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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri lawmakers are asking voters to approve a constitutional amendment that would protect the rights of farmers.

The House passed the amendment 132-25 on Tuesday. The Senate approved the proposal 28-6 just after the House vote. The measure will be on the November 2014 election ballot.

Rep. Bill Reiboldt of Neosho says his amendment would allow farmers to continue raising livestock and producing quality food for the state.

Voters will be asked if the constitution should be amended to "ensure that the right of Missouri citizens to engage in agricultural production and ranching practices shall not be infringed."

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Some University of Missouri students preparing to return to the family farm are analyzing their own family finances for firsthand lessons in the economics of modern agriculture.

Agricultural economist Kevin Moore intentionally focuses on data in his "Returning to the Farm" class. Instead of working with combines or learning the proper chemical mixes of common fertilizers, Moore's students create business plans using their family's financial information.

The statistical approach could lead to a disheartening conclusion: The family farm may not survive another generation.

But the data-driven emphasis allows others the sort of systematic, long-term planning that their parents and grandparents could only approximate by scratching out financial estimates on a yellowed legal pad.