Ohio Farmers Union

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United to Grow Family Agriculture Since 1934

What can you be doing about the Farm Bill?

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The U.S. Senate has done its job. The House of Representatives Ag Committee has done its job. Now it’s time for Speaker John Boehner and the rest of the House majority leadership to do theirs: Bring the 2012 Farm Bill to the House floor for action.

There’s a job for you to do as well. Contact your member of Congress and tell him or her that it’s never been more important for U.S. farm policy to move forward in a bipartisan manner. U.S. farmers and ranchers are battling the worst drought since WWII, the national economic recovery is weak and farmers need certainty as much as multi-national corporations and the big banks on Wall Street. Don’t let them forget the farmers. Below you will find some information from the National Farmers Union. Read it and think about how the lack of a Farm Bill passed by September 30 would affect your own family farm. Tell your member of Congress about that and ask them to support efforts to move the bipartisan bill passed by the House Ag Committee to the floor.

USDA $170 million meat purchase to help farmers and ranchers affected by drought

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USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said Monday that the Obama Administration remains committed to pulling out all the stops for U.S. farmers and ranchers affected by the drought and followed up with an announced purchase of $170 million in meat products.

The purchase will include pork, poultry, lamb and fish. USDA hopes it will help producers having difficulty raising livestock in drought conditions. The meat purchases will go to the nation’s food banks, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other U.S. safety net programs that fight hunger.

“President Obama and I will continue to take swift action to get help to America’s farmers and ranchers through this difficult time,” said Vilsack. “These purchases will assist pork, catfish, chicken and lamb producers who are currently struggling due to challenging market conditions and the high cost of feed resulting from the widespread drought. The purchases will help mitigate further downward prices, stabilize market conditions, and provide high quality, nutritious food to recipients of USDA’s nutrition programs.”

USDA’s intention is to purchase up to $100 million of pork products, up to $10 million of catfish products, up to $50 million in chicken products, and up to $10 million of lamb products. Through the Emergency Surplus Removal Program, USDA can use Section 32 funds to purchase meat and poultry products to assist farmers and ranchers who have been affected by natural disasters. The pork, lamb and catfish purchases are based on analyses of current market conditions. A major factor affecting livestock producers is the value of feed, which is currently running high because of the drought.

Vilsack: USDA focus remains doing everything to help farm and ranch families get through drought

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The following is a column by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack

As drought continues to affect most of the country, our thoughts and prayers are with the thousands of farm families who have been affected by this disaster.

Earlier this summer the U.S. Department of Agriculture acted quickly to open conservation programs for emergency haying and grazing, lowered the interest rate for emergency loans, and worked with crop insurance companies to provide more flexibility to farmers.

On August 7, President Obama once again convened his White House Rural Council and announced several new measures the Administration is taking to help those impacted by the drought.

These include providing $30 million in additional funding to help producers access water supplies and repair land; increasing capacity for lending to small businesses, including farms and ranches; and waiving certain requirements on trucks, to get more drivers on the road in the relief effort.

President Obama stressed the need for the entire Administration to continue looking at further steps it can take to help.

I also know that Americans who don’t live on the farm or ranch are wondering what the drought means for them.

While this is a difficult time for many producers, it’s important to understand that thanks to advances in farming technology, more diverse global markets, lower farm debt and a stronger rural economy, farmers and ranchers are better prepared to face drought than in past years.

We may yet see strong yields in many parts of the country – we won’t know until the harvest is done. But we can say with confidence that Americans should not see significant short-term food price increases, or price spikes at the grocery store, due to drought.

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Through USDA, Obama Administration fights fraud in SNAP

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USDA continues to crack down those who defraud the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and announced several new strategies to improve the nation’s primary program that offers food assistance to the needy.

SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps, is delivered in Ohio through the “Direction Card,” managed by the Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services.

The new tools in fraud fighters toolbox are primarily aimed at retailers and online fraud.

“USDA has a zero tolerance policy for SNAP fraud,” said Kevin Concannon, USDA Under Secretary. “These additional measures reaffirm our ongoing commitment to ensuring these dollars are spent as intended–helping millions of people in need get back on solid economic footing.”

The retailer sanctions proposal allows USDA to not only permanently disqualify a retailer who traffics, but also assess a monetary penalty in addition to the disqualification. Financial penalties would be proportional to the amount of SNAP business the store is conducting, which will help ensure that the financial punishment more closely fits the crime. Currently, when a retailer is found guilty of fraud or abuse, USDA can either disqualify the retailer from participating in SNAP, or issue a financial penalty, but not both.

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In Ohio, USDA’s Merrigan announces new opportunity for small meat and poultry producers

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USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan in Columbus, Ohio. August 2012

Ohio’s small, state inspected meat and poultry processors got some good news from USDA last Thursday — their market is expanding.

While speaking at a conference on farm and food issues sponsored by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan made some news by announcing the agency’s new Interstate Shipment Program. Under the program, smaller, state inspected processors who were formerly not able to ship their products outside the state will be able to ship across state lines.

Where the market for a sausage maker, specialty poultry product producer or other meat or poultry processor was just the state of Ohio prior to the program, it’s now the entire United States.

