Agricultural News
Lucas Oil Products Founder Forrest Lucas Ready to Help With Passage of Right to Farm Amendment
Tue, 31 Mar 2015 04:59:03 CDT
Forrest Lucas is the Founder and Chair of Protect the Harvest, a group he started in 2011 to assist in the fight for the rights of America's farmers, ranchers, animal owners and sportsmen/sportswomen. Lucas was in Oklahoma on Monday, meeting with the Ag Groups that gather at the State Department of Agriculture at the start of each week to discuss current issues that may impact agriculture and rural Oklahoma at the state capitol
The Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network, Ron Hays, talked with Lucas, who is the Founder and CEO of Lucas Oil Products, before he spoke to the gathering of Ag Groups about his interest in the passage of a "Right to Farm" amendment in the Oklahoma state legislature.
According to John Collison, Vice President of Public Policy for the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Protect the Harvest has expressed a willingness to consider helping with grassroots communications and online efforts as the Oklahoma Ag Community explains the need for a Right to Farm amendment to members of the State Senate. The measure, HJR-1012, has already passed the State House of Representatives by a overwhelming 90 to 6 vote. Click here for our earlier article on this measure- which includes the language of the proposed amendment to the constitution which would be voted on by the people if both the Senate and House pass the measure.
One of the reasons that Forrest Lucas and Protect the Harvest is interested in this issue is that the Humane Society of the US is already spending money in the state and conducting email campaigns to attempt to derail a successful Senate vote. In an email that went out to Oklahoma supporters of the HSUS earlier today, the organization says "While a deceptively named "Right to Farm" bill is meant to sound beneficial, it would actually hurt local communities." HSUS claims "HJR 1012 would give out of state corporations free reign to pollute our land and drinking water, abuse our animals and destroy traditiopnal family farmers' way of life." The emails are sorted based on the recipients location and assigns them Senators from their area that they need to contact and call on those lawmakers to oppose the measure. The email is signed by Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of the HSUS in Washington, DC. They also reference a TV ad that HSUS is funding to urge a no vote on "Right to Farm." Click here to see it on YouTube.
Lucas had not seen the email as Hays talked with him, but says that the claims by HSUS are always lies. He has seen the TV commercial that we have a link to above on this issue(and was mentioned in the email sent by Pacelle) and Lucas says it contains lies and adds about the HSUS message- "they're lying now and they're going to lie until this election is over so disregard what they say as it is lies- all lies."
According to Lucas, the most important thing that consumers that do to help US agriculture in dealing with the HSUS is to stop giving them donations. He believes the right thing to do is to seek out the local animal shelters in your area if you want to help with the humane treatment of animals- the HSUS is only interested in harming animal agriculture as well as hunting and fishing interests.
To learn more about Protect the Harvest, click here for their website.
Click on the LISTEN BAR below to hear the conversation that Ron Hays had with Forrest Lucas about his group, Protect the Harvest, and his intent to help Oklahoma agriculture pass the "Right to Farm" amendment, HJR 1012.
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