Due to COVID-19 risk and restrictions, the Ohio Farmers Union’s 87th Annual Convention will be held as a teleconference and full Board of Directors meeting with member delegates voting on Special Orders of Business.

Please click here for the proposed special orders and the convention agenda.

In a sprawling, diverse U.S. family farm community, questions are being asked about President-elect Joe Biden’s choice of Tom Vilsack to lead the USDA in the next administration.

Like most of his colleagues around the country, Joe Logan, president of the Ohio Farmers Union has often been asked about the wisdom of appointing Vilsack a second time. The former and likely future Ag Secretary had represented dairy processors and exporters for the past few years, so many small farm advocates had become concerned that he might be too close to “Big Ag”. 

State and National Farmers Union organizations have been among those who had fought against corporate concentration and mega mergers in the ranks of the nation’s seed and feed and food processing businesses. These global Ag corporations have taken over markets, putting the squeeze on farmers at the bottom of the supply chain and increased prices to consumers.

Sponsored in part by the Ohio Farmers Union, this event is FREE and open to the public.

People of African descent have a long agricultural tradition. In spite of their forced farm labor under chattel slavery in the Americas, in emancipation most African Americans returned to this tradition as independent farmers or sharecroppers.

This conference will be discussing the influential history of black farmers in Ohio with an emphasis on the strength of community, preparing the next generation of underrepresented farmers for the future, and cultivating the cooperative business model to promote healthy farming and sustainable businesses. There will be keynote addresses, breakout sessions, networking, a resource fair, and more!

Keynote Speakers: Anna-Lisa Cox, author of The Bone and Sinew of the Land: America’s Forgotten Black Pioneers and the Struggle for Equality and Terry Cosby, USDA – NRCS.

Other speakers include Kevin McGruder, Ph.D. and Cornelius Blanding, President of the Federation of Southern Cooperative.

Primary sponsors include: Community Solutions, Antioch College, and The Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center.

To participate online or via the limited in-person opportunities due to the pandemic, please visit:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-farming-beyond-40-acres-and-a-mule-tickets-107866166608https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-farming-beyond-40-acres-and-a-mule-tickets-107866166608

Conference Lineup:

Friday, Sept. 11th 2020

Friday Afternoon 

Local Agriculture Tours – Central State University 

Location: 1400 Brush Row Road, Wilberforce, OH 45384 

Time: 4:00pm 

*Parking available at the Research Farm

*This is a limited in-person opportunity 

*In order to practice proper social distancing, individuals will be split into groups of no more than 10 people for each tour site.

Tour Stop 1: Seed to Bloom Botanical and Community Garden

A place to learn, explore, dream and grow. The newly-finished garden features a learning center, space for community gardens, a water feature and places for people to reflect, relax, and enjoy nature.

Tour Stop 2: Aquaponic Demonstration Center

The aquaponic center features various layouts, designs, and technology to showcase options and ideas for farmers considering or actively using aquaponic systems to grow fish and fresh produce. 

Tour Stop 3: Research and Extension Farm

Central State has many exciting research projects including hemp, corn breeding, organic weed control and more. The tour will include some of the research plots and visits with the researchers.

Friday Evening

Time: 7:00pm 

Welcome/Opening Remarks – Presented by Jerolyn Barbee, Assistant Director, The National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center 

Evening Keynote Address: Anna-Lisa Cox, Author of The Bone and Sinew of the Land: America’s Forgotten Black Pioneers and the Struggle for Equality

Saturday, Sept. 12th 2020 

Conference Start Time: 10:00am

10:00am – Welcome/Opening Remarks/Water Cooler – Black Farming Committee Member

10:15am – 10:45am: Beyond 40 Acres & A Mule – Dr. Kevin McGruder, Historian, Vice President, Academic Affairs, Antioch College

10:45am – 10:55am: Watering hole/Break

11:00am – 11:45am: Urban Conservation – Highlights from Ohio’s cities: Cleveland,

Columbus and Cincinnati – Terry Cosby, State Conservationist, USDA

11:45am – 11:55am: Water Cooler/Break

12:00pm – 12:45pm: Cooperative Farming – Presented by Cornelius Blanding, Executive Director, The Federation of Southern Cooperatives

12:55pm – 1:55pm: Lunch on your own/Water Cooler

2:00pm – 2:45pm, 3:00pm – 3:45pm Afternoon Breakout Sessions – Breakout sessions will run concurrently

*Participants can choose up to two breakout sessions to attend.

