Serving Family Farmers and Consumers Since 1934
Longtime Farmers Union friend, former OFU legislative director and current secretary/treasurer of Clinton County Farmers Union, Dick Babb passed away on Christmas Eve.
“Dick was a community spirited man, committed to family farmers who built a reputation as a totally fair minded friend of agriculture in his tenure as Ohio Farmers Union legislative director,” said Linda Borton, Ohio Farmers Union executive director.
If you want to keep abreast of what the National Farmers Union is doing in Washington, D.C. to lobby on behalf of family farmers and consumers, their new monthly publication Washington Corner is a good way to get updated on a month to month basis.
Check out the January 2012 edition here.
The Office of Export Assistance of The Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) is seeking an International Program Intern to work closely with the Global Agricultural Program Manager. The intern will promote and recruit companies to participate in event-based programs through the Food Export Association-Midwest.
National Farmers Union is pleased to welcome Leigh Slayden to the Washington, D.C., office as the acting vice president of membership.
Slayden most recently served as the director of marketing and member services at the Association of Public Health Laboratories. Prior to that, Slayden spent more than 15 years serving in the membership department for organizations such as the American Diabetes Association, the American Chemical Society, and the American College of Physicians.
WASHINGTON (Dec. 8, 2011) – National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson issued the following statement after U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published the Final Rule implementing protection provisions for farmers and ranchers under the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA):
“While the Final Rule is a good first step, it is certainly not a last step. We are disappointed that Congress passed a Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations bill that prevents additional portions of the rule from advancing. In particular, it is critical that the competitive injury portion of the rule be implemented. Currently, a producer must prove that a packer’s anti-competitive practices damaged the entire marketplace. Clarification of competitive injury is needed so that the producer would only have to prove that his or her operation was hurt by such actions, a much more reasonable standard. In choosing to prevent the competitive injury portion of the rule from moving forward, Congress has clearly chosen to put the interests of large packers ahead of family farmers and ranchers.
“After more than one year of discussion and more than 60,000 comments received, USDA has issued a Final Rule that provides some protection to family farmers and ranchers across the country. This rule will make the livestock market at least somewhat more transparent and fair. The rule clarifies whether the requirement of additional capital investments for poultry growers and swine producers violates the Packers and Stockyards Act, and ensures poultry dealers have a reasonable period of time to remedy a breach of contract.
“We will continue working with this administration and Congress to ensure that family farmers and ranchers are able to compete in a fair and open marketplace.”
WASHINGTON – National Farmers Union submitted comments earlier this month to the U.S. Department of Labor regarding new proposed child labor safety regulations for agricultural and agriculture-related jobs. NFU policy supports the intent of the new regulations to make workplaces safer for young people, but urges caution in implementing regulations that may discourage children from learning about agriculture.
“Farm safety is an issue of the utmost importance to NFU, and I commend the department on its efforts to make workplaces safer for young workers,” said NFU President Roger Johnson. “In a farm family, every member plays a valuable role in the economic success of the farm. Farming is not simply an occupation, but a lifestyle that has been passed down from generation to generation. In order to ensure the viability of our family farms for the future, it is critical that farmers are able to teach their children how to perform agricultural work safely and responsibly. The proposed regulations preserve that ability.”
NFU also urged the Department of Labor to look at certain rules that may be overreaching.
We know paying for college isn’t easy. Did you know that the National Farmers Union has two scholarship programs that might help out?
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following action taken by from U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it would begin to update its methodology for setting crop insurance premium rates to ensure that corn and soybean producers throughout the Midwest pay lower, more-fair rates. The move follows a letter sent by nine senators, led by Brown, calling on the USDA to follow the recommendations of a 2011 independent study commissioned by the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA). The study recommended changes to the methods used to calculate crop insurance premiums for corn and soybean producers, who pay a higher premium than they should in the Midwest when compared to relative risk.
