From the National Farmers Union:
The 2013 Farm Bill is moving along, as both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees released drafts of the legislation this week. The Senate Ag Committee is scheduled to mark up the bill Tuesday, May 14, at 10:00 a.m. EDT, and its House counterpart is planning a markup for Wednesday, May 15, at 10:00 a.m. EDT. Both committees will broadcast the markups live on their websites, www.agriculture.senate.gov and www.agriculture.house.gov.

The deadline for Senators to file amendments to the bill was Friday, May 10^th at 5:00 p.m., and House members must file amendments by Monday at 6:00 p.m. NFU will send out additional information as we get it, or watch www.NFU.org/farmbill for updates.

Below are some important links:

Senate Ag Committee’s farm bill draft
Senate Ag Committee’s farm bill summary
NFU’s summary of Senate draft

House Ag Committee’s farm bill draft
House Ag Committee’s farm bill summary
NFU’s summary of House draft

From the Ashtabula-Geauga-Lake Counties Farmers Union:

Teresa Mills, of the Center of Health and Environmental Justice, will be speaking on Health and Safety Issues around Frack Waste Injection Wells on May 15, 2013, at 6pm, at the Windsor Community Center, Ashtabula County. (5430 Mayfield Rd, Windsor, Ohio, 44099).

There are at least 15 active frack waste class II injection wells in Ashtabula County. There are five class II wells on one single site in Windsor. Class II injection wells accept liquid waste from unconventional, horizontally drilled, natural gas wells using the process called hydraulic fracturing. Wastewater from the fracturing process contains toxic contaminants, including unknown quantities of undisclosed chemical additives used in hydraulic fracturing fluid, as well as contaminants from sources underground. Benzene, naphthalene, formaldehyde, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, biocides, and radioactive compounds like radium, are only a few of the toxic materials found in the waste fluid.

[Read more…]

Ohio Farmers Union President Roger Wise will testify before the Ohio House Agriculture Committee on Tuesday in favor of proposed changes to Ohio’s grain indemnity law.

Known as Senate Bill 66, and sponsored by Sen. Cliff Hite, R-Findlay, the measure passed the Senate unanimously in April and was presented to the House Ag Committee earlier this month with Hite’s sponsor testimony. Under the proposed changes to the indemnity law, farmers would be codified as primary lien holders (first in line) should a grain elevator where they do business fail. Ohio’s farmer-funded Grain Indemnity Fund would also see its cap raised to $15 million and the trigger which signals when farmers pay one-half cent per bushel to replenish the fund raised to $10 million.

OFU has worked with the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture, the Ohio Agricultural Commodity Advisory Commission and ag-interested stakeholders for more than two years to see the law updated and strengthened. While it sailed through the Senate, producers need to be aware that there has been some grumbling from banking interests around Capitol Square about the priority lien being codified in the farmer’s favor. This is the time to call your state representative and let them know this is legislation which protects family farmers and that the fund and ODA activities in administering the fund and regulating grain handlers is in fact paid for by producers.

At this time, we believe the Ohio Agribusiness Association will also be testifying in favor of the changes to the indemnity law. Your testimony, whether written or given on Tuesday at the Committee is encouraged. Please contact Ron Sylvester (rcs@ronsylvester.com) or Linda Borton (lborton@ohfarmersunion.org) for more information.

The committee will meet at 10 a.m. in Room 116 at the Statehouse, Tuesday, May 14.