Ohio Farmers Union

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United to Grow Family Agriculture Since 1934

Darke County Meet the Candidates Night – Oct. 25

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From Darke County Farmers Union:

MEET THE CANDIDATES NIGHT
FALL HARVEST MEETING—OCT. 25th

A Meet the Candidates Night will be held on Saturday evening, October 25th, at 7:00 PM, at the Darke County Extension Office, 603 Wagner Ave., Greenville.  The Darke County Farmers Union will sponsor the event and will recognize and honor the 4H kids they supported at the recent County Fair.  Speakers will be Dave Shindollar from the Ohio Farmers Union Office and a representative from Hastings Insurance. Information will be available on the Affordable Healthcare Act.  A free Thanksgiving turkey/door prize will be given away.

Presentations and Clips from OFU’s Lake Erie Solutions Forum

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Lake-Erie-Forum640I’m working on a story and our own video coverage from what turned out to be an excellent set of presentations from Dr. Jeff Reutter, Ohio Sea Grant; Greg LaBarge, OSU Extension; Todd Hesterman, farmer and NW Ohio Coordinator of Conservation in Action and Adam Rissien from the Ohio Environmental Council. For now, find below the PowerPoint presentations from our presenters and links to media coverage of the event. Thanks to all who attended and to our presenters!

OFU Farmers Seeking Solutions Forum – Presentations

OFU Farmers Seeking Solutions Forum – Media Coverage

13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

Toledo News Now, Breaking News, Weather, Sports, Toledo

Reminder: OFU Forum on Water Quality in Toledo September 22

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post400pngThe Ohio Farmers Union will bring together scientists and agricultural experts in late September in a forum on seeking solutions for the annual algal blooms in the western basin of Lake Erie.

The forum will be held Sept. 22, 1 p.m., at Forrester’s on the River, Boers-Boyer Way, 26 Main St., Toledo. The event is free and open to the public. RSVPs are appreciated to Linda Borton, Ohio Farmers Union, at lborton@ohfarmersunion.org.

OFU President Joe Logan said it’s important for farmers to acknowledge their part in Lake Erie’s woes, and that OFU is trying to help spread the word on innovative farm management practices that assure that farmers are doing their part to protect Ohio’s waters.

“Farms dominate the landscape in the western Lake Erie watershed and farmers use many tons of phosphorus and nitrogen to grow crops – so people naturally look toward agriculture as a contributor to Lake Erie’s excess nutrient loads,” Logan said.

“Farmers always try to keep nutrients on their land, but the increasing intensity of rain storms make doing so more challenging. Farmers may need to embrace new management practices and new technology,” he added.

OFU’s forum will include speakers:
•    Jeffrey M. Reutter, director, Ohio Sea Grant & F.T. Stone Laboratory
•    Todd Hesterman, NW Ohio coordinator, Conservation in Action
•    Gregory LaBarge, Ohio State University Extension
•    Adam Rissien, Ohio Environmental Council

Logan said OFU is committed to information on water quality and agriculture being “fact and science-based.” He also said that broad, regulatory programs may not be the silver bullet for solving Ohio’s water quality issues but “innovative agricultural practices, along with targeted state and federal regulations will be more likely to attain our goals.”

Logan hopes the forum will be a reasoned and productive discussion among farmers, scientists, urban interests and agency officials that can support their collective effort toward saving Lake Erie.

“We have a very serious problem threatening a crucially important state, national and international resource – it’s time for everyone to get on board and begin working together toward an effective solution.” Logan said.
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Farm Safety Should be Front Burner Issue

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intlFrom National Farmers Union – International Year of Family Farming Project

In honor of the United Nations’ 2014 International Year of Family Farming, this month National Farmers Union (NFU) is highlighting the importance of being proactive in the area of farm safety. Agriculture is consistently among the most hazardous occupations in the United States.

“The path to a safer farm and ranch is through proactively addressing ongoing and emerging occupational safety and health issues affecting U.S. agriculture,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “Family farmers and ranchers must work together to make farm safety a front burner issue and encourage farmers, producers and agribusiness owners to integrate safety into everyday practice so that it becomes part of their DNA, not just a program or a slogan. Safety is an approach to life and the workplace.”

In an average year, 516 workers die while doing farm work, and each day about 243 agricultural workers suffer lost-time injuries.

“To that end, National Farmers Union is implementing an education and outreach plan to help bring the safety mindset to farmers and ranchers where they live.” said Johnson. “The initiative will be unveiled later this year, and will help NFU make its mark on this important issue.”

To support our efforts, we encourage everyone to get involved and join National Farmers Union. Information can be found at www.nfu.org.

