The political economy of state right to farm amendments: evidence from Missouri

Abstract

Right-to-farm laws started in the 1970s. In 2014, Missouri residents voted on a right-to-farm constitutional amendment that gave farmers constitutional protection from nuisance suits related to agricultural production. The Amendment passed 50.12% to 49.88%. We use an empirical median voter model on county-level voting data to analyze the determinants of yes voting. We find that an increased presence of agricultural interests in a county as measured by head of cattle, acres planted, and % employed in agriculture were associated with a higher percentage of yes votes. Our results highlight the importance of widespread farm interests obtaining constitutional projections for farming.