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During a news conference to open the 85^th annual meeting, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation President Terry McClure and Executive Vice President Jack Fisher told reporters that as agriculture changes, Farm Bureau will change along with it.

McClure cited issues such as reforming Ohio's line fence law, protecting Ohio's water resources, examining the future of OSU Extension and the organization's dues increase as areas where delegates would be focusing attention during the meeting and where the organization would be focusing attention next year.

Water
McClure said Ohio has a natural resource in Lake Erie that needs to be protected. He said Ohio Farm Bureau already has been involved in talking about establishing water withdrawal standards, as a participant in the Council of Great Lakes Governors, Great Lakes Water Management Advisory Committee. There is a great demand for water, particularly in the western part of the United States.

Future of agriculture
He mentioned a committee that is being formed to create a roadmap for Ohio agriculture. Over two years, stakeholders such as farmers and government leaders will come together to research "where we might want to take Ohio," and create an agriculture platform, he said.

Business climate
Fisher stated that the economic output of farmers is going up, and it is Farm Bureau's goal to keep agriculture and agribusiness the number one industry in Ohio. Farm Bureau also is interested in improving the state's business climate. "We agree with Gov. Taft and the administration that things need to be done to enhance the economic climate," Fisher said. But Farm Bureau's ideas of how to enhance Ohio's economy include slowing the growth in the size of government, easing the estate tax burden, lowering the personal income tax and decreasing corporate taxes.

C.O.O.L.
McClure said Country of Origin Labeling will be the number one issue at the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) annual meeting in January. Current AFBF policy says we agree, but McClure said many now are saying, "We want it to be voluntary." Fisher said there is still some support for the concept, but that it needs to be done with common sense "so we can afford it." He said the root of the consumer's question isn't so much where food was raised but how it was raised.