Breakout Sessions Include: 

• 1890 Land-Grant Resources, Presented by Central State University
• Technical Assistance and Local Farming Resources Presented by the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA)
• Farming During a Pandemic – led by Dr. Alcinda Folck, State Program Leader, Agriculture & Natural Resources, Central State University and Brad Bergefurd, Specialty Crops, The Ohio State University
• Succession Planning presented by local farmer, Branson Pyles
• Ohio Farm Bureau Federation – ExploreAg Youth Programming, Presented by Kelly Burns 

4:00pm – 4:45pm – Where do we go from here? – Facilitated Discussion 

5:00pm – Conference Adjourns

Click Here to download the entire report in pdf.

In a report released in late July, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provided an update on its investigation into recent market disruptions and price volatility in the beef industry.

The investigation was prompted by complaints from ranchers, who attributed the rising spread between live cattle prices and boxed beef prices to anticompetitive practices among meat processors. The report neither exonerates beef packers nor reveals violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act. However, it does provide policy recommendations for strengthening competition and transparency in the industry.

Said the USDA in the opening of its report:

This report, prepared by AMS in coordination with USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist, first summarizes market conditions, fed cattle prices, boxed beef values, and the spread before and after the fire and plant closure at the Tyson Holcomb plant. The report then summarizes market conditions, fed cattle prices, boxed beef values, and the spread before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. It does not examine potential violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act.  The investigation into potential violations is ongoing, and therefore, AMS has limited ability to publicly report the full scope and status of the investigation.

A vocal proponent of open and competitive markets, National Farmers Union (NFU) welcomes USDA’s inquiry into these two events. However, as farmers endure unfair and abusive conditions, the report must be accompanied by real and meaningful reforms, as NFU President Rob Larew affirmed in a statement:

“Price fixing in the meat industry is not a new phenomenon; a century ago, Farmers Union members were contending with similarly high levels of concentration among meatpackers and the anticompetitive practices that kind of market power enables. Recognizing the immense danger of unchecked corporate consolidation, Congress and the White House worked together to restore competition and shield farmers and ranchers from abusive treatment.

“We appreciate USDA’s efforts to examine this issue and present potential solutions, but it is clear that this is just the beginning; now, like 100 years ago, radical and immediate action is needed to create a fair and balanced food system. The agency must thoroughly conduct its ongoing investigation, for which we intend to hold them to account. Additionally, we urge legislators, USDA, and other federal agencies to strengthen protections for farmers and ranchers, enforce existing antitrust regulations, and prevent future abuses of market power.”

To download a copy of the report, CLICK HERE.

Here is the registration link for the event – https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZArcOygqDIoHdY7Xvr_eiViiK6yQ_QxaG9W

The news and information landscape in the U.S. is more confusing than ever. Legitimate, balanced and professionally edited journalism is on its heels due to the decline of local newspapers and locally-produced radio.

Then, there’s the partisan-driven “news” operations online creating linkbait to enrich site owners by enraging folks to click through to get barraged with ads or other sales schemes. Along these lines are also the purely ideologically partisan or other bad actors who are put out one side of the story or disinformation to forward political fortunes or simply troll Americans to weaken our communal bonds.

Sometime after March 24, this post will become a standing page here at ohfarmersunion.org that will be updated as needed. For now, here’s a curated collection of where folks can get real information.

Reliable Government Sources of Corona Virus (COVID-19) Info

The state of Ohio has set up a page that is a catch-all of information from various state agencies and Gov. Mike DeWine. You will find information about statistics regarding confirmed cases, tips and guidance to stay healthy, the governor’s executive orders and other pandemic guidelines for all Ohioans and individual groups as well as info for business and consumers.

The state of Ohio has also set up a hotline to answer citizen questions. This is being managed by the Ohio Dept. of Health: 1-833-427-5634.

