Serving Family Farmers and Consumers Since 1934
Members and leadership of the Ohio Farmers Union will descend upon Ohio state legislator’s offices today to discuss a host of issues important to them and consumers.
Key meetings will be held with Sen. Cliff Hite, R-Findlay, chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee and Rep. Dave Hall, R-Ashland, chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
The following is a release from NFU and includes a summary of some of the important work completed during the 2012 convention last week. It was NFU’s 110th annual convention!
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NFU concluded its 110th Anniversary Convention last week after four days of speakers, breakout sessions, tours, and policy discussion. More than 500 Farmers Union members from across the country attended the event in La Vista, Neb.
“Convention is the most important even of the year for Farmers Union, because it is where our members determine our policy for the coming year,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “Since we will be writing the farm bill under significant budgetary constraints this year, it is particularly important that we focus on our top priorities.”
by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Two and a half years ago, I announced a new initiative here at USDA called Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food.
It’s the public face of our commitment to help farmers and ranchers of all sizes take advantage of new opportunities, meet the growing demand for local and regional food and succeed in America’s diverse marketplace.
Last week, USDA unveiled new tools showcasing what we’ve accomplished over the last few years as local food sales have expanded as a multi-billion dollar industry.
The Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass is an electronic document and interactive map you can access online.
It can help you navigate USDA resources that support local and regional food systems. It introduces farmers, ranchers, businesses and communities around the country that are tapping into these opportunities to improve incomes and create jobs. It is a jumping off point so you can join the national conversation about where our food comes from.
Two educational webinars planned March 14, 2012 will examine finance issues and technology options for installing and maintaining anaerobic digester systems. The webinars, which are free of charge, are part of the Renewable Energy Education Field Day series–educational programs to provide farmers, ranchers, landowners and community leaders with information useful in deciding whether to implement a renewable energy technology in their operation.
WASHINGTON – Feb. 29, 2012- Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan unveiled the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF) Compass, an interactive web-based document and map highlighting USDA support for local and regional food projects and successful producer, business and community case studies. While hosting a live webinar to highlight USDA’s work over the past three years, the Secretaries emphasized how local and regional food systems across the country create additional economic opportunities for farmers, ranchers and food entrepreneurs, expand healthy food access and meet growing customer demand.
“USDA works every day to strengthen American agriculture, drive job growth and support farm-family income,” said Vilsack. “The KYF Compass highlights how USDA support for local and regional food systems has brought additional opportunities to our country’s farmers, ranchers, processors, distributors and food entrepreneurs. The stories and maps in the Compass underscore how diverse and innovative American agriculture can be.”
WASHINGTON – National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released an evaluation of the health effects data requirements for registration of E15:
“Today’s decision by EPA to accept the health effects information submitted by the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy clears a major hurdle for E15. Now manufacturers who wish to register E15 may choose to rely on this data for completing their applications.
“We are one step closer to having E15 available for widespread distribution in the U.S. American consumers deserve a choice at the pump. According to Growth Energy, the average price of a gallon of E15 is 76 cents cheaper than a gallon of gasoline. E15 is a homegrown fuel that saves consumers money and helps wean us off of our addiction to foreign oil. Today’s decision is a win for rural America, a win for national security, and a win for the environment.”
COLUMBUS—Governor John R. Kasich today announced the appointment of Sen. David Daniels (R-Greenfield) to serve as director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA).
Daniels has represented Ohio’s 17th Senate District since January 2011 and will submit his resignation to the Ohio Senate on Wednesday. He is expected to be sworn in and begin his duties as ODA director on Thursday, February 16.
WASHINGTON – Missouri Farmers Union member Steve Flick testified today in front of the Senate Committee on Agriculture on behalf of National Farmers Union. Flick, the board chairman of Show Me Energy Cooperative, discussed the importance of federal renewable energy programs such as the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), and the Biorefinery Assistance Program to his cooperative and to rural development as a whole.
The following video was recorded at the Ohio Farmers Union 2012 Convention at the end of January. President Johnson’s comments are still very relevant today …
COLUMBUS – Members of the Ohio Farmers Union found a common-sense middle ground approach to Ohio’s natural gas boom during their 2012 public policy discussion at their recent convention.
The family farmer and consumer group approved language for this year which supports a limited moratorium on the issuance of permits by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for new instances of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in the state. The OFU supported moratorium differs from those supported by some Democrats in the Ohio General Assembly and by some Ohio environmental groups in that it is tied to a preliminary U.S. EPA report due on fracking later this year – rather than the final study results due in 2014.