OEC’s Jack Shaner on Agriculture and Lake Erie’s Woes

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Jack Shaner of the Ohio Environmental Council talked to OFU members and organization’s board of directors at the recent summer picnic. Here, he discusses recent events in the western basin of Lake Erie and agriculture’s role in the watershed’s problems:

NFU still fighting for original Renewable Fuel Stand targets

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from the National Farmers Union

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson urged the Administration to act quickly on finalizing the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) rule and reiterated the importance of the RFS goals to family farmers and the rural economies they support.

“Biofuels are a critical component of this nation’s energy portfolio, decreasing our dependence on foreign oil imports while also giving a shot in the arm to family farms and the larger rural economies they support,” said Johnson.

The RFS is our nation’s main policy driver for renewable fuels, and since its creation by Congress has created $184.5 billion in economic impact while supporting 852,056 jobs nationwide.  The biofuels industries – and the farmers who grow the grains they use – are poised for continued growth but need a clear signal that the targets will remain firm.

“The RFS has created a win-win-win scenario for the environment, farmers, jobs and consumers, and deserves the full support of the Administration,” he said.

Johnson said that the mixed messages coming from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the Administration’s support for the RFS targets, combined with the lengthy delays in finalizing the rule, have been a set-back to the biofuels industry and farmers who grow the grains they need.  “These lengthy delays and the mixed messages from EPA have very seriously damaged all advanced biofuels, including the cellulosic ethanol biofuel industry,” said Johnson.

OFU Endorses ‘Move to Amend’

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At its recent full board of directors meeting, the Ohio Farmers Union endorsed the organizaiton, Move to Amend.

The grassroots organization has a simple goal that will be a Herculean task: get the U.S. Constitution amended to explicitly state two things:

  1. Corporations are not people
  2. Money is not speech

Watch the video below featuring Prof. Steve Nelson of Miami University. Nelson is the SW Ohio organizer for Move to Amend and spoke to the OFU board at the annual summer picnic at the Ohio Caverns:

NFU Says Dept. of Justices Ignores Anti-Trust Laws in O.K. of Tyson-Hillshire Merger

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nfulogo-postfrom the Naitonal Farmers Union:

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson issued the following statement in response to the announcement that the Department of Justice has approved the Tyson-Hillshire merger:

“Anti-trust laws were put on the books to keep powerful industries – like the meat industry – from being overly consolidated.  Yet nearly every merger request they file is approved by the Department of Justice.  As a result, the meat industry grows more powerful by the day and the family farmer continues to get squeezed.

“This is because farmers are price takers not price makers, and when the number of buyers is decreased, the sales options left to farmers and ranchers are fewer and fewer and the ability of the buyers to dictate prices to producers continues to increase.  The top four meat packers already control 80 percent of the market and now that number has just gone up.

“Once again, the Department of Justice has turned its back on family farmers.”

Margin Protection Program Replaces MILC – Enrollment Begins Sept. 2

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USDA has announced that enrollment for the new dairy program – the Margin Protection Program – will begin on September 2.

MPP replaces Milk Income Loss Contracts.

The voluntary program, established by the 2014 Farm Bill, provides financial assistance to participating farmers when the margin – the difference between the price of milk and feed costs – falls below the coverage level selected by the farmer.

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson commended USDA on their timely rollout of the dairy Margin Protection Program and for including provisions that will help America’s family farmers with their risk management needs.

“America’s family-run dairy farms are in great need for these kind of risk management tools to help them manage risk that is beyond their control,” said Johnson.

“The family farmer provision, included as part of the program, will allow many of this nation’s family-operated dairy farms to breathe a sigh of relief now that they have adequate risk management tools in hand. It is unfortunate that the Congress did not include a dairy stabilization program that would have helped take the volatility out of milk prices,” Johnson added.

USDA also announced the Dairy Product Donation Program (DPDP), which will donate dairy products to low-income people, including food banks, state and local agencies and advocacy organizations.

Dairy farmers should also be aware of an online tool USDA has created to help them determine their level of coverage under MPP. Follow this link to use the tool.

The Margin Protection Program, which replaces the Milk Income Loss Contract program, gives participating dairy producers the flexibility to select coverage levels best suited for their operation. Enrollment begins Sept. 2 and ends on Nov. 28, 2014, for 2014 and 2015. Participating farmers must remain in the program through 2018 and pay a minimum $100 administrative fee each year. Producers have the option of selecting a different coverage level during open enrollment each year.

Dairy operations enrolling in the new program must comply with conservation compliance provisions and cannot participate in the Livestock Gross Margin dairy insurance program. Farmers already participating in the Livestock Gross Margin program may register for the Margin Protection Program, but the new margin program will only begin once their Livestock Gross Margin coverage has ended.

Call or visit your local USDA Farm Services Agency office to learn more or to enroll in MPP. You can also view or download the USDA’s fact sheet on MPP here.

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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