The Healdton Herald

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2016
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Gov. Mary Fallin signs paperwork

placing ve additional State
Questions on November ballot
OKLAHOMA CITY
Governor Mary Fallin today signed election proclamations that place ve
additional state questions
on the November 8 general
election ballot.
The paperwork signed by
the governor placed these
issues on the ballot:
State Question (SQ) 779,
which would increase the
state sales tax by 1 percent
to fund teacher pay raises
and other education causes.
SQ 780, which reclassify
some criminal offenses,
such as drug possession and
property crimes, as misdemeanors instead of felonies.
SQ 781, which would
take money saved from
implementing SQ 780 and
allow counties to fund community rehabilitation programs.
SQ 790, which would remove a section of the Oklahoma Constitution prohibiting use of state resources
for religious purposes.
SQ 792, which would allow wine and full-strength
beer to be sold in grocery
stores and convenience
stores.
The deadline for the governor to sign election proclamations for state questions to be placed on the
November 8 general election ballot is Friday.
Two other state questions already are on the ballot. SQ 776 would declare
that the death penalty is not
cruel or unusual punishment and would allow the
Legislature to designate
any method of execution if

a current method is declared

unconstitutional. SQ 777
would prevent lawmakers
from passing legislation to
regulate agriculture unless
there is a compelling state
interest.

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Stillwater NewsPress

Rotary Club hosts former attorney general

Drew Edmondson discusses State Question 777, also known as Right to Farm
By Kieran Steckley

of field operations for

public policy Mark Yates
promoted the bill, sayThursdays Stillwater
ing State Question 777
Rotary Club meeting
is a proactive attempt
started with a prayer
to prevent actions like
and a joke. But that pro- other states have seen.
ceeded a discussion on a Guaranteeing agriculturvery serious topic.
al producers can mainThe club hosted Drew
tain currently accepted
Edmondson, a former
practices helps keep food
Attorney General of
prices lower.
Oklahoma. The discusThis time, the cons
sion topic was the highly had the floor.
debated State Question
Edmondson, who is
777, also known as
involved with Vote No
Right to Farm.
on 777, a grassroots
According to oklahom- campaign of family farmarighttofarm.com, State
ers, community leaders,
Question 777 is Right
and concerned citizens,
to Farm is a state consti- began his speech with
tutional amendment to
one simple question.
protect Oklahomas famWhy do it?
ily farmers and ranchThe answer is no aners from unreasonable
swer, Edmondson said.
government interference
Yates spoke of a simand attacks by out-ofilar law in California,
state special interests.
which led to increase in
Last month, Oklahoma eggs cost.
Farm Bureau director
We are not Califor-

ksteckley@stwnewspress.com

nia, Edmondson said.

The thing about the
eggs is not true.
Edmondson said eggs
went up in cost because
of the bird flu, which
greatly limited supply.
Once the flu passed,
prices went down.
Edmondson spoke a
lot on legislative process
as means to get people
against State Question
777.
If you want to be able
to farm the way weve
always farmed, you dont
need 777.
A constitutional
amendment makes laws
hard to alter or change.
In an ever-evolving
world, that could be an
issue.
How many people
are farming the same
way they were five years
ago? Edmondson asked.
A point Edmondson
hit on extensively was

the perceived likelihood

that State Question 777
would result in foreign
owned companies buying land and farming in
Oklahoma.
This is consistent with
votenoon777.coms platform, which says the it
would destroy voting
rights for Oklahomans.
This is not about
Oklahomas right to
farm, the website reads.
Its about Chinas right
to harm! This measure
will guarantee foreign
corporations the right to
own Oklahoma farmland
without any checks and
balances from Oklahoma
voters or the legislature.
Vote no on 777!
We would lose our
own ability to react, Edmondson added.
He said his faith is
with Oklahomans and
local legislatures.
This is not a feel-good

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.

resolution, Edmondson
said. This has meat to
it. There are legal ramifications.
After speaking, Edmondson took a few
questions from the audience. The first question
spoke to the farmers
concern over the longterm security of his
operation, especially
given the funding No on
777 receives from lobby
groups.
Your grandchildren
will have more to fear
from being squeezed
out of the market by
big agriculture than by
Humane Society of the
United States, Edmondson said.
State Question 777
will be decided by Oklahoma voters as a part
of the general election
ballot.
Twitter:
@Kieran_Steckley

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The Lawton Constitution

Right to farm supporters push question

THE CONSTITUTION STAFF

The general election is more than two

months away, but supporters of the right
to farm issue on the ballot in November
arent letting up on their efforts to persuade Oklahomans to pass State Question
777.
The Oklahoma Farm Bureau has been
conducting its annual August regional
meetings, and the issue has been one of the
prime topics of discussion. Tom Buchanan
of Altus, president of the Oklahoma Farm
Bureau, told The Constitutions editorial
board that farmers believe there is plenty
of room in the market for all types of production practices but the state shouldnt
mandate particular practices.
Supporters have put together a wideranging alliance the Oklahoma Farmers Care Coalition of the states
largest agricultural organizations: members include the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, American Farmers and Ranchers,
Oklahoma Cattlemens Association, Oklahoma Pork Council, Oklahoma Agricultural Cooperative Council, The Poultry
Federation, Oklahoma Wheat Growers
Association, Oklahoma Grain & Feed Association, Oklahoma Sorghum Associa-

tion, Oklahoma Cotton Council and individual farmers.

