OFU Blog

Happy New Year from Roger Wise

January 1, 2014 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Roger Wise

This post is OFU President Roger Wise’s latest column for the Ohio Country Messenger – which will be hitting members’ snail mail soon … Happy 2014!

Reflections on Year’s End and Thoughts of 2014

This is the time of year to pause and ponder the plentiful blessings which upon us are bestowed. As the Christmas season envelopes us we are reminded that, as farmers, we are entrusted with the stewardship of some of the best resources anywhere on earth. The land, air and water are all intertwined in a manner that requires respect and that they individually be treated as components of the whole.

This is also a time of year when we reflect on our mortality. Time passes by so quickly and we are powerless to slow its pace. The average age of farmers increases while the number of us decreases. In spite of tremendous medical advances, loved ones pass and we are helpless to do anything about it.

My point is not to just wax sentimental but to be mindful that in our society we cannot and do not exist as islands. We depend on health care to keep us as healthy as possible for as long as possible. We depend on public services such as police, fire, public health, infrastructure, public education and more; everyone benefits from them and they provide us a better quality of life. We should not allow them to be undermined or eliminated because of current dissatisfaction with those holding political power.

[Read more…]

Ohio Beef Checkoff Will No Doubt Double in Early 2014

December 26, 2013 By Ron Sylvester 1 Comment

Frank Phelps, left, and Elizabeth Harsh of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Assoc. at the December OFU board meeting.

Elizabeth Harsh and Frank Phelps of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Assoc. met with the Ohio Farmers Union full Board of Directors in early December to promote the upcoming vote to double the amount of Ohio’s state beef checkoff from $1 to $2.

Harsh, executive director of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Assoc. and Phelps, vice president of the organization said the additional $1 levied per head would remain in Ohio.

Both the Ohio and National Farmers Unions have standing policy stating that the organizations only supportive marketing checkoffs that are “voluntary at the time of delivery.”

While the discussion was cordial and OFU’s leadership and county presidents appreciated the duo’s visit, there was a great deal of skepticism as to the national and state beef checkoff programs’ efficacy, especially for independent, small producers.

Mardy Townsend, president of the Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake Counties Farmers Union and herself a grass-fed beef producer asked Harsh whether the checkoff money that stays in Ohio could be earmarked to specifically market Ohio-raised beef. Harsh said the Ohio Beef Council, which makes the checkoff spending decisions, does maintain a freezer beef directory to which family farmers may submit their contact or marketing information.

[Read more…]

Despite Farm Bill Delay Some Conservation Program Compliance Provisions Remain

December 21, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

… Noticed this from the state of Indiana Farm Service Agency, thought it should be passed along since it is relevant across all states:

Indiana leaders at the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are issuing an important reminder to program participants about conservation compliance. “Despite the expiration of many farm bill programs, the 1985 Conservation Compliance provisions remain intact,” stated FSA State Executive Director Julia A. Wickard.

[Read more…]

Reminder: OFU Scholarship Apps Must Be Postmarked by Dec. 31

December 21, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

If you have a young person pursuing higher education and want them to participate in the annual Ohio Farmers Union scholarship contests, applications must be postmarked by December 31, 2013. Student essays will be judged during the 80th Annual OFU Convention at the end of January and awards will be made at the convention.

For all the details, check out the scholarship applications below:

Ohio Senate Ag Will Wait Til Next Year – Nutrient Management Bill

December 20, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Ohio Senate Bill 150, the measure which would enact a fertilizer application licensing process in Ohio similar to the pesticide applicators’ program hit a wall in late 2013 due to so-called ‘affirmative defense’ language in the bill.

Bill sponsors Senate Ag Chairman Cliff Hite and Sen. Bob Peterson put the measure on hold until 2014 while issues among stakeholders over the affirmative defense language is sorted out.

Under language in a recent version of the bill, a farmer’s filing of a voluntary nutrient management plan for his or her farm would qualify as an affirmative defense in court should that farm be sued relative to civil nuisance actions. An affirmative defense means that legally certain facts are established on their face by the existence of a nutrient management plan.

At the last hearing of SB 150 in the Senate Agriculture Committee, Peterson noted that one of the amendments for that day – which was eventually agreed to – would strip the affirmative defense language from the bill. He added that it is his intention for a different version of that language to go back into the bill after negotiations with stakeholders.

[Read more…]

Busting Myths About COOL

December 18, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

The huge, multi-national packers and processors and their apologists at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association continue to spread disinformation about Country of Origin Labeling (COOL).

Since the USDA issued its newer, World Trade Organization-compliant COOL requirement here in the U.S., several allies of the industrial livestock industry led by Canada and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc. have filed suit to stop COOL. They are also working behind the scenes in Congress at every opportunity – and further muddying the waters in Farm Bill negotiations – to rollback COOL.

The National and Ohio Farmers Unions support COOL and Americans’ right to know from where their center of their plate originates. The fact is, U.S. food safety standards from farm to grocery store shelf instill confidence in American consumers. We have the right to know if our meat was processed or raised in China or another country where regulations are weak. Many consumers also want to make the economic choice to buy only U.S. raised and processed foods. Without COOL, they are missing an important decision-making tool.

