Initiative Number 300, the country’s toughest anti-corporate farming law, was adopted in 1982 as part of the state’s constitution–thus it cannot be changed by the legislature. Its reach is broad, covering not only land ownership but the operation of farms and ranches. Thus a corporation cannot even own livestock that are custom fed or contract-produced in another feedlot. Continue reading

The Oklahoma Producers Tax Credit (H.B. 2959) passed in 1996, giving a value added processing tax credit to farmers and ranchers. For every dollar an Oklahoma agricultural producer invests in an agricultural processing venture, they receive a 30% tax credit. Outside investors may invest in facilities, but do not qualify for the tax credit. The credit can be carried for 7 years. Continue reading

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As massive, concentrated feedlots spread across the U.S., states are using a variety of techniques to protect their rural economies and environment. States such as Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma have enacted large scale feedlot moratoriums. Some counties have proposed or enacted rules that place various restrictions on feedlot facilities–required setbacks, public hearing process, manure management… Continue reading

The ordinance is modeled after the language of the constitutional amendments passed in Nebraska and South Dakota that ban corporate farms in those states. Similar laws have passed in Thompson Township, Fulton County, Pennsylvania and Wells Township, Fulton County, Pennsylvania. According to the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy (POCLAD), as of late 2004, 78 Pennsylvania townships have passed laws banning corporate involvement in agriculture. Several townships have passed laws stripping corporations of constitutional protections and powers. Continue reading

Increasingly, a small handful of corporations control inputs, credit, elevators, processing facilities, and markets necessary to grow and distribute agricultural products. Since the last half of the 19th century, farmer owned cooperatives have provided farmers a stronger presence in the marketplace and greater bargaining power to control the costs of inputs and the value of… Continue reading

The use of production and marketing contracts in agriculture has dramatically increased the vertical integration and concentration of U.S. agriculture. Processors benefit from extraordinary bargaining power, and are able to offer “take it or leave it” contracts to farmers. As a result, most contracts contain obscure language, payment plans, and confidentiality provisions that make it… Continue reading