“This agreement allows a small processor in Ohio to sell products to neighbors in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, and beyond,” said Deputy Secretary Merrigan. “Expanding market opportunities for meat from local processors makes these small businesses more viable, while also ensuring that participating establishments have robust food safety systems in place to produce safe food for consumers.”

“With one out of every seven jobs in Ohio tied to agriculture, today’s announcement means bolstering Ohio’s agricultural economy and connecting Ohio’s rural businesses with new opportunities across state lines,” Brown said.

Under the cooperative agreement, small, state-inspected businesses with 25 or fewer employees will be allowed to sell meat products across state lines. Meat products produced in selected establishments will be subject to the same regulatory sampling programs as those established in the Federal inspection program.

The Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program was established by the 2008 Farm Bill. In 2011, USDA finalized regulations to allow state employees to administer federal regulations and use federal marks of inspection at selected establishments. Prior to the establishment of this program, state-inspected businesses could only sell products within their state.

State-inspected establishments interested in shipping interstate should contact their state’s meat inspection program. In addition, USDA will shortly publish a directive detailing how states and small businesses can join the Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program. The USDA’s Small Plant Help Desk is also available to help small meat businesses understand regulatory requirements. The Help Desk can be reached between 8am and 4pm EST, Monday through Friday, at 1-877-FSISHelp.

Ohio farmers urged to report crop losses, low yields to FSA

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With the continued hot dry weather conditions throughout Ohio, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) encourages farmers to document and report crop losses or low crop yields to their local FSA office.

Producers with crops covered by crop insurance and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) must report crop losses resulting from a weather-related disaster event within 15 days of the disaster or when the loss first becomes apparent. Prevented planting must be reported no later than 15 days after the final planting date.

Crop losses are acres that were timely planted with the intent to harvest, but the crop failed because of a natural disaster. It is important that producers file accurate and timely loss reports to prevent the potential loss of FSA program benefits.

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Ohio Farmers Union, Dairy Farmers Lose a Friend in Bryan Wolfe

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Former vice president of the Ohio Farmers Union and dairy activist Bryan K. Wolfe of Ashtabula has died in a farming accident at the age of 55.

Roger Wise, OFU president, said earlier this week, “As a grassroots activist, you could not be more committed to your cause than Bryan. He educated the community, OFU, legislators and other farmers for years about the problems in the dairy industry. He focused on the family farmer and small producers and fought for a fair deal for family farmers in a world which too often ignores them. He will be missed.”

Wolfe’s obituary from the Ashtabula Star-Beacon follows:

ROME — Bryan K. Wolfe, age 55, of Rome, Ohio, died Tuesday, August 7, 2012.

He was born March 12, 1957, in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Fred and Shirley (Heffner) Wolfe. He was married to H. Diana (Young) Wolfe on Sept. 12, 1981.

Bryan was a Dairy Farmer all his life and owned and operated Maple Lane Farms in Rome, Ohio since 1980 with his wife. His passion for farming went well beyond the boundaries of his home farm and was an avid farming activist, who served with many organizations to be a voice for the family farms over his lifetime.

Among his involvement in such organizations include: Vice President of the Ohio Farmers Union for four years. President of the Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula County Farmers Union for 12 years. He was a member of the National Family Farm Coalition for 10 years and served on the Executive Committee, Dairy Sub Committee, and Chaired the Credit Committee.

He also spent 10 years with the Family Farm Defenders. Bryan’s love for dairy farming started with his first 4-H project, which he always said got out of hand. He was a 1975 graduate of Grand Valley High School.

He is survived by his wife, H. Diana Wolfe; his parents, Fred and Shirley Wolfe, of Hartsgrove, Ohio; brother, Kevin D. Wolfe, of Hartsgrove, Ohio; sisters, Laurie A. Wolfe of Hartsgrove, Ohio and Heidi E. Sundberg of Cherry Valley, Ohio; as well as numerous nieces and nephews who loved him and worked with him on the farm over the years.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Clarence and Rozella (Day) Wolfe and Thomas and Edna (Bosold) Heffner.

A Funeral Service will be held 11 a.m., Monday, August 13th, at PAINE-GUERRIERO FUNERAL HOME, 140 E. Main St., Orwell, Ohio, with the Rev. Robert Leonard officiating.

Visitation will take place from 3 to 7 p.m., Sunday, August 12th, at the Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to the family in care of Diana Wolfe at the funeral home.

Ohio Grown Conference Tomorrow

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There will be a conference on local food economic opportunities hosted by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, (D-OH), at the Fawcett Center on the campus of Ohio State University August 9.

Ohio Grown: Local Food Creating Local Opportunities will focus on changing public policy that supports local food economies, local food financing, scaling up and more. The keynote speaker will be Kathleen Merrigan, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. The event is free and open to the public and a locally-sourced lunch will be available for $15.

Please pre-register for the event by contacting OSU Extension at 614-292-7875 or grevents@cfaes.osu.edu. The Fawcett Center is located at 2400 Olentangy River Rd., Columbus, 43210.

 

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Ohio Farmers Union
P.O. Box 363
1011 N. Defiance Street
Ottawa, Ohio 45875
Phone: (419) 523-5300
Toll Free: (800) 321-3671