Farmers & Ranchers Join The Oklahoma Daylight Savings Fight

It was only a few weeks ago that we all learned at least one Oklahoma state-level representative was fighting to freeze Daylight Savings in this state leading up to the inevitable return to standard time. It was a long shot, and as you already know, it didn't happen. That doesn't mean the fight over Oklahoma's clock time is over though. Each side is building ranks prepping for the war that will be fought over time changes, and after it's all said and done, nothing will probably have changed.

The newest champions in the corner of staying on Daylight Savings year-round are those in the rural communities of our state, farmers and ranchers. In fact, the president of the American Farmers and Ranchers Cooperative has backed a plan to stay on permanent "summertime" in favor of a later day, rather than an earlier morning. He said:

To us it makes more sense if we can add that hour to the end of the day than early in the beginning of the day, and really you’re just talking about the winter months would be the change, about four months in the wintertime.

He also spoke about how many modern farmers and ranchers work additional, regular-type day jobs during the year, relegating the farm and ranch work to the evenings and weekends.

They work all day at the job in town and then come home. In the wintertime, they’re breaking ice, feeding cattle, trying to assist their cattle and caving and that sort of thing all in the dark.

While I'm personally more a fan of sticking to standard time, it's hard to argue with that assessment. I'd rather come home closer to the end of the days heat streak and enjoy a cooler meal on the patio and earlier evening in the midst of summer.

Either way a time-freeze swings, I think more importantly most everyone will be a fan of just picking one or the other and sticking to it.

Bills to address freezing a time have been introduced both at a federal level in 2019 and on a state-level here in Oklahoma just recently. Whether either of them go anywhere legislatively is up in the air. When was the last time any meaningful legislation beyond the feel-good wasteful type stuff was actually accomplished on any level?