Ron Sylvester

Ohio Legislative Update

November 13, 2014 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

The Ohio Farmers Union is providing testimony on two bills this week:

Sub. H.B. 490 – the large, catch-all bill which began life as part of Gov. John Kasich’s Mid Biennium Review package of legislation meant to make budget adjustments. The bill covers both the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture and Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources areas of governmental responsibility. OFU has taken an “interested-party” position, due to the large number of subjects covered in the bill. OFU has told legislators it is supportive of tightened regulations on saline injection – or frack water disposal – wells. The bill also creates a path toward ODNR being able to provide first responders information about the chemicals being used at an oil or gas drilling site in the event of an accident. That language is rather nebulous, however, leaving it to ODNR management to implement. This issue will bear watching if 490 moves on through the Senate and to the governor’s desk.

OFU suggested in testimony by President Joe Logan some potential additions to the parts of the bill regarding nutrient management. Working with the Ohio Environmental Council, OFU is seeking amendments which would allow the state to aggregate and analyze data from nutrient management and manure management plans to get watershed-wide views of manure and chemical fertilizer sales/production/use.

Read Joe Logan’s testimony from November 12, 2014 on Sub. H.B. 490.

S.B. 296 – is sponsored by State Sen. Cliff Hite, R-Findlay, and is supported by Ohio Farmers Union. A main provision of the bill provides that retail filling station operators are not responsible for mistakes customers make in putting the wrong fuel in their vehicles. (So long as the pumps are clearly marked and the station is in compliance with all other laws and regulations.) Ohio’s ethanol producers have urged farmers to support this because some filling station operators have refused to provide E85 or other fuel choices because they say customers may not pay attention while fueling, unintentionally pump the wrong fuel into their vehicle and then sue the station for damages. Ohio Farmers Union testimony was provided by OFU Treasurer Roger Wise.

Read Roger Wise’s testimony submitted ‘as written’ on November 12, 2014 on S.B. 296.

In Memoriam: Michael J. Leimeister

November 10, 2014 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Nov 20, 1925 – Oct 26, 2014
Michael J. Leimeister, age 88, of Collins, died on October 26, 2014 at Fisher-Titus Medical Center in Norwalk.

He was born on November 20, 1925 in Shinrock and has lived in Collins for the last 65 years.

He was a 1944 graduate of Berlin Local School. He served in the Army Air Force. He was retired from New Departure in Sandusky and was also a farmer.

He was a member of St. Pauls Church in Norwalk, a life member of the Sandusky AMVETS, Wakeman American Legion, President of the Huron-Lorain County Farmers Union for 20 years, Northcoast Farm Bureau Council, F.A.D.S. Square Dance Group, served on the Ohio Soybean Council from 1990-1996, and was a member of the Townsend Twp. Zoning Committee for many years.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years Margaret “Peggy” (Liles), daughter Patricia (Ron) Strimpfel, of Hilton Head, a son Frederick (Adrian) “Kay” Leimeister, of Collins, sisters Mary Moyer, Dorothy Fannin, Catherine Clouse, Rose Fannin, Ruth Wood, and Monica Leimeister, brothers Frank, Tony, Paul, and John Leimeister, grandchildren Molly (Ryan) McDonough, Margaret “Meg” (William) James, Nicholas and Robert Strimpfel, Michael (Melissa) Leimeister, and Marci Leimeister, step-grandchildren Michael Hazelwood, Jenny O’Lear, Mark (Megan) Hazelwood, and Andrea (Scotty) Sowell, great-grandchildren Skylar and Nathan McDonough, Avery Thompson, Gracie Rae Leimeister, Abby and Emma Leimeister, and Royce Strimpfel, step-great-grandchildren Sammy Hazelwood, Chloe Hazelwood, Ellie, Marleigh and Abbigail O’Lear and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Ada (Good) Leimeister, a daughter Judith Anne Leimeister, sisters Norma Leimeister, Rita Roberts and Theresa Wyatt, brothers James Chuck and a brother in infancy.

Online condolences may be left at mormanfuneralhome.com

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul’s Catholic Church.

Logan appointed to U.S. EPA Advisory Committee

November 4, 2014 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Joe Logan speaking at the Ohio Farmers Union 2014 Farm Bill Implementation Forum. Photo: Ron Sylvester

Ohio Farmers Union President Joe Logan has been appointed to a national committee that provides advice on environmental, agricultural and rural development issues to the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Logan will serve on the Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Committee.

