Serving Family Farmers and Consumers Since 1934
Yikes! After the conclusion of our convention, I forgot to post the list of our annual kids poster contest winners. Here you go:
Division I
Division II
Division III
Longtime Ohio Farmers Union member and advocate John B. Gaynor (1922-2014) passed away on February 10. His son, John P. Gaynor, carries on the OFU tradition and serves as vice president of the Fulton County Farmers Union.
A celebration of his life will be held April 19 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the VFW Hall, 76 Depot St., Geneva, Ohio.
John was a WWII U.S. Navy veteran and a founding member of the Trumbull Twp. Volunteer Fire Department. The obituary below originally appeared in the Ashtabula Star-Beacon.
John B. Gaynor
Star Beacon
TRUMBULL TOWNSHIP — John B. Gaynor, born June 4, 1922, in Footville, Ohio, passed away on Monday, Feb. 10, 2014, at the age of 91.
He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 44 years, Mary A. Gaynor (Finnegan); his parents, John T. and Nellie (Towers) Gaynor; sister, Mary Elizabeth Dalton; and his brother, Theodore Gaynor.
In the photo above, State Sen. Robert Hagan talks to Ohio Farmers Union members at the Statehouse last Wednesday about the state of fracking regulation and his proposal to raise the state’s severance tax. Hagan’s proposal calls for a 7.5 percent “frack tax” which is still well below other gas and oil producing states such as Oklahoma and Texas. Gov. John Kasich’s most recent proposal would raise the severance tax on fracked oil and gas to 2.5 percent – and put a good portion of the revenue into a state income tax cut that would primarily benefit upper income earners.
Above, State Rep. Tony Burkley discusses state budget issues and S.B. 150 the nutrient management bill pending in the House Agriculture Committee. L-R: Burkley, at desk; Sue Culver; Fred Culver; Jeff Navarre and Joe Logan.
Above, OFU members with State Rep. Doug Green after a discussion of agricultural nutrient management. L-R: Keith Lenz; Diane Adams; Roger Wise; Green; Bill Pritchard.
OFU President Joe Logan makes a point in the office of House Ag Committee Chairman Dave Hall. R-L: Logan; Mel Borton; Linda Borton; Sue Culver; Fred Culver.
State Rep. Nickie Antonio is working with Sen. Hagan on many issues related to fracking and severance taxes in Ohio. She and Hagan hosted OFU’s first meeting Wednesday.
Above, OFU Vice President Bill Miller discusses manure management and loopholes in current state law affecting waste management in livestock farming with Spencer Gross. Gross is the legislative aide for State Rep. Timothy Derickson, Miller’s representative. OFU’s lobbying day this year coincided with a tremendously busy committee schedule for both houses of the state legislature as senators and members dealt with opening hearings on the governor’s Mid Biennium Review bill (MBR). The MBR comes in the second year of each biennial budget and is the opportunity to tweak the state budget. Additionally, both houses are currently working on the first state Capital Bill in four years.
All Photos by Ron Sylvester, Ohio Farmers Union
It is with great sadness that the Ohio Farmers Union family said goodbye this week to Joyce Wise, a long-term active member and mother of our immediate past president, Roger Wise.
The Toledo Blade had a nice article about Joyce’s life and activism in local and state politics which you can read here. Below you’ll find Joyce’s obituary from The News-Messenger in Fremont. A memorial service will be held April 5 at at 11:00 am at Trinity United Methodist Church, 204 Wayne Street, Fremont, Ohio.
FREMONT: Joyce Louise (Sherer) Wise, 84, died March 18, 2014. She was born May 17, 1929, in Fremont and was the daughter of Garnet and Mary Ruth (Jacobs) Sherer. Joyce graduated from Jackson Burgoon School and married Charles Edwin Wise, a Sandusky County farmer, in 1948.