Buchanan, speaking for the coalition,
said its an unusual situation with so many
agricultrual groups agreeing to push the
wagon the same way.
Thats because, he said, Oklahoma farmers are attempting to be proactive to head
off what they see as overly restrictive laws
that have been passed or are being considered in other states, such as egg production
regulations in California and bans on genetically modified food elsewhere.
The protections that would be a part of
the Oklahoma Constitution if the initiative
passes, he said, would help ensure that Oklahoma family farmers can continue to use
technological advances to keep producing
their products economically to meet the
needs of a growing population. Consumers, he said, will be the ultimate winners.
Buchanan said many of the regulations
being introduced around the nation are
feel good measures not supported by
facts, science or research and believes
some opponents of State Question 777 are
dealing in half truths and fear mongering.
For example, he said, contentions that

right to farm will increase the influence

of corporate agriculture are misguided.
Oklahoma has strict laws limiting corporate farming, he said. Only 1 percent of
state acreage is owned by corporate farms
and State Question 777 would not expand
that authority. Some farmers may incorporate for legal and tax issues, he said, but
very few of them have a corporate mentality.
Buchanan, who is also a member of the
Oklahoma Water Resources Board, also denies that 777 would reduce water quality
standards. He agrees there is some leftover suspicion in eastern Oklahoma related to the states lawsuit to end poultry industry pollution in the Illinois River, but he
said the problem turned out to be not simply one of agriculture but more so about
municipal and individual sewage.
He said farmers and ranchers believe in
choice; if individuals want to buy eggs from
free-range chickens, beef from grass-fed
cattle, and organic fruits and vegetables,
they should have that choice and pay the extra costs to get what they want but those
who dont want to pay extra shouldnt have
to because of regulations.
When consumers change that choice ...
we will adjust to comply with that, he said.

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.

STEPHEN ROBERTSON/STAFF

Tom Buchanan, president of the Oklahoma Farm

Bureau, talks about the need for passage of State
Question 777, the Right to Farm amendment to
the state constitution, during a meeting with The
Lawton Constitutions editorial board recently.

McAlester News-Capital

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KEVIN HARVISON | Staff photo

OKLAHOMA FARM BUREAU PRESIDENT Tom Buchanan

makes a point while OFB Communications Officer Hannah
Nemecek listens during a recent visit Buchanan made to
McAlester.

OFB pushes Right to Farm

others leery of SQ 777
This is a
proactive
move to
protect every
segment of
farming, from
wheat farmers
in Western
Oklahoma to
truck farmers.
This is about
giving
Oklahoma
farmers and
ranchers an
opportunity to
continue to
produce food
and fiber that
consumers
enjoy.

By JAMES BEATY
MANAGING EDITOR

Oklahoma Farm Bureau President

Tom Buchanan says the OFB supports State Question 777, the socalled Right to Farm but other
organizations across the state
strongly oppose it.
The measure calls for an Oklahoma Constitutional amendment prohibiting the legislature from passing
laws that would interfere with farming but some of those opposed to
it contend SQ 777 is so general and
wide-open it could cause irreversible
damage to the state, cities, towns,
communities and smaller farming
operations.
SQ 777 will be on the statewide
ballot during the Nov. 8 General
Election.
Buchanan spoke to the News-Capital on SQ 777 and other measures
during a recent trip to McAlester
and Krebs to visit with the local
OFB Chapter. He discussed several
issues during his McAlester visit.
A big issue now is the Right-toTOM BUCHANAN
Farm, Buchanan said.
Oklahoma Farm Bureau President

>> See SQ 777 // Page A2

INSIDE

CLASSIFIED C1 // COMICS B8 // ACC

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McAlester News-Capital

SQ 777 ...
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<< CONTINUED from Page A1

