Nebraska Trying to Protect Restrictions on Corporate Farming
The Flaming Grasshopper, a blog from progressive publisher Chelsea Green,has a post about Nebraska’s attempts to save “Initiative 300,” a law that prevents corporate ownership of farms. According to TFG, this is one of the strongest such laws in the country, but a federal judge has declared it unconstitutional. The state is appealing the judgment.
The Blog for Rural America has a thorough analysis of this decision, arguing that it takes power away from the states and shuts people out of agriculture. TFG urges you to write your local newspapers and encourage them to cover this story, which could dramatically shift the power structure on American farms.
On the Front Lines
One of my favorite bits of trivia is that several midwestern states have laws or state constitutional amendments that restrict corporate farming. The strongest of these is in Nebraska, where “Initiative 300″ disallows corporate ownership of farms (thou…