Joyce was an active member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Fremont and part of the church bell choir. She loved music and was a talented pianist as well as an avid bridge player. As a lifelong devoted Democrat on both local and national levels, she held several positions including 5th Congressional District Committee Woman, member of the Ohio Democratic State Federation of Women, member of the State Democratic Executive Committee, and president of the local Sandusky County Democratic Women’s Group. She received the Helbert Award and was honored as the Sandusky County Democrat of the Year in 2003. Joyce was a member of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and enthusiastically supported women’s rights. She was also a dedicated volunteer for the American Red Cross and a member of the National and Ohio Farmers Union. Other interests included travel, reading, and family. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren were her pride and joy.
Joyce will be remembered for her boundless energy and upbeat personality. Words cannot express how much she will be missed by all who were fortunate enough to have known this extraordinary woman.
Joyce is survived by two brothers, George Sherer (Janice), Malta, Carl Sherer, Green Springs; her four children, Roger Wise (Sandra), Fremont, Kay Polk (Jim), Atlanta, Georgia, Kerry Barth (Tom) Bellevue, and Matt Wise, Toledo; and her five grandchildren, Erin Dixon Palmer (Ian), Atlanta, Georgia, Natalie Wise Muccio (Nick), Columbus, Greg Barth, Bellevue, Nadine Wise Holbrook (Matt), Worthington, and Stefanie Rusin (Peter), Antioch, Illinois; and three great grandchildren, Charlotte Kay Dixon, Benjamin Rusin, and Luca Muccio. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles.
A celebration of life will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, April 5, 2014, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 204 Wayne Street, Fremont, Ohio.
Donations in Joyce’s honor can be made to the Fremont Birchard Library, 423 Croghan Street, Fremont, Ohio, or the Sandusky County Historical Society, 514 Birchard Avenue, Fremont, Ohio. Online condolences may be expressed at www.kokm.net
Several dozen members of the Ohio Farmers Union from all corners of the state will be joining new President Joe Logan in lobbying state legislators on family farming issues this Wednesday, March 19.
Members who would like to be a part of lobby day should contact OFU Executive Director Linda Borton at 419.523.5300.
Topics that will be discussed will surely include S.B. 150, the nutrient management bill sponsored by State Senators Cliff Hite and Bob Peterson. The bill has moved through the Senate and is now moving through the House Ag Committee. OFU has taken a neutral, “interested party” stance as the bill ignores completely animal agriculture and manure’s role in high phosphorous loads in the Lake Erie and other watersheds.
Here, you can read former OFU President Roger Wise’s last testimony before the Senate Ag Committee. Here, you can read Logan’s recent testimony before the Senate Ag Committee, just prior to the bill’s passage out of committee.
The National Farmers Union concluded its 112th national convention and Santa Fe, NM with delegates adopting a fresh slate of “special orders of business” for 2014.
Just as with special orders passed by state conventions, NFU’s special orders focus the family farming organization’s policy lens for the year. Among topics with special orders passed are Farm Bill implementation, trade concerns, reform of the beef checkoff and recognizing 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming.
As we deal with an impending doubling of the state of Ohio beef checkoff, here’s what NFU had to say about the national program:
Checkoff programs are intended to promote the consumption and further research and development of commodities, funded by assessing a fee from a farmer, rancher, grower or processor, based on the production of the commodity. These are worthwhile objectives if the checkoff programs and funds are properly administered. Policy organizations should be divorced from the beef checkoff program.
A process to review the structure and effectiveness of the beef checkoff is underway, but has dragged on for almost three years. Meetings of the Beef Industry Checkoff Group have continued for so long because decisions have been based on consensus and some organizations object to nearly all reforms. Instead, changes should be made according to the majority of organizations assembled in the Beef Industry Checkoff Group.
If adequate changes to the current structure of the beef checkoff are not made within the confines of the Beef Industry Checkoff Group, NFU will seek its own resolutions to these problems.