But doesnt the right to
farm already exist in Oklahoma?
Absolutely, Buchanan
said, but he contends passage
of SQ 777 is still needed.
This is a proactive move to
protect every segment of
farming, from wheat farmers
in Western Oklahoma to truck
farmers, Buchanan said.
This is about giving Oklahoma farmers and ranchers
an opportunity to continue to
produce food and fiber that
consumers enjoy, he said.
Not everyone buys the argument that the state Constitution should be amended in
regard to farming and ranching.
Oklahoma Municipal
League Executive Director
Carolyn Stager says the OML
opposes SQ 777 on several
grounds.
Cities have a duty to protect the health, safety and
welfare of their residents,
Stager said. She said the proposed constitutional amendments in SQ 777 could keep
legislators as well as city governments from taking action
to protect the public in many
cases. It could affect everything from zoning issues to
water quality, said Stager.
As an example, she mentioned a development with
five-acre lots. What if a neighbor wants to set up a chicken
farm or a hog farm next to
you, she asked?
The OML is concerned that
both the state legislature and
local city council lose the ability to protect the publics
health if SQ 777 passes.
Stager also confirmed that
the OMLs concern that passage of SQ 777 could adversely affect water quality is related to runoff from materials
ranging from chicken litter
and animal waste to fertilizer.
Official ballot language for
SQ 777 will add a new section
to the Oklahoma Constitution
if it passes, including the
guaranteed rights to:
Make use of agriculture

technology.
Make use of livestock procedures,
Make use of ranching
practices.
Oklahomans already have
the right to make use of agriculture technology, livestock
procedures and ranching
practices, but the ballot language on SQ 777 states These
constitutional rights receive
extra protection under this
measure that not all constitutional rights receive.
This extra protection is a
limit on lawmakers ability to
interfere with the exercise of
these rights, the ballot language on SQ 777 continues.
Under this extra protection,
no law can interfere with
these rights, unless the law is
justified by a compelling state
interest a clearly identified
state interest of the highest
order. Additionally, the law
must be necessary to serve
that compelling state interest.
It goes on to state that the
measure and the protections
identified above do not apply to and do not impact state
laws related to trespass, eminent domain, dominance of
mineral interests, easements,
right of way or other property
rights and any state statutes
and political subdivision ordinances enacted before Dec.
31, 2014.
Critics of the proposal, including Stager and the OML,
contend the compelling state
interest requirement before
the legislature can act on agricultural-related issues if the
measure passes is too broad
and ties the hands of the legislature, local governments
and other governmental entities to protect the public.
Buchanan, on behalf of the
OFB, said hes concerned outsiders are trying to influence
what happens with Oklahoma
agriculture.
What were seeing are national activist groups that are
pursuing their own agenda,
he said.
Buchanan noted that righ to
farm measures have already
passed in Missouri and South
Dakota.

STATE QUESTION NO.: 777

RESOLUTION OR BILL NUMBER: HJR 1012
CITATION: Adding a new section 38 to Oklahoma
Constitution, Article II
SUBJECT: Farming and Ranching - Guaranteeing the right to
engage in certain farming and ranching practices
ELECTION DATE: November 8, 2016
BALLOT TITLE:
This measure adds Section 38 to Article II of the Oklahoma
Constitution. The new section creates state constitutional
rights. It creates the following guaranteed rights to engage in
farming and ranching:
The right to make use of agricultural technology,
The right to make use of livestock procedures, and
The right to make use of ranching practices.
These constitutional rights receive extra protection under this
measure that not all constitutional rights receive. This extra
protection is a limit on lawmakers ability to interfere with the
exercise of these rights. Under this extra protection, no law
can interfere with these rights, unless the law is justified by a
compelling state interesta clearly identified state interest of
the highest order. Additionally, the law must be necessary to
serve that compelling state interest.
The measureand the protections identified abovedo not
apply to and do not impact state laws related to:
Trespass,
Eminent domain,
Easements,
Right of way or other property rights, and
Any state statutes and political subdivision ordinances
enacted before December 31, 2014.
SHALL THE PROPOSAL BE APPROVED?
FOR THE PROPOSAL
Yes: __________
AGAINST THE PROPOSAL No: __________

A check by the News-Capital found that the right to

farm ballot language used in
Missouri and the proposed
ballot language in Nebraska
is identical or nearly identical
to that used on SQ 777 in
Oklahoma, indicating that
some of those who are promoting the measure are acting outside the state.
Thats prompted concern
that the measure is being
pushed by large agricultural
corporations with national
agendas of their own.
Buchanan maintained that
passage of SQ 777 does not
prevent future legislatures
from acting on agriculture-related issues.
It does not prohibit future
legislatures from passing regulations on agriculture as
long as it meets a compelling
state interest, he said.
Since compelling
state interest is not

defined in the ballot language,

those opposing SQ 777 take
little comfort in the passage.
Another issue the OFB discussed during Buchanans
McAlester visit regarded feral
hogs.
Feral hogs are on ongoing
issue with our membership,
Buchanan said. They cause
enormous property damage.
They are not game animals, Buchanan maintained.
They are an invasive species.
While feral hogs are not
protected animals in Oklahoma, Buchanan maintained
there are still too many restrictions regarding them.
Today, you cannot hunt
hogs at night with a spotlight, Buchanan said. Hes
also leery of what might be
required in the future.
There is a move afoot to
require a permit, he said.

>> See ELECTION // Page A3

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