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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.

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…]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Beef Checkoff, Elizabeth Harsh, Frank Phelps, Mardy Townsend

OFU’s Townsend Wins OEFFA Award

February 18, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Mardy Townsend, president of the Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake Farmers Union was awarded the 2013 Stewardship Award by the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association this past weekend.

The announcement was made on February 16 as part of OEFFA’s 34th annual conference, Growing Opportunities, Cultivating Change. The Stewardship Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the cultivation of sustainable agriculture.

Mardy Townsend. Photo by George Remington.

Mardy Townsend. Photo by George Remington.

Townsend raises grass-fed beef cattle at Marshy Meadows Farm in Ashtabula County, near Windsor, Ohio. Portions of the 226 acre farm has been in the Townsend family since 1972 but it wasn’t until 1993 that she transitioned to grass farming to better suit the farm’s wet, erodible land conditions and the area’s long, cold winters. Marshy Meadow Farm’s land has been certified organic through OEFFA since 1996 and the beef herd is in transition to organic.

Townsend graduated from Wilmington College in 1978 with a degree in animal science and biology and received a master’s degree in agronomy from Ohio State University in 1997. She was a horticulture agent at the OSU Extension Geauga County office from 1994 to 1996.

In 2000, 175 acres of the farm were put into a permanent conservation easement held by the Ashtabula County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and the Western Reserve Land Conservancy. In 2002, Mardy and her mother Marge received the Outstanding Cooperator Award from the Ashtabula County SWCD. The farm is also enrolled in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Security Program.

Townsend has served on the OEFFA Board, along with two stints on the North Central-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program Technical Review Committee. She is a founding member of OEFFA’s Lake Effect Chapter and has hosted several OEFFA farm tours. She has become increasingly active in environmental issues related to fracking.

“With almost 20 years of farming experience on her family’s farm in northeast Ohio, Mardy has developed a successful, sustainable, and organic model for grass-fed beef production,” said Molly Bartlett, a 2007 recipient of the Stewardship Award, who nominated Townsend. “A natural steward, Mardy’s keen affection for her animals and the land and wise knowledge of her farm have guided her holistic management practices.”

“Mardy’s contributions to sustainable agriculture go beyond her farm. She is not only active in both OEFFA and the Ohio Farmers Union, but she has been involved in her community and drawing attention to the problems associated with fracking,” said Mick Luber, who shared the 2007 Stewardship Award with Bartlett and presented the award to Townsend at the Saturday evening ceremony.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Mardy Townsend, OEFFA

NE Ohio Farmers Union Leaders to Hold Informational Meeting on Fracking Tonight

September 26, 2011 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Family Farmers Sponsor Public Meeting on Fracking in NE Ohio

COLEBROOK – Leadership of the Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake Counties Farmers Union and the Trumbull County Farmers Union will hold an information sharing meeting tonight on the subject What Fracking Will Mean to Us.

The meeting will be held at the Colebrook Community Center at the corner of SR 322 and SR 46 in Ashtabula County from 7 to 9 p.m. There will be a question and answer period. The event is free and open to the public.

Fracking is short for hydraulic fracturing – a drilling method employed to extract natural gas or oil from wells in hard rock strata thousands of feet below the ground. Fracking will be used during the drilling of the Marcellus and Utica shales in Eastern Ohio for natural gas extraction.

Joe Logan, Trumbull County Farmers Union president and director of agricultural issues for the Ohio Environmental Council will discuss possible impacts of fracking on agriculture and natural resources with a focus on fresh water supplies.

Vanessa Pesec, president of the Network for Oil and Gas Accountability and Protection (NEOGAP), will present a detailed lecture on what fracking will mean to us as individuals, landholders and communities. Pesec will also talk about what landholders should look for in a fair lease should they decide to lease their mineral rights.

 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Ashtabula County, Fracking, Joe Logan, Mardy Townsend, Natural Gas, NEOGAP, Vanessa Pesec

Event: NE Ohio Farmers Union Members to Hold Fracking Information Meeting

September 23, 2011 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

What Fracking will Mean to Us

Monday, September 26, 2011

7-9pm

Colebrook Community Center

Colebrook (northeast corner of state routes 322 and 46)

Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake Counties Farmers Union and Trumbull County Farmers Union are presenting a joint educational meeting: What Fracking will Mean to Us? Fracking is short for hydraulic fracturing – a drilling method employed to extract natural gas or oil from wells in hard rock strata thousands of feet below the ground. Fracking will be used during the drilling of the Marcellus and Utica shales in Eastern Ohio for natural gas extraction.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Ashtabula, Fracking, Geauga, Joe Logan, Lake Counties Farmers Union, Mardy Townsend, Natural Gas, NEOGAP, Ohio Farmers Union, Trumbull County Farmers Union, Vanessa Pesec

Environmental & Agricultural Success at Marshy Meadows

August 21, 2011 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Federal budget cutters may want to think twice about slashing USDA conservation programs

When most Americans think about federal dollars spent on agriculture, they envision big ticket (and controversial) items like ethanol subsidies and direct payments. Most of us don’t realize that the USDA – through divisions like the Natural Resources Conservation Service – also administers programs that allow family farmers and small producers to make improvements to their land helping them to build their business while protecting natural resources for the rest of us.

We know that the actions of some farm and livestock operators can have consequences outside the boundaries of the acres they plant or graze. Just ask the folks who live near Grand Lake St. Mary’s here in Ohio. The toxic algae problem at the Grand Lake is attributable, at least in part, to runoff from area farms.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Agriculture, Cattle, Conservation, EQIP, Mardy Townsend, Marshy Meadows Farm, USDA

VIDEO: Could programs that help small farmers invest in environmentally friendly practices get the axe?

August 19, 2011 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

One week ago I had the opportunity to spend some time at Marshy Meadows Farm in Ashtabula County. Proprietor Mardy Townsend runs a 130-head grass-fed beef program there. Over the past 20 years she and her mother Marge have turned Marshy Meadows from corn and barley production to grassland for the beef herd. Along the way the Environmental Quality Incentives Program from the USDA has helped Mardy lessen the farm’s ecological impact while building a profitable livestock business. This interview deals with the potential danger of Congressional budget cutting taking out programs like EQIP that provide sources of capital for family and beginning farmers to build their businesses responsibly.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: EQIP, Mardy Townsend, Marshy Meadows Farm, Ohio Farmers Union, USDA

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