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by Jack Fisher, Executive Vice President

Budget problems are, unfortunately, all-too-familiar for farmers. Sometimes your income falls short. Sometimes your expenses run high. Lots of times, both happen. And when finances are tight, a big part of Farm Bureau's job is to help you find a way to cope. Right now, your organization is engaged in resolving some budget problems that go beyond your individual farms: The State of Ohio is running short on cash.

How bad are the numbers? The latest figures from the Ohio Public Expenditure Council show that revenues from 10 of 13 tax collection categories are running behind their projected pace. Through just the first three months of the fiscal year, tax income was about 6 percent behind projections. With our state government spending around $62 million a day, the forecast is that revenues could fall short by some $1.4 billion by the end of the biennium. And it could get worse.

Still up in the air is the Supreme Court ruling that could force the state to boost school spending by as much as $1.2 billion per year, retroactive to last July. Don Berno, president of the Expenditure Council, said, "The court's decision sets the stage for a fiscal and political train wreck."

Both Gov. Taft and the Ohio General Assembly are working toward responsible solutions to this problem. They're looking at ways to trim expenses and increase revenue. As they carry out this ongoing effort, Ohio Farm Bureau is working to ensure that the state's limited resources are used as wisely as possible.

We're sharing with the administration and the legislature what the priorities are from Farm Bureau's perspective. The policies you've developed at the county and state level give us clear direction on a wide range of topics such as spending on education and health care. And we're able to deliver a well-defined message on the types and amounts of taxes that we believe are appropriate. As for agriculture-specific issues, we're busy reminding government leaders that Ohio's largest industry will do our part, but we should not be expected to take more than our fair share of budget hits. Priority programs such as farmland preservation, animal health protection and food safety shouldn't shoulder disproportionate reductions. Likewise, long-term agricultural research and development programs should not be viewed as a short-term budget fix.

Without a doubt, our elected leaders have their hands full. And you can bet, for every Farm Bureau volunteer or staff member who promotes our views, there are a hundred other interest groups doing the same thing so to hope agriculture will come out of this budget dilemma untouched is unrealistic. What is realistic is the expectation that Farm Bureau will be effective in helping the State of Ohio come to a solution that is well-reasoned, practical and equitable.