Scooter Park: Protecting Oklahoma’s Farmers and Our Agricultural Future

 Oklahoma has the fourth largest farming community in the nation—and that is no surprise considering we’re one of the best places to start a farm or ranch, and our lawmakers and communities support our farmers. As a former state representative myself, I feel passionately about maintaining our reputation as a top farming state and protecting our famers’ livelihood. 

Modern, science-backed crop protection tools are critical to helping our farmers produce crops, like corn, soy beans, wheat, and cotton, and support their families and our economy. Some of the most important among these tools are pesticides and herbicides. These American-made crop protection resources allow farmers to fend off harmful pests and weeds, making farming more productive, sustainable, and cost-effective. 

Without effective crop protection, farmers are left with few, more expensive options to care for their land. That means lower yields, higher input costs, and ultimately, increased prices for consumers. Worse yet, restricting access to crop protection tools won’t make farming safer or more environmentally friendly – it will force farmers to use other methods that require more fuel, more labor, and more tillage, reducing productivity and causing greater damage and soil erosion here in Oklahoma. 

Farmers across the country are already being squeezed by unpredictable weather, rising input costs, and volatile market prices. We must preserve the tools that help to keep our farmers in business. 

Unfortunately, mounting legal threats from out-of-state trial lawyers are threatening Oklahoma farmers’ access to crop protection tools. These special interests have no understanding of the challenges Oklahoma farmers face, and they’re taking advantage of regulatory loopholes for their own financial gain. It’s unacceptable and has negative implications for our famers, the U.S. food supply chain, and our national security. 

Most importantly, the loss of pesticides and herbicides would make farming far more expensive and unpredictable—it would also threaten famers’ livelihood. And if farms shutter or operations become more expensive, consumers will feel the impacts with even higher food costs. 

Beyond the economic impacts, the loss of American-made crop protection tools is a national security concern. If American producers lose access to American-made crop protection due to misguided lawsuits and regulation, foreign products will fill the demand. And those products will come from China. Not only does this put our food security at risk, but it also hands leverage to a foreign adversary with a history of manipulating supply chains for its own advantage. Do we really want America’s food security in the hands of China? 

Lawmakers in Oklahoma can take much-needed steps to address this growing problem. By passing legislation that codifies Environmental Protection Agency labeling requirements 

developed over the past five decades, we can provide peace of mind and stability to farmers in Oklahoma, ensuring they can access the crop management tools they rely on. 

Agriculture is the lifeblood of Oklahoma, and ensuring our farmers have the resources they need should be a priority for anyone who cares about our state’s economy, our rural communities, and our long-term food security. Let’s not allow activist-driven lawsuits and regulatory uncertainty undermine decades of agricultural progress. We need to stand with our farmers and ensure they have the tools necessary to continue growing the food that feeds America. 

Note: Scooter Park is a farmer from Cotton County and a former State Representative for District 65 and Chair of the House Agriculture Committee.