{"id":27228,"date":"2016-09-01T12:06:39","date_gmt":"2016-09-01T17:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=27228"},"modified":"2016-09-01T12:06:39","modified_gmt":"2016-09-01T17:06:39","slug":"right-to-farm-or-right-to-harm-oklahoma-voters-get-final-say-with-sq-777","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2016\/09\/01\/right-to-farm-or-right-to-harm-oklahoma-voters-get-final-say-with-sq-777\/","title":{"rendered":"Right-to-Farm or Right-to-Harm: Oklahoma Voters Get Final Say With SQ 777"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_23828\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 620px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23828\" alt=\"Dustin Green, owner of 10 Acre Woods farm near Norman, feeds a few of his 400 or so chickens. \" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/05\/PHOTO-05-07-FarmersOnRTF-e1430949251295.jpg\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/05\/PHOTO-05-07-FarmersOnRTF-e1430949251295.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/05\/PHOTO-05-07-FarmersOnRTF-e1430949251295-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/05\/PHOTO-05-07-FarmersOnRTF-e1430949251295-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/05\/PHOTO-05-07-FarmersOnRTF-e1430949251295-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Logan Layden \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dustin Green, owner of 10 Acre Woods farm near Norman, feeds a few of his 400 or so chickens.<\/p>\n<\/div><p>Oklahoma voters decide on <a title=\"Ballotpedialink\" href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Oklahoma_Right_to_Farm_Amendment,_State_Question_777_(2016)#cite_note-bill-1\" target=\"_blank\">State Question 777<\/a> in November. Supporters call the ballot initiative right-to-farm, but opponents prefer right-to-<i>harm<\/i>. It\u2019s a divisive, national issue that\u2019s made its way to Oklahoma<b>, <\/b>pitting agriculture against environmentalists and animal rights activists.<\/p><p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/280916859&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=false\" height=\"150\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p><p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3>Nasty fight<\/h3><p>By now, many Oklahomans have seen the signs and billboards for and against State Question 777, and organizations backing both sides of the issue are gearing up a television ad blitz. November is months away, and the fight over whether to change the state constitution to give broad protection to the ag industry is already getting nasty.<\/p><p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/p44r3WacCRU\" height=\"349\" width=\"620\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p><p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/173781027\" height=\"349\" width=\"620\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p><p>SQ 777 is a fight between two national adversaries that loathe each other, and Oklahoma is the latest battleground. Voters in<b> <\/b>Missouri and North Dakota already passed similar right-to-farm measures.<\/p><p>There are two main players.<\/p><p>Backing the \u2018no\u2019 side, the Humane Society of the U.S. The national group pushes against confined animal feeding operations that pack poultry and livestock in small cages, and for <a title=\"nofamasslink\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nofamass.org\/content\/gmo-labeling-massachusetts\" target=\"_blank\">tighter restrictions <\/a>on the use of GMO crops.<\/p><p>Backing the \u2018yes\u2019 side, Farm Bureaus, pro-agricultural organizations that say the Humane Society wants to destroy the farm way of life.<\/p><p>\u201cWhy is Human Society worried about agriculture?\u201d John Collison with the Oklahoma Farm Bureau wonders. \u201cWe\u2019re the ones that raise millions and millions of animals every single day, and take care of them. They\u2019re our livelihood. We\u2019re not going to treat our business badly.\u201d<\/p><p>Cynthia Armstrong, with the Oklahoma branch of the Humane Society of the U.S., says Farm Bureaus are doing the bidding of corporate agriculture and large corporations that don\u2019t want any restrictions by supporting SQ 777.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_23036\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 620px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-23036\" alt=\"Attendees listen as former Missouri state senator Wes Shoemeyer speaks against Amendment 1 at the Missouri\u2019s Food for America sign-making event at Caf\u00e9 Berlin Friday, June 27, 2014 in Columbia, Missouri.\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/02\/20150226-RightToFarm001_WEB-e1424932324571.jpg\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/02\/20150226-RightToFarm001_WEB-e1424932324571.