Farmers resolve to make voice heard

A sleeping giant may have been awakened in Oconee County. Its voice rang from a church last night in the heart of Oconee’s farming community. About 175 people attended the annual agriculture banquet, held last night at the South Union Baptist Church. They heard Eddie Martin, manager of the Oconee Soil and Water Conservation District, express an irritation that farmers’ interests aren’t being heard by county government and that it’s time for the voice of local agriculture to be heard. Chairman Rex Ramsey of the Soil and Conservation District introduced the idea of a local agriculture commission to evaluate county policies and development with an emphasis on their impact on farming. Featured speaker last night was David McMahan. The deputy sheriff and farmer was one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit to overturn zoning regulations that he and his fellow plaintiffs contended violated South Carolina’s Right to Farm law.