Opponents of Missouri’s Right to Farm bill filed suit against the state regarding the ballot language in the proposed constitutional amendment.
The amendment passed during the primary elections by 2,375 votes. A recount, the fourth in the past two decades in Missouri, affirmed the original result of the election.
Leslie Holloway, the director for regulatory affairs at the Missouri Farm Bureau, said the language in the ballot is consistent with other constitutional amendments.
“It’s very unusual, if not unprecedented, until this year to have ballot language challenged after the election,” Holloway said. “I can’t imagine there is any reason for the lawsuit to proceed.”
Dan Kleinsorge, the executive director of Missouri Farmers Care, said this new lawsuit is a last-ditch effort to fight the farm bill.
“It shows exactly why we need the farming rights amendment because these groups have very deep pockets, and they like to use the courts to attack agriculture,” Kleinsorge said.
He said the opponents’ endless funds make it difficult to compete with, but overall, he does not expect the lawsuit to succeed.
“This constitutional amendment will be part of the state constitution, and we’re very glad for that,” Kleinsorge said.
The court has not yet set a date for this case.
