Ohio Farm Bureau introduces Energy and Utility Issues Resource Guide
Ohio Farm Bureau’s newest resource for members seeks to help farmland owners navigate the many questions surrounding energy development.
Read MoreBoth federal and state lawmakers have recently begun to address an issue that continues to plague rural communities — the availability and reliability of broadband connectivity.
“It might sound cliché, but our lives are becoming more dependent on technology,” said Tony Seegers, director of state policy for Ohio Farm Bureau. “With new broadband access comes increased economic and educational opportunities and development. Without it, Ohioans in these unserved and underserved areas will continue to fall behind.”
The Agricultural Broadband Coalition, of which Farm Bureau is a member, applauded bipartisan leaders in the U.S. House and Senate for introducing the Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act of 2018 in late January. The legislation, which is co-sponsored in the U.S. House by Ohio Congressman Bob Latta, will help to facilitate the deployment of broadband internet across rural America. The legislation creates the Task Force for Meeting the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States. Within a year, the task force is intended to bring together public and private stakeholders to evaluate current programs affecting broadband internet access on rural land, identify and measure existing gaps in coverage and develop policy recommendations to address that gap.
The Ohio House of Representatives passed Ohio House Bill 281, sponsored by State Rep. Rick Carfagna, in late January. HB 281 has the similar objective of the federal legislation of increased broadband access. That legislation requires the Ohio Department of Development Services to establish the residential broadband expansion program. The goal is to provide grant money to assist with residential broadband service expansion projects in eligible areas, which include a residential area in a municipal corporation or a township that is without access to broadband service and not already in line to receive funds for broadband.
Situations happen where residents want broadband but the broadband provider does a cost/benefit analysis of providing service and determines it would be too costly. This happens in a lot of rural areas, Seegers said. Included in the Ohio legislation is grant money that can help partially fund this broadband funding gap, he said.
Ohio Farm Bureau’s newest resource for members seeks to help farmland owners navigate the many questions surrounding energy development.
Read MoreHB 683 would provide meaningful relief by investing $10 million in the counties that were most severely impacted by relentless hot and dry conditions this past summer.
Read MoreNew members are Katherine and Bill Brown of Stark County, Abby and Blake Campbell of Washington County, Josh Ison of Clermont County and Hannah Thompson of Meigs County.
Read MoreBob Evans Farms has been a passionate supporter of Ohio Farm Bureau’s ExploreAg program since it began in 2018.
Read MoreOhio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation offers five tips to help prevent slips, trips and falls—one of the top causes of workplace injuries.
Read MoreThrough a grassroots process, county leaders identified 106 seats where a Friend of Agriculture could be named, with 104 of those seats ultimately being won by a Friend of Agriculture candidate.
Read MoreOhio Farm Bureau’s 2024-2025 AgriPOWER Institute kicked off in October with 14 farmers and agribusiness professionals participating in Class XV.
Read MoreNationwide’s Grain Bin Safety campaign has awarded grain rescue tubes and training to 390 fire departments across 32 states since 2014.
Read MoreThe event takes place Feb. 7-8, 2025 at Kalahari in Sandusky, Ohio and is open to members of all ages. Registration closes Jan. 21.
Read MoreReceive free conference registration and complimentary transportation to and from the conference March 7-10, 2025 in Denver.
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