According to a letter sent Logan by EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, the committee “provides advice, information and recommendations to the Administrator on a broad range of environmental issues and policies …”

The committee’s members represent a broad range of interests including academia, farmers, ag industry interest groups and state and local government representatives.

“This year’s water quality issues in Lake Erie validate the importance of issues that touch on both the agricultural industry and the environment,” Logan said.

“I’m pleased to represent Ohio’s farmers on this important committee. I believe Administrator McCarthy takes seriously the advice and real-world experience brought to the EPA’s decision-making process by the committee,” Logan said.

“I intend to take the same pragmatic approach to my work on the committee that I take as a leader in the Ohio Farmers Union. Regulation should be targeted, not one-size-fits-all and based in science and real-world data,” Logan said.

Logan is a dairy farmer from Kinsman, Ohio who has built a second career serving agricultural and environmental interests. He has been a leader in the Ohio Farmers Union for several years. This is his second stint as president and he has also served as the group’s legislative director. He also worked on agricultural and water quality issues for several years at the Ohio Environmental Council.

NFU Says Congress Shouldn’t Bow to Scare Tactics on COOL

November 1, 2014 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson today urged Congress to ignore a recent letter signed by groups who are using scare tactics to derail Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL), a law popular with both consumers and family farmers alike.

“This letter was organized by groups who have opposed COOL from day one and demonstrates that they understand they have lost the battle over this issue in the public arena,” said Johnson. “We urge Congress to ignore the overblown rhetoric of the letter and stay the course on COOL,” he said.

The letter comes on the heels of a recent World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that the implementation of the law remains unbalanced between consumer information and production costs and will need further changes. “The WTO has already ruled that the COOL law is compliant and this ruling shows that USDA’s current rule is one more step in the right direction, but may not have gone far enough in providing sufficient information to consumers,” he said. Johnson noted that talk of retaliation is premature and the WTO process required to even consider such actions would likely be a year from concluding. “There is simply no rush to take rash action,” he said.

[Read more…]

COOL Wins Fourth Court Victory

November 1, 2014 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

NFU to Multinational Meat Industry: Stop the Senseless Litigation

The following statement was issued by National Farmers Unions President Roger Johnson in response to the denial by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to the petition submitted by the multinational meat packers for a rehearing and supplemental relief on its challenge to enforcement of Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL).

“Yet again, the U.S. courts have sided with consumers, farmers and their allies and have upheld the enforcement of COOL. This is now the fourth time that COOL has won in court.

“COOL became the law of the land because consumers want to know where their food comes from and ranchers and farmers are happy to provide that information. Congress understood this basic need and passed this common-sense law. We urge the multinational meat industry to drop the senseless litigation and allow the law to be enforced.”

NFU: WTO’s Ruling Shows USDA Headed in Right Direction

October 24, 2014 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson said that the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) recent ruling on Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) clearly shows U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is headed in right direction.

“This ruling demonstrates the legitimate nature of the COOL objective and finds that the current labeling rule is an improvement over the original rule, but it remains unbalanced between consumer information and production costs,” said Johnson. “This decision, as it has been issued, will likely be modified on appeal and NFU strongly urges USTR to appeal the ruling.”

Johnson moderated the panel discussion, and was also joined Danni Beer, president of U.S. Cattleman’s Association, Patrick Woodall, research director at Food & Water Watch, and Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, to discuss the details and implications of the WTO ruling.

On Monday, the WTO released the long-awaited, 200-plus page ruling that found the regulatory goal of COOL was WTO-compliant, and that the new 2013 labels provided better, more accurate information for consumers.

[Read more…]

Darke County Farmers Union Honors Shields

October 23, 2014 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Duane Shields, left, past-president of the Darke County Farmers Union receives a reward from Todd Rhoades, president, Darke County Farmers Union.

During a recent meeting of the Darke County Farmers Union, a special award was given to Duane Shields, past Darke County Farmers Union President.

Shields served as president for the organization for over twelve years from the year 2000 to 2012. During that time, he was the first person from the county to serve on the Ohio Farmers Union Executive Committee.

Shields participated in many long Executive Committee meetings and was instrumental in helping to reorganize the Ohio Farmers Union after administrative issues in the state-office. He also made several trips to Washington, D. C. on legislative fly-ins to fight for the rights and interests of family farmers.

Shields was presented a certificate and a clock that was presented by Darke County President Todd Rhoades. The award demonstrates great appreciation for the progress made in the Darke County under his leadership and as an acknowledgement of his gift for strengthening the local organization’s relationship with the Ohio and National Farmers Union organizations.