Here are a few facts about COOL that counter some of the arguments being made in opponents’ anti-consumer (and anti-American) campaign:

The U.S. never conceded to the WTO before being directed to do so by a dispute panel.
Changing COOL at this time in the middle of a court case would be letting Canada tell us whether or not U.S. laws are WTO compliant. Sovereignty anyone?

[Read more…]

NFU Accepting Applications for 2014 Beginning Farmer Institute

December 18, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

from the National Farmers Union

National Farmers Union is now accepting applications for its 2014 Beginning Farmers Institute (BFI) program. The annual program, now accepting its fourth class of students, is open to individuals who are new to farming, are in the process of transferring an operation from a relative or non-relative to themselves, or are contemplating a career in farming or ranching.

“The Beginning Farmers Institute underscores NFU’s commitment to growing a new generation of family agriculture,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “One unique feature of the Institute is that participants direct the agenda, allowing them to gain information on topics that will be most relevant to their particular operations. The small size and diversity of the group also ensures valuable interaction and learning opportunities among the participants.”

[Read more…]

2014 Poster Contest & Fichter Scholarship Info

November 25, 2013 By Ron Sylvester 2 Comments

OFU members, please follow the links below for information on the 2014 poster contest rules and info and the 2014 Joseph Ficther Scholarship rules and application. Both the poster contest and scholarship essay contest will be judged and awarded at the 80th Annual Ohio Farmers Union Convention on January 31-February 1, 2014.

White Releases 48 Page Rationale for Getting Farm Bill Done

November 22, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Although it didn’t much broad attention by the news media earlier this week, the White House released a report on the importance of getting the Farm Bill done. Here is a list from the USDA of some of the most important benefits of a comprehensive food and farm bill:

Build on recent momentum of the U.S. agriculture economy, a key engine of economic growth.
Promote development in communities across the country, by expanding new opportunities for American agriculture, increasing manufacturing potential and supporting businesses across rural America.
Protect our vital food assistance programs, which benefit millions of families and individuals – in rural, suburban and urban areas alike
Create a reliable safety net for our farmers and ranchers, including a strong crop insurance program, a long term extension of disaster programs and retroactive assistance for livestock producers.
Continue federal conservation efforts, working alongside a record number of farmers and ranchers to conserve our soil and protect our water.
Promote new markets for U.S. producers abroad and at home, honor our trade commitments and assist our farmers and ranchers to export a record amount of product around the world.
Support research, and ensuring that our long history of agricultural innovation continues.
And reduce the deficit, by enacting reforms saving billions of dollars in the coming decade.

Read the full report here.

Ohio Senate Ag to Hold Third Hearing on Nutrient Management Bill – Vote Expected

November 18, 2013 By Ron Sylvester 1 Comment

Over the past couple of weeks Senate Bill 150 – the nutrient management bill that would create a licensure scheme for many farmers applying fertilizer to their fields in Ohio – has been moving through the Ohio Senate Committee on Agriculture.

S.B. 150 was actually replaced with a new or substitute bill and is now officially Sub. S.B. 150. The bill received its second hearing last week where several amendments were unanimously accepted and testimony was heard from various farm groups, the Ohio Environmental Council, municipal water managers and Lake Erie charter fishing captains.

Ohio State Sen. Randy Gardner

The seven amendments added last week were for the most part technical in nature and were quickly accepted by Democrats and Republicans alike on the committee. One amendment, technically sponsored by Sen. Cliff Hite, R-Findlay, the Ag Committee chairman, was actually conceived by Sen. Randy Gardner, R-Bowling Green. The amendment would make it possible for funds already appropriated and unused to the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program “to be used for purposes of that appropriation item related to open lake disposal of dredge material in Lake Erie.” Hite and Gardner said the amendment will allow the fund’s resources to be used more effectively to help deter open-lake disposal of material dredged from the Toledo shipping channel.

There’s a great story on this issue from over the weekend in the Toledo Blade.

As for testimony by farm groups, including OFU, it was all one-sided – or shall we say ‘no-sided.’

Testimony was heard from OFU, The Ohio Soybean Association, The Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association and the Ohio Agribusiness Association. All parties testified as ‘neutral’ on the bill.

From Roger Wise, president of the Ohio Farmers Union:

“Our first point today is that too often our federal and state governments do not recognize the unique challenges that regulation of agriculture pose for small farmers. However, in the case of Senate Bill 150, OFU does not oppose the newly
proposed certification and licensure for fertilizer application. As a fertilizer bill, what is proposed is a good start. However, history and context remind us this legislation began as a nutrient management bill aimed at agriculture’s role in mitigating watershed quality problems across Ohio. What is being considered today does not address the entire scope of farming’s impact on Ohio’s lakes rivers and streams.”

Specifically, Wise said that taking the role of manure completely off the table in a bill that is aimed at improving water quality and potential agricultural pollution is short-sighted. He predicted that interested parties and legislators would be back on this issue in the future due to leaving manure out of the discussion.

[Read more…]

« Previous Page

Reflections on Year’s End and Thoughts of 2014

NATIONAL FARMERS UNION

Click to Take Action

Contact