DeWayne Burns, representative of District 58, works to advocate for Proposition 1, the Right to Farm law.
"Spent a few days this week working with friends to spread the word about Proposition 1," Burns tweeted. "Vote yes!"
The Texas Right to Farm statute was first approved by the Texas Legislature in 1981. At its core, the Right to Farm law works to "conserve, protect and encourage the development and improvement of its agricultural land for the production of food and other agricultural products.” The law encompasses every type of agricultural process except those that break state, federal or local laws. The law protects any agricultural operation that has already been running for a year or more from any nuisance claim brought forward. This also includes covering any improvements on agricultural land from being a nuisance insofar as they are in accordance with all current laws at the time of the build.
Recent updates to the Texas Right to Farm Act will include defending agricultural processes, not only from nuisance claims but from all "other actions to restrain agricultural operations." The new updates to the law also broaden the term of "agricultural operations" to cover a more broad scope of growing vegetation as well as managing and caring for livestock, both domestic and wild. Additionally, more proof and clarification are needed for cases that threaten to go against any agricultural process. These new amendments seek to provide more protection for all agricultural processes in Texas.
Attending Texas A&M, then transferring to and graduating from Tarleton State University, Burns served as a legislative analyst for two state representatives during the 74th legislative session then moved to the Department of Agriculture where he worked as the coordinator for Special Issues. With much background in agriculture and the politics behind understanding and defending agricultural processes, Burns was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2014 and is now serving his fifth consecutive term. He has also recently been chosen to serve as the chairman of the Land and Resource Management Department and is active on the Higher Education Committee, according to his website.
