Ohio Farm Bureau testified as an interested party in December on House Bill 401 which will change the current setback standards and prescribe a local referendum process for wind projects.

Jenna Beadle

“There are many Farm Bureau members who are adamantly opposed to wind development and many outspoken in their support of it, so any position we take has to adhere to Farm Bureau policy,” Jenna Beadle, OFBF director of state policy, told members of the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

“There are two competing landowner interests at play in this complex issue—the landowner who wants to enter into a private contract and the adjacent landowner who will be impacted by another’s contract.”

Beadle said Farm Bureau policy supports wind turbine setback requirements that ensure safety and are based on scientific research. HB 401 creates setbacks that are based on the turbine manufacturer’s safety standards, which OFBF supports.

“The Ohio Power Siting Board’s role in this process, however, is critically important,” she testified. Ohio Farm Bureau supports rules and regulations made by OPSB that provide landowner friendly, reasonable and uniform statewide procedures for siting, placement, construction and operation of wind farms. Ohio Farm Bureau is concerned about diminishing the OPSB’s authority over the adjudicatory process that encompasses the siting and operation of all types of generation and transmission assets statewide.

The bill is under consideration by the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee. There is also a companion bill in the Senate (SB 234), for which OFBF will provide similar testimony.

Ohio Farm Bureau membership

Labor has always been an issue, mainly because we are a seasonal operation. So that's a challenge finding somebody who only wants to work three months out of a year, sometimes up to six months.
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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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