pipeline

Ohio Farm Bureau is continuing efforts to protect landowners’ rights during pipeline construction. In southern Ohio, TransCanada’s Columbia Gas Transmission is starting a new project, Buckeye Xpress, that will upgrade a pipeline that runs through Jackson, Vinton and Lawrence counties and part of Gallia County.

OFBF recently filed a motion with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, asking for permission to participate in the project’s judicial proceedings. Previously, Ohio Farm Bureau has represented members during construction of the E.T. Rover and NEXUS pipelines to address the special needs of Ohio’s farm and pasture land including topography, soil type, drainage requirements and water resources.

“Several hundred rural residents will be impacted by construction, and Farm Bureau wants to make sure landowners’ easements are properly negotiated and agricultural land protected,” said Dale Arnold, OFBF’s director of energy, utility and local government policy.

Specifically, Ohio Farm Bureau wants to ensure agricultural land is not misclassified as “open land” simply because the land currently doesn’t have crops growing on it or animals grazing it. Having land classified for agricultural use is important because the company must follow specific guidelines on protecting it during construction and remediating it after work on the pipeline is finished.

“Livestock production is huge in southern Ohio,” Arnold said. “Farmers have invested just as much in pasture land as farmers with crops in other parts of the state, and we want to make sure that if construction goes across there, that the land is protected.”

OFBF also is concerned that Columbia is relying on language found in easements that date back to the mid-1940s and don’t address the amount of land needed for laydown yards to park vehicles, as well as to store equipment and materials. That land also should be repaired and remediated after construction, Arnold said.

Ohio Farm Bureau membership

 

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Mandy Way

Way Farms

Farm Labor Resources
I appreciate the benefit of having a strong voice in my corner. The extras that are included in membership are wonderful, but I'm a member because of the positive impact to my local and state agricultural communities.
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Ernie Welch

Van Wert County Farm Bureau

Strong communities
I see the value and need to be engaged in the community I live in, to be a part of the decision-making process and to volunteer with organizations that help make our community better.
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Matt Aultman

Darke County Farm Bureau

Leadership development
Farm Bureau involvement has taught me how to grow my professional and leadership experience outside of the workforce and how to do that in a community-centric way.
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Jaclyn De Candio

Clark County Farm Bureau

Young Ag Professionals program
With not growing up on a farm, I’d say I was a late bloomer to agriculture. I feel so fortunate that I found the agriculture industry. There are so many opportunities for growth.
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Jenna Gregorich

Coshocton County Farm Bureau

Growing our Generation
Knowing that horticulture is under the agriculture umbrella and having Farm Bureau supporting horticulture like it does the rest of ag is very important.
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Jared Hughes

Groovy Plants Ranch

Groovy Plants Ranch
If it wasn't for Farm Bureau, I personally, along with many others, would not have had the opportunity to meet with our representatives face to face in Washington.
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Austin Heil

Hardin County Farm Bureau

Washington, D.C. Leadership Experience
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
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Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Advocacy
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