Nixon turns his back on Missouri Farmers; Vetos Bi-Partisan Agriculture Legislation
“Today is a dark day for Missouri Farmers and property owners as a result of Governor Nixon’s deliberate decision to ignore Missouri’s number one industry in favor of lobbyists and attorneys in Jefferson City.” Said Representative Casey Guernsey, author of HB 1326, the ‘Missouri Dairy Revitalization Act’ and Chairman of the House Agriculture Business Committee. “Its unconscionable for this Governor to completely understand the importance of all ten components of this Bill and deliberately kill the legislation. This is a case once again of Governor Nixon siding with those advocating big government solutions in Missouri over historic revolutionary market-based solutions that would allow an industry to purchase margin protection insurance to relieve farmers from dependence on the federal government’s intense regulation. By not signing this bill it sets an historic precedent to allow a state agency with no accountability to any elected official to take farmers property and regulate them out of business. What more of an anti-farming stance could Nixon possibly take, he’s made a deliberate choice of elevating unelected bureaucrats over Missouri Farmers and empowering them with the ability to make a blatant grab of private property. Its an unconstitutional power grab.”
“Governor Nixon is enabling an over-reaching state department to define farmer’s property as the states. This goes far beyond that of deer, its about farmer’s private property rights, he’s giving sweeping new access of Missouri Farms to regulators,” said Guernsey upon news of the Governor’s actions. “We in Missouri can’t ever let the blatant power grab of Missouri Citizens private property, especially in farming, occur. Whats next? The unaccountable conservation commission regulating the Cattle industry? We’ve seen where this discussion has already taken place in testimony during my committee hearings.” Guernsey lead the charge to over-ride Governor Nixon’s veto of Agriculture legislation last year and will do so again this year. “Considering this legislation was passed with near unanimous support from the House this session from both parties, I know the General Assembly understands the importance of the Dairy Act. I’m confident once folks understand what all is at stake with the property rights components relative to farmers, we will see a significant number support the over-ride of HB 1326.
Missouri has been hemorrhaging dairy farmers over the course of the last 10 years to the point where the state has begun to lose its processing plants and infrastructure putting the industry at the near point of no return. The Dairy industry employs from farm thru processing plant approximately 15,000 Missourians. If Missouri continues to lose farms that number will be decimated in the next decade. “This is why all 13 Missouri Agriculture strongly advocated to Governor Nixon for his signature of this legislation. This is Agriculture united at its finest and Governor Nixon knows it. He has literally turned his back on these employees, businesses and family farms.”
Earlier last month a strong endorsement and advocacy of HB 1326 was signed by all 13 Missouri Ag groups including: MO Cattlemen Assn, FCS Financial, MO Agribusiness Assn, MO Corn Growers Assn, MO Dairy Assn, MO Deer Assn, MO Egg Council, MO Farm Bureau, MO Federation of Animal Owners, MO Pork Assn, MO Poultry Assn, MO Soybean Assn and MO Farm Equipment Dealers Assn
