OFBF Director of State Policy Beth Vanderkooi testified before the Ohio House of Representatives Economic and Small Business Development Committee about the importance of growing Ohio's agricultural economy.
OFBF Director of State Policy Beth Vanderkooi testified before the Senate Ways and Means and Economic Development Committee in support of Senate Bill 90 to eliminate the Ohio Estate Tax.
OFBF Director of State Policy Beth Vanderkooi testified before the Ohio Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environment Committee in support of House Bill 22 regarding changes to Ohio's Animals at Large Law.
After being formally appointed yesterday to serve as chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said she looks forward to leading the committee and emphasized her belief that “agriculture is critical to our economy and is helping to lead our recovery.”
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) introduced a bill that would establish an offsets program as part of the Senate cap-and-trade bill. The bill establishes an initial list of eligible offsets that include agricultural practices such as no-till, methane digesters, tree planting, precision fertilizer...
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This video features Ohio Farm Bureau Vice President of Public Policy Adam Sharp recapping many of the organization's key policy, political and grassroots activities in 2012.
HB 114 (McGregor) – Transportation Budget Bill HB 114 recently passed the Ohio House and is now being heard in the Ohio Senate. It is the legislation that funds Ohio’s Department of Transportation, Public Safety, and other projects related to transportation and infrastructure in Ohio...
On Thursday, a bipartisan group of senators sent a letter to Vilsack that commended USDA for proposing a Good Performance Refund program aimed at strengthening the federal crop insurance program.
Last week Ohio's senior United States Senator George Voinovich held what is likely his last Farm Forum as he prepares to retire from the Senate at the end of this year. Ohio Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Jack Fisher along with representatives of Ohio's agricultural commodity organizations...
The Senate approved a bill Thursday by a 79-17 vote that gives the Food and Drug Administration sweeping new powers to regulate tobacco products, including such factors as the amount of addictive nicotine in a cigarette and cigarette packaging and marketing. The 79-17 vote virtually ensures...
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and other Democratic members of the Environment and Public Works Committee reported S. 1733, the Kerry-Boxer cap-and-trade bill, out of committee to the Senate floor without any Republican members of the committee participating.
The Senate on Thursday approved H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, on a 60-39 vote along party lines. Senate Democrats and Independents supported the measure; no Republicans voted for it.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), chairman of the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, recently announced several new subcommittee leadership positions. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) will assume chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Rural Revitalization, Conservation, Forestry and Credit...
As part of the ongoing effort to increase the use of domestic renewable fuels, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced plans to provide $786.5 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to accelerate advanced biofuels research and development and to provide additional...
Russia began blocking imports of U.S. poultry as of Jan. 1 because of concerns about a commonly used chlorine treatment, USDA and a Russian news agency reported last week. Russia plans to proceed, over U.S. objections, with a new law prohibiting chlorine as an anti-microbial treatment in...
COLUMBUS – At the first meeting of the state Apportionment Board, Secretary of State Jon Husted unveiled ReshapeOhio.org, a website sponsored by the Legislative Task Force on Redistricting, the Ohio Apportionment Board and the Ohio Secretary of State’s office that is designed to give Ohioans...
Rep. Josh Mandel (R-Lyndhurst) made his bid for state treasurer official on Thursday, saying he wants to use technology to monitor and protect the state's money and investments.
Ohio’s motor carrier community is invited to provide the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) with testimony regarding new safety rules that apply to private intrastate commercial motor vehicles. The PUCO will host five listening sessions to learn from small carriers about the operational...
On November 29, 2011 the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) granted an emergency extension of the hours of service exemption to those drivers who operate commercial motor vehicles transporting agricultural products within Ohio. Ohio Farm Bureau had requested PUCO issue such an emergency...
Health care reform legislation headed to the Senate floor for debate includes a public option for coverage. Millions of Americans would have the option of buying government-run insurance coverage if the bill becomes law. Individual states would have the choice to opt out of the program.
Proposed cuts in the crop insurance program are sending alarms through the insurance industry for both underwriters and agents, according to National Underwriter. Under a proposal unveiled earlier this month, the Obama administration wants new cutbacks in the program that in addition to other...
A report released Tuesday by USDA’s Economic Research Service on the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program suggests that for 2009-2012, producers of corn, soybeans, wheat and rice are likely to benefit more from the ACRE program than from the price-based...
President Barack Obama recently signed a $1.4 billion food safety bill that sets the biggest change to oversight of the food industry since 1938 and gives the Food and Drug Administration more regulatory authority. However, Republicans are sending signals of a funding fight for the new regulations.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson ( D-Minn.) said he will not support any climate change bills and said the Obama administration is unfair to the ethanol industry with its proposals on greenhouse gas reduction. “You're going to kill off the biofuels industry before it even...
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) is looking to the Senate to make changes in climate change legislation that will better protect agriculture. "It's still got problems," said Peterson, who brokered a deal for the climate change bill to pass the House in June.
