When it comes to Missouri’s family farms, we have an inequity problem on several fronts. Our Missouri Democratic Party platform supports family farmers and opposes large, corporate Confined Animal Farming Operations (CAFOs). Many of these CAFOs are owned by foreign countries, and livestock are treated horribly before going to slaughter.
Because they have so much money, owners of CAFOs often hire lobbyists to represent them in Jefferson City. They frequently donate to Republican candidates. They’ve learned how to skirt around local regulations and have even managed to get state laws re-written to pave the way for less accountability and thus, greater profits.
In some cases, these CAFOs have been responsible for polluting residential water supplies, as in the case of Livingston County in northwestern Missouri.
Couple that with the ongoing inequity that our Black and other marginalized family farmers face on a daily basis, and we have some serious problems we need to take care of here in Missouri.
There are some excellent resources available, for those who want to focus on this issue as part of your own activism. If you want to write LTEs, post to social media, call in to local radio shows, etc., here are some helpful resources:
Family Farm Resources
2022-23 Missouri Farm Bureau State Advocacy Priorities
Lincoln University College of Agriculture
Environmental and Human Sciences Cooperative Extension and Research
National Black Farmers Association
2022 Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference
Small Farms: Producing Less, Becoming Financially Risky
Black Entrepreneurs Look to Change Missouri’s Farming Landscape Through Urban Agriculture
Two Biden Priorities, Climate and Inequality, Meet on Black-Owned Farms
150 Years Later, Black Farmers are Still Fighting to Farm
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The Franklin County Democratic Central Committee meets the last Monday of each month. Due to COVID, meetings are currently being held via Zoom. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Photo Credit: Library of Congress, P&P