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Agriculture has a story to tell the public, according to OFBF President Terry McClure. In his speech before the start of the policy session at the 84^th annual meeting in Cincinnati, McClure told delegates and guests they’d better start speaking up themselves or they’ll let others tell a story that’s not accurate.

"Farm Bureau is about doing things together that we can’t do ourselves," McClure said. "Last year during this speech I told you I believe in farming, and I still do. But now we need to help our customers and the consumer believe in farming also."

Comparing Ohio agriculture to recent business reports, McClure said: "I don’t know about you, but I had a lower than expected fourth quarter return. Ohio agriculture has had a tough year, but the Ohio Farm Bureau has had a great year."

He pointed to the passage of a farm bill, Trade Promotion Authority, Ohio’s ethanol tax credit and the state’s new livestock permitting rules as positive events. He added the results of the November elections were also positive for agriculture.

"But we’ve still got some unfinished business," he said, citing the failure to pass disaster aid and a comprehensive energy bill that includes renewable fuels as areas that still need attention.

Ohio’s state budget crunch, Medicare and Medicaid funding, education funding, economic development, the possibility of new taxes and agriculture’s role in Gov. Taft’s Third Frontier initiative are other areas where Farm Bureau can have an impact in the months to come, he said.

The need for comprehensive tort reform was driven home during clean-up efforts after the early November tornadoes that swept through the state. "There was too much discussion during the clean-up effort of people making sure they weren’t liable" for something that could happen to a volunteer, he said. "That’s a sad commentary."

An emerging issue includes normalizing trade relations with Cuba. He told of his recent trip to Cuba with AFBF President Bob Stallman and other state Farm Bureau presidents (See story page 8).

Other issues that need attention are infrastructure problems within the United States that make it less expensive for southeastern states to import soybeans from other countries instead of buying soybeans produced within the United States.

And health care is an everyday issue for all Americans, he said. "There’s no single solution."