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by Susie Taylor

Policy discussion ranging from Current Agricultural Use Value (CAUV) to cemeteries was heard by nearly 335 delegates at this year’s Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) annual meeting held in late November in Columbus.

According to Keith Stimpert, vice president for government affairs for OFBF, CAUV remains a very important program for Ohio’s farmers.

Delegates looked at two areas. "First, they approved a policy that would support legislation to reduce the taxable value of agricultural buildings located on CAUV land," he explained.

Delegates also voted to support legislation that would give counties authority to increase CAUV recoupment to five years. "The funds generated in those two extra years would be used for farmland preservation on the county level," Stimpert added. Other new policy calls for CAUV law to be interpreted the same way in all counties.

In other discussion, debate was heard about private cemeteries and when they should be considered closed. Current law is different for private and public cemeteries. OFBF policy now encourages members "to preserve our heritage by respecting farm cemeteries," Stimpert reported. "We support real property laws now in place, which keep a closed private cemetery where there have been no burials for 75 years the size and status it is currently."

Other issues included:

• Attractive Nuisances – Delegates called for legislation that would strengthen state laws relative to attractive nuisance so as not to put landowners at risk for unreasonable lawsuits.
• Term Limits – "Folks have been curious how term limits have impacted our state government," Stimpert said. They urged a thorough analysis of the effects of term limits on the legislative process.
• All-Terrain Vehicle Identification – Concern over trespass and liability issues "was the main reason delegates voted to support the development of a statewide identification system for ATV’s," Stimpert explained.
• Dairy Policy – "This was a very tough issue. Our delegates were trying to tackle what direction our organization should take," he said. Delegates discussed OFBF’s position on dairy policy at length. "In the end, delegates left out any references to compacts and adopted policy that supports initiatives that address supply, price and volatility issues."
• Conceal and Carry – Delegates passed a policy position supporting legislation that would allow responsible individuals to carry handguns.
• Biofuels – Delegates supported construction of a biofuel production plant in Ohio and the expansion of authority to the Ohio Air Quality Authority to help with the project.

"All-in-all, I think the policy process ran smoothly," Stimpert said. New this year, a computer-aided system allowed delegates to view policy suggestions and changes on a large screen at the front of the policy session.

"Now as a staff, we get to go forward and continue working on the issues that our members have said are important to them," Stimpert said.