and less-than-expected decreases in this year’s farm net-income [Bloomberg].
How GMOs cut the use of pesticides – and perhaps boosted it again:
In the ferocious, sprawling brawl over genetically modified crops, one particular question seems like it should have a simple factual answer: Did those crops lead to more use of pesticides, or less? Sadly, there’s no simple answer [NPR].
