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by Lynn Snyder

In two days of deliberation and debate, county Farm Bureau delegates approved the policies that will guide Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) in 2004.

OFBF First Vice President Bob Peterson is the chairman of the policy development committee. Before the session started, he assured the delegates the state committee reviewed every county policy suggestion it received. He noted 75 to 80 percent of the suggestions are Farm Bureau policies already and another 10 percent would be added during the 85^th annual meeting. Following are summaries of the most prominent issues:

Line fence law
Farm Bureau established policy on financial responsibility for the costs of construction or maintenance of fences that follow property lines in rural areas. Under current law, which has been Ohio law for decades, landowners on both sides of the fence share those costs. However, recent court rulings suggest that costs should be borne only by those who benefit from the fence. OFBF’s new stance is that current law should apply to existing fences, but for new construction, it should be the builder’s responsibility to negotiate shared costs with adjacent landowners. OFBF also will create a task force to further study the issue. OFBF Vice President for Government Affairs Keith Stimpert said, "Delegates set forth a policy that is very workable."

Obesity lawsuits
Delegates voted to support pending legislation that will prevent frivolous lawsuits that might target food producers or retailers as the cause of obesity. Stimpert said delegates concluded individuals need to take responsibility for how they manage their own diets. Executive Vice President Jack Fisher said this discussion is an extension of the fact the organization has given issues such as tort reform and civil litigation more prominence. He said an obesity lawsuit is a potential liability with high costs and no true benefit.

Drainage
Stimpert said drainage is a major issue. As Ohio becomes more developed, more drainage issues are appearing. For example, he said the sheer volume of water coming across farms affects production capacity. Delegates supported revising the Ohio Revised Code so the easement procedural regulations for Soil and Water Conservation Districts are more closely aligned with the regulations which county engineers use in obtaining construction and maintenance easements for drainage projects.

Video Lottery Terminals – Delegates decided not to take a position on this issue.

Meat inspection – The current stamp for individual producers who want to slaughter animals for meat to sell on their own says, "Not for sale." But Stimpert said this stamp is confusing. Delegates proposed policy to suggest the stamp should say "State Inspected Meat." Delegates want to look at the label and see what benefits producers could derive from changes in the stamp.

Terry McClure, OFBF president, was pleased with the progress made during the session. "As always, our volunteers came prepared for the work we had to do. They had thought through the policy issues, and they had thought through some new directions for our organization," he said.