Greetings, My Fellow Missourians
On Friday I went to Osceola High School and had the opportunity to speak at an officer training meeting for the 2019-20 Osceola FFA students and their Advisor Charles Simpson. I discussed an issue that is very controversial with some of my Cedar County constituents, Senate Bill 391. Senate Bill 391 was truly agreed to and finally passed the House the last week of Session. Vote count was Yes 108, No 41 along party line vote. Governor Parson signed the Bill formally into law May 31st and again signed it Ceremonial at the Missouri Cattlemen’s Annual Steak Fry & PAC Auction at the Sedalia State Fair Grounds on June 8th with about 700 MCA members in attendance. All agricultural organizations in the State supported the bill, Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Cattlemen, Pork Producers, Corn and Soybean Associations just to name a few. The three major associations in opposition were HSUS (Humane Society of the United States), Missouri Rural Crisis Center, and the Sierra Club.
In my opinion Cedar County and the other 20 counties, “hijacked” Statute 192.300, a law that was meant to allow County Commissioners and County Health Boards to control human waste water systems and regulate food handling facilities such as restaurants. This statute was never intended to be used by counties to adopt ordinances for livestock operations. Livestock ordinances are to be regulated by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Department of Agriculture. Statute 192.300 was meant to be under jurisdiction of the Department of Health and Human Services.
I have been trying to talk with as many people and attend as many meetings as possible to help people better understand SB 391.
Thirty-six agricultural businesses and organizations have come together to create the organization Missouri Farmers Care. They want to protect agricultural opportunities in Missouri. They have an Agri-Ready County designation program that promotes counties that support Missouri farmers and Missouri’s economic interests in agriculture. The Agri-Ready designation protects the 284,000 Missouri jobs created by agriculture and also supports the 97 percent of family farmers who provide fresh, quality food and feedstuffs in our community. Sixty-one Missouri counties are Agri-Ready. For more information, visit their website http://mofarmerscare.com/agri-ready/.
Upcoming events – Discover More on Route 54 is hosting the annual 100-mile yard sale on Labor Day weekend, August 30-31st. This will cover communities along US Hwy 54 from Nevada to Camdenton. They need sellers and bargain hunters to make this event a success! For more information on rules and locations visit https://100mileyardsale.wordpress.com/ or follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DiscoverRoute54/.
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