On international trade, NFU continues to oppose the Trans Pacific Partnership proposed trade deal and voiced continued opposition to “Fast Track” authority for the president when negotiating trade agreements. NFU supports:
NFU supports cooperative efforts among nations to maintain prices for raw commodities at fair levels and provide or orderly conduct of commerce. Future trade agreements must look beyond simply regulating domestic support levels, export subsidies and market access but should address differences in labor, environmental and health standards. Furthermore, great attention must be paid to the trade‐distorting effects of currency manipulation and the cartelization of agricultural markets.
To view all of NFU’s special orders for 2014 click here.
Ohio Farmers Union members Linda Riefers and Holly Finnarn were recognized for excellence in service in bringing new members to the Farmers Union family in 2013.
“Peer recruitment is a powerful and important part of growing and maintaining membership in our organization,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “The passion and dedication these members exude for Farmers Union is something in which we take great pride.”
Delegates at the National Farmers Union 112th Anniversary Convention re-elected Roger Johnson president of the organization and Donn Teske, Kansas Farmers Union president, NFU vice president.
“I am grateful that the membership will allow me to serve for two more years,” said Johnson. “I am honored to lead this organization and am looking forward to working with NAME to continue the time-honored traditions of Farmers Union.”
Johnson is NFU’s 14th president, a position he has held since 2009. Johnson hails from a family farm near Turtle Lake, N.D., and grew up as an active member of Farmers Union. Prior to his post at Farmers Union, he was the North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture.
“I am so humbled by the faith and trust the delegates have shown by electing me vice president,” said Teske. “ I’ll do my best to help President Johnson move the organization forward under the direction of the grassroots policy formed here today.
Teske was elected from a field of three candidates, and replaces former NFU Vice President Claudia Svarstad, who did not seek re-election.
Teske has served as Kansas Farmers Union president since 2000 and is a fifth generation farmer in northeast Kansas.
It was a long and sometimes ridiculous process but we have a new Farm Bill. If you’re wondering where you can go to find out what’s in the new law, here’s a list of links:
A meeting of beef producers interested in forming/joining a grassfed beef marketing co-op will be held on February 25, 2014, 2:00 – 4:00 PM at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Room 130 Research Services, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691. Speakers will include Mike Callicrate (Callicrate Beef, Ranch Foods Direct, etc.), Joe Maxwell, Heritage Acres Foods, Deborah Rausch (USDA Rural Development) and Jeff McCutcheon (OSU Extension Service).
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss advantages of marketing beef through a co-op, logistics of co-op formation and operation, grass fed beef marketing strategies. RSVPs or questions may be directed to John Dinon at johndinon[at]aol[dot]com.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown
Having moved now through final passage in both houses of Congress, the latest version of a comprehensive Farm Bill goes to President Barack Obama’s desk where a signature is expected and the bill will become law.
Both Ohio Senators – Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown – voted in favor of passage. To see how Ohio members of the House voted last week, click here.
The end of a long journey is near. This latest Farm Bill’s movement through Congress began in 2012. At various times it has been held along the way by varied issues from food stamps to the dairy program. The bill will do away with most direct payments to farmers, instead relying on a revamped system of federally supported crop insurance.
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman
“The Farm Bill is more than just a long-term policy on agriculture; it’s a jobs bill; it’s a food and nutrition bill; it’s an investment in rural communities, and it provides certainty for American farmers and producers,” Brown said. “For three years, I have fought for passage of a bill that balances the need for reform while making smart investments in conservation, nutrition, renewable energy, and rural development programs. This bill achieves that balance. By streamlining programs, reducing regulatory hurdles, and replacing direct farm payments with market-based supports, we now have a system that is more responsive to farmers’ needs and more responsible to taxpayers.”
“Family farmers and ranchers have always been willing to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work that is needed to feed, fuel and clothe our nation and our world. It is only fitting that this legislation inspired Congress to do the hard work necessary to come together and pass a comprehensive, bipartisan five-year farm bill that enacts meaningful reforms and provides an effective safety net for farmers and needy Americans alike,” said National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson.
“One of the best ways that President Obama could expand opportunities for working families, including the 16 million Americans employed in the agriculture industry, would be to sign the single piece of legislation that benefits every sector of our economy,” Johnson added.
