Published Dec. 23, 2009
after several months of acrimonious debate, House and Senate leaders passed a budget corrective item on largely partisan lines, relying primarily on Democrat votes in both the House and Senate (although the republicans hold a majority in the Ohio Senate, the bill was passed with only five...
Published Jan. 4, 2010
The Plain Dealer reports that the House and Senate are set to return this month after a contentious 2009, with Senate President Bill Harris (R-Ashland) and House Speaker Armond Budish (D-Beachwood) pledging better cooperation between the two chambers.
Published Dec. 30, 2009
Hong Kong is the fourth-largest market for U.S. food and beverage exports, which have grown by 15 percent this year. This represents the fastest growth among all export markets globally, according to a report by USDA’S Foreign Agricultural Service.
Published May. 20, 2009
The decline of honeybee colonies has slowed slightly since last fall, but the Agriculture Department says a mysterious combination of ailments is still affecting honeybee populations. Research at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., found that honeybee...
Published Jan. 5, 2010
U.S. hog producers should break even in 2010 as both the average price received and the total cost of production are expected be around $50 per hundredweight, according to Purdue University Extension Economist Chris Hurt.
Published Oct. 12, 2010
An economic analysis by the Food and Agricultural Policy Institute reveals that requiring higher nonfat solids in fluid milk would benefit consumers with additional nutrients with little impact on the price of a gallon of milk.
Published Jun. 29, 2009
Ohio Farm Bureau members should call or e-mail their State Representative and State Senator to urge final passage of a critical livestock care measure (even if you already called or e-mailed the week of June 22nd-26th).
Published Mar. 15, 2011
HB 89 (Derickson) – Agriculture Week HB 89 passed both Chambers with unanimous support and was signed into law by Governor Kasich on March 11th. HB 89 designates the second full week of March as Ohio Agriculture Week to honor the state's agriculture community.
Published Feb. 23, 2012
House Bill 415 (Sprague, Hill) and Senate Bill 281 (Beagle) are bills to expand the Agricultural Linked Deposit Program in Ohio. The legislation expands both the available per-loan amount from $100,000 to $150,000.
Published Nov. 9, 2009
HB 321 would designate the week in which Thanksgiving occurs as "Ohio Agriculture Week" in order to increase public recognition of the vitally important role that agriculture plays both in this state and across the nation. Ohio Farm Bureau supports this legislation and will be testifying...
Published May. 8, 2009
The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to hold daily press conferences on the hybrid influenza outbreak. The alert level has been raised from Phase 4 to Phase 5, and may be increased to Phase 6 in some regions.
Published Apr. 29, 2009
President Barack Obama, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano are calling the inappropriately named “swine flu” virus by its scientific name, H1N1 virus, which will likely be the official name for the new strain of flu.
Published Jun. 5, 2009
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) says he wants to instill some “common sense thinking” at the Environmental Protection Agency and is inviting Administrator Lisa Jackson and other agency officials to visit a farm in Iowa. “I don’t think the people at the EPA get the big picture.
Published Jun. 23, 2009
Governor Ted Strickland shared with the House and Senate a proposal to balance the state’s fiscal years 2010-2011 operating budget without a tax increase and lay the groundwork for jobs and economic growth.
Published Dec. 23, 2009
How passage of the Clean Water Restoration Act would affect farmers and ranchers was the subject of a Fox News broadcast story on Sunday. Don Parrish, water expert with the American Farm Bureau Federation, appeared live on a segment about the issue.
Published May. 8, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The U.S. Department of Agriculture designated four Ohio counties as agricultural natural disaster areas, making certain farmers and other agricultural producers in the counties eligible for low-interest emergency loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA).
Published Jun. 9, 2009
Citing changes in farm practices and energy policy, analysts at the Environmental Protection Agency have sharply lowered estimates of the potential carbon credits for which farmers and landowners would likely qualify, according to the Des Moines Register. This could make it difficult to sell...
Published Feb. 13, 2013
Ohio Farm Bureau Federation's 2013 Federal Priority Issues
Published Dec. 13, 2011
Two central Ohio Farm Bureau members recently testified on legislation introduced by State Representative Bob Peterson (R- Sabina) that calls on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reconsider the FCC order granting the broadband network provider, LightSquared, conditional...
Published Oct. 13, 2011
Congressional ratification of three bilateral free-trade agreements between the United States and Korea, Colombia and Panama, as well as approval of Trade Adjustment Assistance, is welcome news for farmers and ranchers, according to the American Farm Bureau...
Published Oct. 22, 2010
Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry encourages hunters to harvest more deer and assures that the excess of venison, a great source of low-fat protein, finds its way to the table of hungry persons. Nearly all of Ohio’s counties participated in the program last winter, resulting in the...
Published Jun. 1, 2009
The Des Moines Register reported Sunday that Democrats may have to win over farmers if they want to enact controls on greenhouse gases. According to the Register, Democrats control the House, 256-178, but many of their newest, most politically vulnerable members are from rural areas, and farm...
Published Nov. 27, 2012
Twenty agricultural groups are distributing this letter in an unprecedented campaign that encourages farmers to be proactive in the effort to improve water quality:Dear friend,As a farmer in Ohio you have a significant challenge bearing down quickly...
Published Jul. 20, 2011
Farm Bureau has long advocated for the expansion of broadband in rural areas but the organization is concerned about a new service that could disrupt global positioning system (GPS) signals.
Published Jan. 31, 2011
Farm Bureau is pleased by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s announcement that the Agriculture Department will fully deregulate Roundup Ready alfalfa, American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman said.