Behind the Scenes

Property rights come front and center

Agriculture groups are staking private property rights as a high priority this fall, as more and more landowners express dismay with this year’s Supreme Court ruling in the Kelo v. New London case. The latest round of property rights defenses comes from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, in which the organization clearly hammers out its stance for preserving the rights of America’s farmers and ranchers against economic development interests. I noticed this week, too, that American Farm Bureau Federation has ramped up talk about property rights. In a recent edition of their nationally distrubted newspaper, the country’s largest farm organization includes an opinion piece from the Kansas Farm Bureau president. In Steve Baccus’ column, he argues that "[farmers] raise kids, crops and livestock on ground that has been in our families for generations. This value cannot be measured." Looks to me like the American farm lobby is just starting to stretch their muscles in preparation for a big fight in the property rights debate. It ought to be an interesting battle to watch.