Recount upholds Missouri ‘right to farm’ passage

Sep 16, 2014

The results of a recount announced Monday [Sept. 16] for the so-called ‘right to farm’ constitutional Amendment 1 indicate that the August 5 election results have been upheld. Which is a reaffirmed victory for the ‘yes’ side of the campaign, comprised of mostly farmers and ranchers, backed by about 15 farm organizations.

Though, the margin of victory for the ‘yes’ side was slimmer than originally declared on election night. The ‘no’ side of the ballot measure picked up a few more votes on the amendment with a passage by 2,375 votes out of nearly a million cast, with the difference between “yes” and “no” votes before the recount being 2,490. The recount took place in all 114 counties, and the city of St. Louis.

“Missouri family farmers and consumers are the winners of the recount validating the passage of Constitutional Amendment #1, the farming rights amendment,” Blake Hurst, president of Missouri Farm Bureau said in a release.

Hurst adds that Missouri farmers will now have greater protection from out-of-state activist groups like the Humane Society of the United States, who have in the past made attempts to try and change state laws about how livestock are raised. Same goes for environmental activists groups who may push for restrictions on GMO crops or pesticide use.

While Hurst argues that the recount was unnecessary and costly for Missouri taxpayers, he is “pleased with the results upholding the passage of Amendment #1.” The states of North Dakota and Indiana already have ‘right to farm’ statues in their constitutions. But the ‘right to farm’ passage in Missouri may spur a larger movement in the future, especially in other top producing agricultural states.