As of March 24, 2020, Gov. DeWine and Ohio Health Dept. Director Dr. Amy Acton are giving live-streamed daily updates for Ohio. You can stay on top of the schedules for these news conferences and watch them live or recordings after the fact at The Ohio Channel. Some Ohio local television stations are carrying these news conferences live.

Nationally, the best general source of information from the federal government is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Corona Virus-COVID-19 Resource page. CDC’s page is a great resource for staying on top of what experts know about symptoms to look for and preparedness guidelines for various communities from senior citizens to health care professionals.

Internationally, the United Nations-afilliated public health organization is the World Health Organization. Their Corona Virus resource page has a lot of information in the context of the worldwide nature of the disease. Their library of recent news conferences and their daily “Situation Reports” are good indicators of where we’re at in the worldwide battle. There are also areas to check up on specific countries and a dashboard that’s a one page snapshot of maps and statistics.

Ag-related Corona Virus Updates

Ohio

• Information for Veterinarians
• ODA Laboratories
• Ohio USDA Farm Service Agency – As of March 24, 2020, Ohio FSA is continuing to ask that farmers call their local office before coming in for service due to health concerns and limiting the number of people in the offices at one time.

National

• On this page, the USDA has information primarily related to conducting business with USDA and FSA offices during the outbreak.
• If you want general information on agriculture and food regarding the outbreak, this page at USDA’s main site has FAQs on a variety of topics.

Reliable News Sources for Corona Virus: Ohio and National

Sources on this list that normally are pay-walled, but have suspended their paywalls for Corona Virus coverage (as of March 24, 2020).

• Daily updates from the Statehouse News Bureau, a group of radio and TV journalists who provide reporting for Ohio’s public TV and radio stations are being carried by many of Ohio’s public TV stations daily. The Ohio Channel is a partner. Look to the Ohio Channel’s Facebook and Twitter feeds for updates. In Columbus, for instance, WOSU has aired these updates around the PBS NewsHour or before Gov. DeWine’s news conferences.
• Speaking of the PBS NewsHour, it remains a great resource where considerable time is being spent on reporting about the virus and government response without all the cable news opinion panels.
• The Columbus Dispatch is covering not only Columbus and Central Ohio, but state government-related news about the pandemic.
• Dayton Daily News is covering Dayton, Montgomery County and Miami Valley with Laura Bischoff in Columbus covering state government.
• Cleveland.com has the best from The Plain Dealer and their own team of journalists. Cleveland.com also has reporters in Columbus covering state government.
• Cincinnati Enquirer has southwest Ohio covered and also a Statehouse reporter in Columbus.
• There are still several smaller cities and regions with daily newspapers in Ohio, although their numbers have dwindled. Check out your local paper’s website, and if you can afford it, subscribe.
• The news coverage of the Corona Virus pandemic is free from both the Washington Post and The New York Times. Yes, their opinion pages contain pieces that you may not agree with, but their news coverage is still well-edited and stories are reported by journalists who do not write opinion pieces.

Info for Nerds: Deep Dive with Universities

The public health programs and research at Johns Hopkins University are world-renowned. JHU has gathered their Corona Virus response generally on this page. Another public service they are providing is the constantly updated pandemic data dashboard and map courtesy of JHU’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

The University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease and Research Policy (CIDRAP), not only aggregates the latest scientific papers and research on the virus, but part of their mission is essentially news reporting for the public on issues of infectious disease. As an aside, CIDRAP is also an important resource for the midwest and the nation regarding Chronic Wasting Disease which continues to spread through deer herds.

What About Social Media?

Well … you’ve got to be your own editor regarding links being posted around Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. That means: consider the source. Is the source a well-edited traditional or online publication that adheres to basic journalistic standards and ethics in news reporting? If it’s a particularly “shocking” story, is it covered by other outlets as well?

An example of this: The Drudge Report has a headline that links to the Daily Mail in the UK. The Daily Mail is one step up the food chain from the National Enquirer. Would you base decisions that affect yourself or your family on what you read in the National Enquirer? The Daily Mail sometimes covers the same subjects that respected news organizations cover. If a story from a source like them alerts you, see how it’s covered (or if it’s covered) by major newspapers or TV outlets in the U.S.

For a good read from an Ohio State University expert on social media and disinformation in light of the pandemic, check this out.