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Highlights from the August 2022 state board meeting
The board received visits from U.S. Senate candidates Tim Ryan and J.D. Vance; Ohio Farm Bureau Federation AGGPAC has endorsed Vance.
Ohio Farm Bureau staff members have prepared this recap from the August 2022 meeting of the Ohio Farm Bureau Board of Trustees.
Guests of the board
As part of our overall work to advance our mission, we build relationships and key partnerships with many individuals, candidates, groups, companies and organizations. This month we welcomed:
U.S. Senate candidates Tim Ryan and JD Vance
From Nationwide: Frank Burkett III, Devin Fuhrman, Dan Durheim
From Ohio State: Dean Cathann Kress
Select Partner: Kearny Hambrick, Brick Insurance
County Presidents:
Devin Cain, Belmont County
Dave Cunningham, Williams County
Fred Hipperly, Columbiana County
Young Ag Professionals State Committee member Jaclyn DeCandio. Reminder, grants are available for Young Ag Professionals programming.
AGGPAC Friends of Agriculture
Every election is important, but this one will no doubt have a lot at stake for Ohio. Your Farm Bureau has been working diligently throughout this very challenging election season to vet candidates, asking them the toughest questions that our members have when it comes to how their philosophies line up with the values and priorities of our members and Ohio agriculture as a whole. The result of that work will be the Farm Bureau-AGGPAC Election Guide coming soon in the October Buckeye Farm News.
JD Vance endorsement
At the August board meeting, AGGPAC voted to endorse JD Vance for U.S. Senate, following a visit by both U.S. Senate candidates with the state board. Both candidates fielded a number of important questions by the board.
“Mr. Vance has quickly grasped the issues facing Ohio Farm Bureau members and rural Ohio and has made it clear, through his actions, that he cares,” said Bill Patterson, President of Ohio Farm Bureau. “Vance’s philosophical views align with that of our membership and when faced with an issue critical for agriculture, JD will ensure we have a seat at the table and deliver our message.”
And don’t forget that Ohio Farm Bureau’s AGGPAC was part of a group of Ohio’s largest business organizations that announced their endorsement of Sharon Kennedy for chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court and Pat DeWine and Pat Fischer for re-election to the Ohio Supreme Court.
OFBF board candidates
After many years of dedicated service, Paul Harrison, John Mossbarger and Jerry Lahmers will be retiring from their positions on the OFBF board. We are actively seeking candidates to run for their seats for the following districts:
- District 6 (Hancock, Hardin, Seneca and Wyandot counties)
- District 13 (Carroll, Harrison, Jefferson and Tuscarawas counties)
- District 19 (Clinton, Fayette, Greene and Warren counties)
If you are interested in learning more about running for a state trustee position, please contact Rebecca Everman at [email protected] or 614-246-8201 to request an information packet.
Nominations must be received by OFBF Executive Vice President Adam Sharp by Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Nominations may be mailed to PO Box 182383, Columbus, OH 43218-2383 or sent electronically to [email protected]. All nominations must include the signature of the nominator.
Public policy updates
Our advocacy team is hard at work representing member interests on a variety of topics, including atrazine access, cattle markets and the new farm bill. Here are a few highlights.
Atrazine access
Farm Bureau is engaged with U.S. EPA on Atrazine. EPA has extended the comment period for 30 days. It is proposing the following measures for all atrazine labels in order to decrease atrazine runoff from treated fields: Prohibit application when soils are saturated or above field capacity (i.e., the soil’s ability to retain water). Prohibit application during rain or during a storm event. Prohibit aerial applications of all formulations. Restrict annual application rates to 2 pounds of active ingredient or less per acre per year or less for applications to sorghum, field corn and sweet corn.
Action Alert: Tell EPA to use sound science and maintain farmers’ access to atrazine.
Cattle markets
The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry passed S. 4030, the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act and S. 3870, the Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act out of committee. Both bills were reported out of Committee as amended. American Farm Bureau (AFBF) sent Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow and Ranking Member John Boozman a letter outlining AFBF’s position as it relates to S. 4030. In the letter, reaffirming its policy position of opposing the federal mandate on how cattle are marketed and sold, while highlighting the other portions of the bill that AFBF policy supports, such as the 14-Day Cattle Slaughter Report, Expedited Carcass Weights Reporting, and the Cattle Contract Library. It is unclear if these bills have enough support to pass on the Senate floor.
Farm bill engagement
OFBF is part of the National Farm Bill Working Group whose purpose is to organize policy and programs into top priorities to be able to advocate with Congress. The current farm bill expires in September 2023, and it is projected that the new farm bill will be close to $1 trillion.
Strategic Plan progress
We’re making progress on our strategic plan. This eight county pilot project in northwest Ohio is one example.
Upcoming policy development topics
County Farm Bureau annual meetings kick off our policy development season. Key topics for discussion will include: farmland preservation, farm bill, funding alternatives for road transportation, SEC rule, biosecurity to protect livestock from CWD, HPAI and swine fever and ag tech i.e. Enlist, atrazine, etc.
Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation
The 2022 Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation Golf Invitational raised a record-breaking $100,000 for foundation scholarships, grants and programs that help enhance agricultural communities and support careers in agriculture.
The 12th annual Cultivating a Cure took place on Sunday, Aug. 14 at the Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory. Through our continued partnership with Nationwide and OSU-CFAES, we raised over $120,000 for cancer research and prevention at The James.
As farmers deliver their harvested crops to market, more of them are choosing to donate a portion of their commodities to support the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation through our Gift of Grain program.
2022 Ohio State Fair
Our involvement was larger than ever with the Land and Living Building, political tours, the Joint Agriculture Committee hearing and reception, the Grand Drive, Sale of Champions, Dean’s Charity Steer Show, Ag Hall of Fame Breakfast and much more. While we celebrate a successful state fair, we are very interested in your input about our future involvement. We must also mention that our very own Roger High was selected by Gov. Mike DeWine and inducted to be a member of the 2022 State Fair Hall of Fame.
OFBF Travel Program
Collette Tours and Explorations by Thor offer escorted tours and learning vacations, as well as cruises and land tours, educational and faith-based travels, exciting adventures, and relaxing getaways. Upcoming trips include Hawaii, Ireland and Alaska.
Technology investment
The board continues to prioritize our organization’s investment in technology infrastructure and people. Aaron Beard has been hired as the director of information technology. The team is making advancements implementing CRM, hardware for state and county offices, security and new accounting and email programs.
Several new staff were introduced at this board meeting as OFBF aligns people and resource. Most of the new staff members are replacing staff who have left the organization for various reasons. With the exception of the eight county pilot program, our staff numbers have remained steady.
To grow a network and gain perspective and knowledge in the industry through personal and professional development has been invaluable. Every day I learn and grow.
The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Farm Bureau is what really got the word out. It’s been one of their goals to get this done.
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
Because we are younger farmers just starting out, Farm Bureau has a lot of good opportunities and resources to help us grow in the future.
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
