Democratic Party hears about initiative

Stephen Webber, standing, discusses the Farmer’s Bill of Rights with the Vernon County Democratic Party Thursday at Moore-Few Care Center.

Submitted photo

On Dec. 5, 2017, the Missouri Democratic Party unveiled what it calls a “Farmer’s Bill of Rights. Party leaders have been touring the state to tout this initiative. Last Thursday, state party chair, Stephen Webber came to Vernon County and addressed a meeting of the county party’s faithful.

“Traveling to over 80 counties in the last year, I’ve seen firsthand that economic opportunity in our rural communities is disappearing — and it’s clear that the Republican establishment in Jefferson City has only made the problem worse by favoring foreign corporations and monopolies at the expense of our family farmers,” said Webber. “That’s exactly why we’re fighting back and renewing these core values that will keep more money in the pockets of family farmers and help reverse the decline of main streets all across Missouri.”

The proposed bill would enshrine three basic rights and five policy priorities aimed at taking on monopolies and foreign corporations, as the Democrats state, to restore competition and protect the rights of Missouri’s family farmers.

The three rights include the right to fair and open markets; the right to local control of land; and the right to rural opportunity.

The five policy priorities include stopping foreign companies from owning Missouri farms, improving country-of-origin labeling, providing transparency for contract growers, protection of local regulation of concentrated animal feeding operations and end corporate stacking of the clean water commission.

In a prepared statement, Missouri Farmers Union President Richard Oswald said, “Every single day, Missouri’s family farmers are denied their right to country-of-origin labeling — which is an unfair marketing practice that directly cuts into the amount of money that could be staying in our rural communities.”