OSU Extension Latest Crop Guide Now Available

October 23, 2014 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

The 2014 Guide on Corn, Soybean, Wheat and Alfalfa now available for purchase from OSU Extension Service. The printed guide is $12.50. There is also a PDF version of the guide if you’d like to put it on your computer or mobile device available for download for $10.00

Click the image to go to the Extension’s online store to order.

According to OSU Extension:

The guide contains information on insect, disease and weed identification as well as agronomic information that should be valuable when checking fields. The guide is divided into seven sections: Corn Management, Soybean Management, Wheat Management, Alfalfa Management, Weed Identification, Sampling, Pesticide Application Technology, and General Crop Management. This spiral-bound book includes color photographs, as well as an index of topics that can be used to quickly locate page numbers for your topic of interest.

Logan: WTO Ruling on COOL Can Be Overcome with USDA Action

October 20, 2014 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Ohio Farmers Union President Joe Logan spoke out today in favor of country of origin labeling (COOL) for meat products sold in the U.S.

“Americans want to know were their food comes from and COOL has been ensuring that for several years,” Logan said.

“While the multi-national meat packers want to obscure this information and have continued to attack COOL through the World Trade Organization and the U.S. judicial system, the consumer’s right to know must continue to prevail,” Logan said.

Logan referred to a ruling today by the WTO that found that COOL in its amended form discriminates against the Canadian and Mexican livestock industries. The U.S. amended the COOL regulations after a similar ruling in 2012.

Logan said that the National Farmers Union has been a leader in preserving COOL for several years because of food safety concerns, the consumer’s right to know and to protect the value of U.S. beef, pork and poultry farmers and ranchers.

He and other members of the NFU board of directors believe that COOL implementation rules can be further tweaked administratively.

“The WTO has not found the law to be non-compliant,” Logan said. “At issue is our current implementation and that can be fixed.”

“Under the guidance of USDA, any changes to COOL to ensure full compliance with today’s decision should be able to be made administratively, while maintaining the integrity of COOL labels,” said Roger Johnson, NFU president.

A May 2013 public opinion poll found that more than 90 percent of consumers support COOL, and feelings for the labeling law are equally strong in rural America. “We are confident that given that level of support, Congress will reject all heavy-handed attempts to make legislative changes to this important labeling law,” said Johnson.

Since its passage in 2002, COOL has been under constant attack by the trans-national meat processing industry, and by the agribusiness advocates that operate under their influence – yet COOL has been repeatedly upheld by U.S. courts.

Family Farms Putting the Local Back Into Food

October 10, 2014 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Editor’s Note: The United Nations has declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming. The Ohio Farmers Union blog is highlighting this through a series of articles in 2014 focusing on particular aspects of independent, family agriculture.

This month of October highlights two important aspects of family agriculture that are older ideas that are growing once again here in the U.S. through the many family farmers fueling the local food movement.

October is Cooperative Month and also Farm to School Month. Luckily, we still have many members still active in the Ohio Farmers Union who are old enough to remember when a great deal of our food came from the region in which we live. So called, “farm to school” wouldn’t have needed a boost in the early or mid twentieth century before technological advances in agriculture and transportation allowed for the consolidation of much of the business of growing and distributing what goes on our plates.

The same might be said for cooperatives. When I talk with farmers about the changes in farming over the years, it’s apparent that local and regional cooperatives ruled. In decades past, it was more likely that a grain farmer actually had what amounted to an equity stake in their local elevator if it was owned partially or wholly by local producers. Now, most elevator operations are not independent and tied to one of the huge agribusiness giants.

As family farmers get short shrift in the forest of tall trees that is increasingly the domain of the vertically integrated and multi-national corporations, cooperatives are gaining favor again and your kids’ or grandkids’ chances of eating locally grown food in their school cafeteria is increasing.

Through USDA Rural Development, there are now seven major programs that offer grants to public institutions and farmers themselves to help build and promote cooperative marketing programs. Your local farmers market may have even been helped off the ground with a bit of grant funding from the USDA or another group.

Farm to school has two components and is another USDA priority thanks to the local food movement and consumer and farmer interest in more sustainable agriculture. First, is getting more fresh, local food into school cafeterias. Second is to expose school kids to agriculture through gardening, farm visits and culinary classes. OFU has a member, Debra Eschmeyer, who is a nationally recognized expert in farm to school programs and the co-founder of Food Corps.

[Read more…]

« Previous Page

NFU to Multinational Meat Industry: Stop the Senseless Litigation

NATIONAL FARMERS UNION

Click to Take Action

Contact