The Minneapolis Post reported that House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) is viewed as a major obstacle to climate change legislation. Peterson said the draft of the climate change bill recently passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee is unacceptable and ignores...
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) says he is worried the Food Safety Enforcement Act would allow the Food and Drug Administration to regulate farm activities and has threatened to oppose the bill, unless his concerns are met.
Ohio newspapers reported Sunday on the rising cost of the state's five pension plans and its effect on local governments and school districts.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says the climate change bill passed last month by the Energy and Commerce Committee will go through more changes before coming up for a vote in the full House and that agriculture will be very important. “The Energy and Commerce Committee was one step and...
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) and the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) are appealing a federal district court ruling upholding Ohio’s regulation on hormone-free claims on dairy product labels. The full story is available at cheesemarketnews.com.
County Farm Bureaus and Farm Bureau members are encouraged to get involved in the November 2, 2010 General Election. According to OFBF Director of Political and Legislative Education Doug Foxx, "now is the time to get to know the candidates that will soon take office as our new elected leaders at the local, state, and national levels." The following list are just a few of many ways that county Farm Bureaus and individual farmers can get involved in the election.
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) spoke for several minutes in support of Farm Bureau’s “Don’t CAP Our Future” campaign on the floor of the Senate recently. Inhofe expressed support for the grassroots campaign, while holding an Farm Bureau farmer cap emblazoned with a “Don’t CAP Our Future”
Cincinnati, OH--The latest Ohio Poll included questions regarding a series of policy proposals being
discussed across the country. While majorities of Ohioans favor making casino-style gambling legal in Ohio
and allowing doctors to prescribe medicinal marijuana, other proposals met opposition.
Cincinnati, OH--Forty-six percent of Ohio adults see the next generation of working adults as being worse
off economically than the current generation of workers. Thirty percent of Ohioans say their household
has experienced a layoff or job loss during the past 12 months.
Leaders of Ohioans for Livestock Care, which includes OCA, released the following statement in response to their announcement.
“Ohio farmers, first and foremost, are committed to caring for the animals we raise. It’s the right thing to do, and it means we can continue to provide Ohioans...
The Senate passed HB1 (Sykes), the biennial budget bill, along party lines on Wednesday, setting up the legislation for a conference committee battle. The House is expected to take up the Senate amendments at the June 10 session.
The Ohio Senate committee adopted a substitute version of the state budget (HB 1) incorporating numerous changes from the House passed version. President Bill Harris characterized the proposal as “balanced, fiscally responsible and sustainable.”
This past week House Joint Resolution 2 (Sayre, Ruhl) and Senate Joint Resolution 6 (Gibbs, Wilson) passed in their respective chambers. HJR 2 passed 84 – 13 in the House of Representatives while SJR 6 passed unanimously in the Senate 32 – 0. Both cleared their respective committees...
REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio ) – This holiday season, take time to enjoy and explore Ohio’s wineries while putting your photography skills to good use during the Ohio Grape Industries Committee’s photo contest. “This photo contest encourages Ohioans to venture out and enjoy the state’s wineries with...
Ohio Farm Bureau Federation State Trustee Mike Schuum and other Ohio farmers recently attended a climate change in Lima, Ohio where they voiced concerns over proposed climate change legislation being considered by the U.S. Senate. View a slide show with audio and photos from the event.
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Pending free trade agreements (FTA) between the United States and Korea, Panama and Colombia would amount to more than $2.5 billion in additional exports, economic development and jobs.
In recognition that eliminating the estate tax is consistent with the policy positions developed and approved by delegates at the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) Annual Meeting, the OFBF Board of Trustees has voted to support an initiative petition campaign underway to end Ohio’s estate tax on December 31, 2012.
OFBF Director of Legislative Relations, Spencer Waugh testified before the Senate Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee in support of Senate Bill 310 regarding exotic animals.
OFBF Director of Legislative Relations, Spencer Waugh testified before the Senate Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee in support of Senate Bill 309.
OFBF Director of State Policy, Beth Vanderkooi testified before the Senate Finance Committee in support of House Bill 482 regarding Clean Ohio funding.
OFBF Senior Director of Policy Development and Environmental Policy, Dr. Larry Antosch testified before the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee in support of House Bill 473 regarding the Great Lakes Compact.
OFBF member and state trustee, Katherine Harrison testified before the House Agriculture and Natural Resources committee in support of Senate Bill 281 regarding the AgLINK Program.
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This bipartisan campaign management training two-day seminar was developed by the American Farm Bureau Federation with input from political consultants and staff members of both political parties. Videotapes, overheads, a case study and a computer simulation have been developed to assist...
Animal Care Issues, Climate Change, Business Climate and Taxes, Environment and Land Use, Food Safety, Transportation and Infrastructure, Education Reform, and more are among the top public policy priorities for the Ohio Farm Bureau in 2010.
The Ohio Equine Task Force recently submitted recommendations that were created with the intention of strengthening and promoting Ohio’s equine industry. Created by Ohio Agriculture Director Robert Boggs in response to the critical state of Ohio’s equine industry, the task force, composed...
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