Ohio Farmers Union

Serving Family Farmers and Consumers Since 1934



United to Grow Family Agriculture Since 1934

Milk Income Loss Program Extended

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On February 7, 2014 the President signed The 2014 Farm Bill into law this farm bill allows the following: The continuation of MILC program benefits from September 1, 2013, through the earlier of September 1, 2014, or the date on which the Dairy Margin Protection Program provisions take effect.

September 2013 was the last eligible month for MILC payments under the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. The payment rates determined for October 2013 through January 2014 was $0. Payments for subsequent months will be determined as data becomes available

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Federal Appeals Court Cool with COOL

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Two Federal Courts Have Now Swatted Down Big Biz Attempts to Thwart COOL

In another victory for independent and family U.S. livestock farmers, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has rejected an appeal from an earlier district court ruling against plaintiffs in a suit to suspend  Country of Origin Labeling regulations while the plaintiff’s larger suit against COOL moves through the judicial system.

Last Friday’s decision is the latest setback for plaintiffs who filed the case in an effort to have the revised COOL regulations invalidated. The case was filed on July 8, 2013, by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, American Meat Institute, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Canadian Pork Council, North American Meat Association, American Association of Meat Processors, National Pork Producers Council, Southwest Meat Association and Mexico’s National Confederation of Livestock Organizations.

While that larger case is being adjudicated, plaintiffs have sought an injunction which would have prevented existing COOL regulations from remaining in effect. For now, COOL stands.

The National Farmers Union, together with the United States Cattlemen’s Association, the American Sheep Industry Association and the Consumer Federation of America, intervened to defend the COOL regulations from challenge, and they actively participated in a briefing at the District Court and the Court of Appeals, as well as the preliminary injunction hearing at the District Court.

“I am extremely pleased with today’s decision,” said Roger Johnson, NFU president. “Yet again, claims that the revised COOL regulations are unconstitutional or inconsistent with the COOL statute have been rejected in federal court.”

“Today’s decision notes that COOL advances legitimate values, including consumer information and consumer choice. The Court of Appeals also explained that COOL labels can be seen as a sign that retailers ‘take pride in identifying the source of their products.’ NFU’s family farmer- and rancher-members certainly take pride in the products they produce, and I am glad that consumers will be able to continue to identify their products at retail as a result of today’s decision.”

Johnson is currently in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the World Farmers Organization’s fourth general assembly, where many of the speakers have discussed the need for farmers to connect more directly with consumers and be more transparent to enhance consumer confidence.

Johnson said NFU will remain engaged with its allies in the courtroom battles over COOL on behalf family farmers and consumers.

 

 

 

Specialy Crop Farmers Get New Opportunities with Expanded Farm Storage and Facility Loan Program

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As part of a broader range of changes to USDA FSA Farm Loan Programs, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture has announced a major expansion in the Farm Storage and Facility program.

Storage and facility loans provide low interest financing to farmers who are wish to upgrade or expand their operations. The changes to this particular loan program include 23 new categories of eligible equipment for fruit and vegetable producers. Notably, Farm Storage and Facility loan security requirements have been eased for loans between $50,000 and $100,000.

*DOWNLOAD USDA FACT SHEET ON LOAN PROGRAM CHANGES HERE*

Previously, all loans in excess of $50,000 required a promissory note and additional security, such as a lien on real estate. Now loans up to $100,000 can be secured by only a promissory note.

USDA suggests small and mid-sized farmers check out this page for more information about specific tools and resources available to them.

For more specific information about FSA programs including the Farm Storage Facility Loan Program, visit your FSA county or regional office. You can also find FSA online.

Vilsack says farm loan program modifications will create more flexibility for new and existing farmers

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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced several changes to USDA FSA Farm Loan Programs earlier this week. The changes come immediately as a result of passage of the 2014 Farm Bill.

Changes that will take effect immediately include:

  • Elimination of loan term limits for guaranteed operating loans.
  • Modification of the definition of beginning farmer, using the average farm size for the county as a qualifier instead of the median farm size.
  • Modification of the Joint Financing Direct Farm Ownership Interest Rate to 2 percent less than regular Direct Farm Ownership rate, with a floor of 2.5 percent. Previously, the rate was established at 5 percent.
  • Increase of the maximum loan amount for Direct Farm Ownership down payments from $225,000 to $300,000.
  • Elimination of rural residency requirement for Youth Loans, allowing urban youth to benefit.
  • Debt forgiveness on Youth Loans, which will not prevent borrowers from obtaining additional loans from the federal government.
  • Increase of the guarantee amount on Conservation Loans from 75 to 80 percent and 90 percent for socially disadvantaged borrowers and beginning farmers.
  • Microloans will not count toward loan term limits for veterans and beginning farmers.
  • Additional modifications must be implemented through the rulemaking processes.

“Our nation’s farmers and ranchers are the engine of the rural economy. These improvements to our Farm Loan Programs will help a new generation begin farming and grow existing farm operations,” said Vilsack.

“(This) announcement represents just one part of a series of investments the new Farm Bill makes in the next generation of agriculture, which is critical to economic growth in communities across the country.”

Check out this FSA fact sheet on the loan program modifications.

Congrats to OFU’s most recent poster contest winners

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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

  1. Leah Herring, Wyandot County, First Place
  2. Leah Beckham, Henry County, Runner Up

Division II

  1. Ella Meyer, Henry County, First Place
  2. Kayla Kruse, Henry County, Runner Up

Division III

  1. Hannah Herring, Wyandot County, First Place
  2. Jade Holman, Wyandot County, Runner Up

April Memorial Service Planned for John P. Gaynor

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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.

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Photos from a Busy Day at Statehouse for Ohio Farmers Union

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ofuinactionIn 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.

BurkleyAbove, 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.

GreenAbove, 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.

hallofc

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.

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.

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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

In Memoriam: Joyce Wise 1929-2014

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wisepostIt 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.

Joyce Louise (Sherer) Wise

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

 

OFU State Lobby Day is March 19

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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.

 

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Contact

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