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If the Ohio House of Representatives gets its way, agriculture will receive more funding than Gov. Ted Strickland recommended in his state budget proposal.

On May 1, the House voted 97-0 to send its two-year $52.1 billion budget proposal to the Senate in an unusual display of bipartisanship. The Senate began holding budget hearings that same day and is expected to vote by June 15. The legislature and Strickland have until June 30 to reach agreement.

"We worked closely with the House leadership to address agriculture’s needs and the concerns of farmers. We made our case why changes were needed," said Rocky Black, Ohio Farm Bureau’s senior director of policy and political affairs.

During his State of the State address, Strickland said that his budget reflected tough choices.

"As we embrace new ideas, we must acknowledge that our budget situation makes the challenges we face all the more daunting," he said. "There is belt tightening ahead and it’s not a pleasant thing to do…Especially when we’re already dealing with shortfalls."

The House version of the budget included $422,000 more overall for the Ohio Department of Agriculture over two years than the governor’s budget, which proposed a drop of funding by 2 percent in 2008 and half a percent in 2009, Black said.

The House restored funding for Soil and Water Conservation Districts; Strickland had proposed a decrease in the amount of state funding match. In the House budget, $1.5 million is set aside as retail incentives for motorists to use the alternative fuels E85 and B20, Black said. An additional $500,000 would go to school districts so they can receive grants from the Ohio Department of Development for using 20 percent or higher biodiesel fuel. Strickland proposed $2.5 million for the installation of E85 tanks and soy biodiesel pumps at gas stations and providing grants for facilities that blend soy biodiesel.

The House also restored $120,000 in funding for cattlemen and local livestock groups to rent the Ohio Expo Center facilities throughout the year so they can promote the livestock industry, Black said.

Ohio State University Extension, which is flat funded over two years in the governor’s budget, would receive a 2 percent increase in 2008, Black said.

Lawmakers also restored about $75,000 per year in funding to help farmers receive payment for animals killed by wild predators such as coyotes.

"Traditional agriculture is well represented in the House budget. It’s now in the hands of the Senate, and it’s too early to tell what they will do," Black said.

Caption: In an unusual display of bipartisanship, the House voted 97-0 in favor of its two-year budget.