Agricultural News
Gov. Kevin Stitt Says McGirt is Most Important Issue Facing Oklahoma
Sun, 07 Nov 2021 14:17:44 CST
It is estimated that about one-third of the state's population lives in rural Oklahoma and agriculture generated around $6.7 billion in 2019. It is safe to say that it is important that Oklahoma leadership sees the value in agriculture.
Today, KC Sheperd, associate director of Radio Oklahoma Ag Network, spoke with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt at the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Federation's 80th annual meeting, where he kicked off the general session.
"We love our agricultural community," Stitt said. "They literally feed the world."
Stitt went over some of the highlights of his speech, one being right now, Oklahoma has the largest savings account in the history of the state.
"It protects our future," Stitt said. "I was able to hold all of our state agencies flat and give a tax cut to every single taxpayer, which I was really proud of."
At the same time, state leadership also reinstituted the earned income tax credit, according to Stitt.
"My business sense was always holding these agencies flat," Stitt said. "The government can never spend enough money, so I am always focused on cutting and reducing overhead. That is what I did in the private sector and that is what I am doing in the state government."
Stitt said if Oklahoma can become the most business-friendly state in the Union, it will help Oklahomans across the board.
"Businesses are going to look at tax policy, regulations and workforce," Stitt said. "If we can get businesses here, we get more taxpayers - it helps education, healthcare and roads and bridges - ultimately that is our goal.
Stitt also spoke on the medical marijuana issue Oklahoma is facing right now. He said he wants to be aggressive about the issue of illegal growing operations.
"The marijuana deal is so frustrating for me personally," Stitt said. "I want to see arrests, I want to see enforcement, I asked the legislature for 80 more enforcement officers, we are going to raise the barriers to entry."
According to Stitt, Oklahoma has 3,000 dispensaries, compared to a large state like California which only has 600. Additionally, Oklahoma has 9,600 licensed marijuana growers, where California only has 2,600, he added.
"It just makes no sense," Stitt said. "The barrier of entry is so small here; we are having illegal growers move here and I am going to put a stop to it."
The issue facing the state, according to Stitt, is the McGirt issue. He said if the state fails to overturn the supreme court's ruling on the issue, Oklahoma will not look or be the same in the coming decades.
Each year, the convention marks a time for members to celebrate Farm Bureau achievements, elect OKFB leaders, set policy for the next year, fellowship with friends from around the state and more.
Hit the LISTEN BAR below to hear KC Sheperd and Kevin Stitt talk about the state of Oklahoma at this year's OKFB Annual Meeting.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...