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/02\/20150226-RightToFarm001_WEB-e1424932324571-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/02\/20150226-RightToFarm001_WEB-e1424932324571-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2015\/02\/20150226-RightToFarm001_WEB-e1424932324571-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">KOMUnews \/ flickr \/ CC BY 2.0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Attendees listen as former Missouri state senator Wes Shoemeyer speaks against Amendment 1 at Caf\u00e9 Berlin Friday, June 27, 2014 in Columbia, Missouri. The right-to-farm fight in Missouri came down to a recount.<\/p>\n<\/div><p>\u201cThey want to do business the way they want to do it, without regard to environmental concerns, animal welfare,\u201d Armstrong says. \u201cThey don\u2019t want any of that getting in their way.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>What you&#8217;re voting on<\/h3><p>If voters approve Right-To-Farm in November, the Oklahoma Constitution will be amended to read like this:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Legislature shall pass no law which abridges the right of citizens and lawful residents of Oklahoma to employ agricultural technology and livestock production and ranching practices without a compelling state interest.<\/p><\/blockquote><p>The wording is broad, and takes power away from the Legislature. State Rep. Donnie Condit, D-McAlester, was the only \u2018no\u2019 vote when the bill was in House committee in 2015. He voted down the measure because of emails from constituents telling him to vote \u2018no\u2019, but he later voted in favor. His rationale: Give Oklahoma voters the chance to decide.<\/p><p>\u201cForever\u2019s a long time. Ten, 15 years from now, if we vote this in and the Legislature comes up with a crisis with agriculture, their hands are tied,\u201d Condit told StateImpact in February 2015.<\/p><p>Complicating matters, Oklahoma already has a <a title=\"NALClink\" href=\"http:\/\/nationalaglawcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/assets\/righttofarm\/oklahoma.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">similar law on the books<\/a>. It outlaws so-called nuisance lawsuits against farmers and ranchers from nearby residents who might be disturbed by noise, odors, and pollution. From a technical and political standpoint,\u00a0 statutes are a lot easier to change than the state constitution, and SQ 777 opponents say approving the measure will result in costly court challenges over any new laws over agriculture.<\/p>\n<h3>Big farmer v. small farmer<\/h3><p>Right-to-farm supporter Travis Schnaithman\u2019s family has a 5,000-acre farm near Garber in north-central Oklahoma. It\u2019s a large-scale farm, but it\u2019s still a <i>family<\/i> farm. California has already enacted some laws that he says would hurt his operation if they were in effect in Oklahoma.<\/p><p>\u201cBasically, they put rules and regulations on how animals are housed. They\u2019ve got to be in enriched crates, enriched pens,\u201d Schnaithman says. \u201cWhat it\u2019s done is decrease that production. Those farmers out there can\u2019t compete on a national scale with other states that don\u2019t have those rules and regulations.\u201d<\/p><p>Many of the smaller, organic farmers StateImpact has interviewed\u00a0 over the past year are urging voters to vote no on\u00a0 SQ 777, like Dustin Green, who owns a 10-acre farm outside of Norman.<\/p><p>\u201cI have no affiliation with Human Society at all, but it\u2019s important to have organizations like them who hold us accountable, that say \u2018this isn\u2019t good for the animal. It\u2019s unsanitary. It spreads bacteria. It spreads diseases,\u2019 Green says. \u201cThey shouldn\u2019t be locked in cages. They shouldn\u2019t be locked in barns\u201d<\/p><p><a title=\"StateImpactLink\" href=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2015\/05\/07\/what-oklahoma-farmers-think-about-the-right-to-farm-issue-in-oklahoma\/\" target=\"_blank\">StateImpact has interviewed about a dozen farmers<\/a> on SQ 777 and there seems to be a trend: The bigger your farm, the more likely you\u2019re a right-to-farm supporter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oklahoma voters decide on State Question 777 in November. Supporters call the ballot initiative right-to-farm, but opponents prefer right-to-harm. It\u2019s a divisive, national issue that\u2019s made its way to Oklahoma, pitting agriculture against environmentalists and animal rights activists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":23828,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[491],"tags":[313,637,427],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27228"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27228"}],"version-history":[{"count":39,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27271,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27228\/revisions\/27271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}