Ohio Farm Bureau Health Plans: What’s next?
Specific enrollment details for the new Health Plans will be available this fall. In the meantime, add your name to the notification list for when the plans are ready.
Read More**UPDATE: The Ohio Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Lake Erie Bill of Rights appearing on the Toledo special election ballot Feb. 26. Here is a Jan. 29 Legal with Leah update from Leah Curtis.
You could be sued by Lake Erie, or more precisely, by any resident of Toledo who wants to speak for the lake and finds fault with the way you’re farming or doing business.
It sounds incredible, but the threat is real enough that Farm Bureau is engaged in the legal maneuvering.
Farm Bureau Policy Counsel Leah Curtis explains that a proposed amendment to the Toledo City Charter may be on the ballot during a special election Feb. 26. The measure would give Lake Erie and its watershed legal standing in court and allow any Toledo citizen to represent the lake and file lawsuits on its behalf.
The rights this measure would grant the lake include, “an ability to exist, flourish, be free from pollution” and other broadly described entitlements. Any farming practice that allegedly infringes on these rights presumably makes the farmer subject to a lawsuit. Farmers, businesses and government entities in the Lake Erie Watershed could be at risk of being sued.
Lake activists attempted this last fall, she said, but the board of elections refused to put it on the ballot based on court instructions. Since then, new legal precedent led the board of elections to allow the measure to go to a vote Feb. 26.
The issue potentially impacts all Ohioans as this case could establish law that applies statewide.
Stay updated on court actions and other aspects of this developing story in upcoming editions of the Buckeye Farm e-Newsletter, available to Farm Bureau member.
The Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR) is an example of a growing trend toward regulation through litigation. Aggrieved parties who have been unable to create public policy through the legislative process are turning to lawsuits as a means of getting their way. This tactic is also expensive, requiring additional time and legal fees for agricultural groups to counter in the courts.
“They’re hoping to get a friendly judge or jury to override lawmakers and rule writers,” said OFBF Senior Director of National and State Policy Jack Irvin.
“Bypassing the legislative process isn’t a thoughtful way to govern, but we’re seeing it more and more,” he said.
Policy Counsel Leah Curtis also offered sound advice.
“A good rule of thumb is when you’re presented with a petition from someone to sign, make sure you understand it, make sure you actually look at the language,” she said. “We hear from people all the time who say they didn’t know that’s what they were signing.”
Listen to more on the Lake Erie Bill of Rights on Legal with Leah
See a map of the target area for Lake Erie Bill of Rights lawsuits
Specific enrollment details for the new Health Plans will be available this fall. In the meantime, add your name to the notification list for when the plans are ready.
Read MoreKayla Scott of Mineral City serve Farm Bureau members in Carroll, Harrison, Jefferson and Tuscarawas counties.
Read MoreThe 2025 Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation Golf Invitational raised $115,000 for foundation scholarships, grants and programs that help enhance agricultural communities and support careers in agriculture.
Read MoreThe goal will be for members to have access to these new health plan options as early as January 2026.
Read MoreAny unlicensed handlers who use restricted use pesticides will need to have additional training. Farm Bureau will be working on legislation to give employers a choice on how to provide training.
Read MoreThe budget includes funding for: H2Ohio, animal health and animal disease response, the College of Veterinary Medicine at Ohio State, and the Brownfield Remediation Program.
Read MoreThe 2025 algal bloom for the Western Lake Erie Basin is expected to have a severity index of 3, according to the final forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Read MoreKyle and Samantha Daugherty of Coshocton County are the perfect example of next generation agriculturalists embracing the world of technology on their family farm.
Read MoreBefore deciding whether to organize your farm or business as an LLC, talk to an attorney, accountant or other trusted financial adviser who can help you determine if it’s the right move.
Read MoreOver 30 tour participants witnessed a variety of conservation strategies in action, including cover crops, no-till and strip-till systems, two-stage ditches, land buffers and advanced manure management.
Read More