“Crop insurance is a critical risk management tool for Ohio farmers, but Midwest producers have been shouldering more than their fair share of the burden for too long,” Brown said. “Beginning to update how crop insurance premiums are calculated is a huge win for Ohio farmers, but the USDA’s Risk Management Agency can and must do more. The recommendations of the independent study should be implemented promptly and in full.”
Under current methodology, crop insurance rates are set for producers using historical crop production and price data. Many experts have contended that farmers in Midwestern states like Ohio overpay for crop insurance because natural disasters are much less frequent than in other regions of the county. The RMA-commissioned study, released earlier this month, showed that the Midwestern corn and soybean farmers had a markedly lower risk for corn and soybean production than implied by current crop insurance rates.
In Ohio, the methodology adjustments announced today could reduce corn farmers’ rates by 7 percent and soybean farmers’ by 9 percent on average. Brown believes full implementation of the independent study’s recommendations could result in even greater reductions to premiums.
Putnam County Farmers Union President James J. Schnipke died Friday at St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima.
Mr. Schnipke was a former member of the Ohio Farmers Union Executive Committee and a lifetime member of the Ohio Farmers Union.
He was born May 21, 1937, in Ottawa to Edward and Alma Wittler Schnipke. On Aug. 29, 1961, he married Dorothy Schroeder, who survives in Ottawa.
Mr. Schnipke was the co-owner of Schnipke Inn, Ottawa, along with his wife. He was a lifelong farmer. He was an Army veteran of the Korean War. He was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church, New Cleveland. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Knights of Columbus Fr. Warnimont Assembly, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and Fraternal Order of Eagles, all in Ottawa, the Indian Lake Loyal Order of Moose, Leipsic Rod & Gun, Glandorf Rod & Gun, Ottawa Chamber, Ottawa Lion’s Club, and the Ohio Farm Bureau. He was also president of Putnam County Farmers Union.
Survivors also include three children, Margaret (Darrell Combs) Schnipke, Patricia Schnipke and Douglas Schnipke, all of Ottawa; six grandchildren, Stacey Schnipke, Candice (Dan) Kaiser, Martin Schnipke, Alysse Schnipke, Larisa Schnipke and Leah Schnipke; three great-grandchildren, Robert, Victoria, and Zachary Kaiser; four sisters, Rosemary (Ray) Powell, of Ottawa, Kathern (Bob) Duling, of Glandorf, Judy (Harold) Gerten, of Columbus Grove, and Anna (Tim) Recker, of Ottawa; six brothers, Edward (Mary Agnes) Schnipke Jr., of Ottawa, Frederick (Jane) Schnipke and Harold (Sandy) Schnipke, both of Miller City, William (Bonnie) Schnipke and Louis (Lisa) Schnipke, both of Ottawa, and Thomas (Donna) Schnipke, of Kalida; and a sister-in-law, Janet (Ron) Brown, of Miller City.
He was preceded in death by a son, Ronald Schnipke; a brother, Frank Schnipke; and a grandson, Aaron Schnipke.
One of the best ways to preserve Ohio’s farmlands is for family farmers to understand and exploit their market opportunities and keep the family farm in agricultural production.
A breakout session at the 12th Annual Ohio Farmland Preservation Summit put on by the Ohio State University Extension provided Ohio farmers, planners and activists with a few tools and ideas to help farmers in Ohio market what they produce.
The Ohio Farmers Union was a sponsor of and exhibitor at the Preservation Summit.
Mike Hogan, an Extension Educator and Associate Professor at OSU, presented the breakout session, Local Food Business & Community Resources. Hogan also serves as the statewide Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator and the Local Foods Network Leader for OSU Extension. Additionally, he serves as the Ohio Coordinator for the USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. Hogan specializes in sustainable agriculture and small farm issues including direct marketing, local food systems and alternative crop and production systems.
Hogan’s first message is that farmers shouldn’t get hung up on the definition of “local.”
