Agriculture & Rural Values
We have over 108,000 farms in Missouri with over 29,100,000 acres in farm land, yet the average size of a Missouri farm is 269 acres. This means the family farm is alive and needs to be protected. To varying degrees, all Missourians are sons and daughters of the soil. Those of us who work the land not only preserve it, but feed Missouri’s families at least three times a day. We all are beneficiaries of the honest, hard work and business acumen of the Missouri farmer.
Our farming families are under fire from radical special interest groups like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Humane Farming Association (HFA). HFA wants to destroy farming as we know it in Missouri. These radical liberal activists want to restrict animal agriculture and hunting just to name a few.
Missouri farmers who find themselves under the gun from liberal special interest groups do not find an ally when they turn to government. Instead, farmers are repeatedly encumbered with over-bearing regulations and punitive fees and fines which make it tough to operate an effective business. We need more farmer friendly senators who understand agriculture.
Property rights is a very important issue to Missourians. When you purchase a piece of land you should own it without fear of the government getting involved. In the State Senate, Sarah Steelman was the sponsor of a bill that got government out of the way and allowed landowners to excavate sand and gravel from streams and rivers on their property for use on their land. These are the kind of common sense solutions we need to give true property rights back to the person who should have them, the landowner.
Our farmers and friends who share our rural values deserve a fighter in the U.S. Senate. Too often we have sent “go along get along” politicians who quickly join “the club” and do not fight for the rights we too often take for granted. There is a clear choice on Election Day: on the one hand you have a fighter who believes the status quo has got to go, and on the other hand you have a couple of “go along get along” gentlemen from St. Louis with little to no understanding or connection to the rural lifestyle.
Sarah Steelman would appreciate your vote and your feedback. Please share with us your stories of heavy handed government and/or your experiences with liberal activist groups like the HFA.