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by Annie Cunningham

Members of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) Policy Development (PD) Committee recently met in Columbus to get background information on Farm Bureau’s priority issues.

The PD Committee works to develop positions on state and national issues and plans for programs this fiscal year. County Farm Bureaus have held annual meetings and approved county policies, and delegates from many counties were members of the PD committee.

The committee heard from OFBF staff, state and federal government officials and other association leaders on issues ranging from seed laws to air quality and taxes to the farm bill.

"Carl Zulauf (of Ohio State University’s agricultural economics staff) gave an interesting and broad view of farm economy and the farm bill. It sparked a lot of good conversation among the committee," said Bob Peterson, OFBF vice president and chair of the PD Committee. "A good portion of the meetings focused on many regulations affecting farmers – some good, some bad. We discussed the fairness of each of these."

The committee will use this session and another meeting in November to develop a list of issues for the more than 300 delegates to debate and vote on at OFBF’s annual meeting, Dec. 4 to 6 in Cincinnati, at which time state policies will be approved. Peterson believes the farm bill, farm economy, trade and the state budget will be key issues this year. Those delegates also make recommendations that are forwarded to the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting for discussion during those delegate sessions.

The OFBF Policy Development Committee is comprised of 16 state board members: Terry McClure, Bob Peterson, Gary Baldosser, Helen Caplinger, Steve Hirsch, Ellen Joslin, Charles Lausin, Randy Leis, Vicki McConnell, Brent Porteus, Vickie Powell, Bob Slicker, Sparky Weilnau, Merlin Wentworth, Eric Wolfer and Jeff Zellers and 10 county representatives. They are Tom Anslow, Port Clinton; Sandy Denes, Wellington; Dan Evans, Dover; Art Langerman, McConnelsville; Roger Rhude, Lebanon; Bob Sage, Chardon; Brian Snavely, Republic; Mark Stokes, Wilmington; Dave Swartz, Shelby; and Roger VanGordon, Middletown.

The committee will meet again Nov. 7 and 8 in Columbus.

Caption: Members of the Policy Development Committee talk about the two-day session in Columbus. Pictured, l to r, are Jeff Zellers, Brian Snavely, Bob Peterson, Sandy Denes, Tom Anslow, Eric Wolfer and Dan Evans.