Earlier this year, when Ohio Department of Transportation District 6 started looking for ways to relieve congestion on U.S. 23 north of Columbus, a few routes were initially considered. The plan for some of those routes included running right through prime farmland.
Connie and Brian Skinner own one of the farms that was part of a possible bypass route. They are part of a multi-generational grain operation in Delaware County that goes back to 1912. The Skinners both have served previously on the county Farm Bureau board, and Connie is a Brown Township Trustee. When ODOT initially unveiled its proposals, the Skinners saw red flags all over the place and the need to take action.
In her role as a township trustee, Connie was invited to a steering committee meeting where plans were proposed. After attending, she said, “My main goal was to make sure as many people as possible were aware (of what was being proposed) and had as much information as possible.”
Connie and Brian Skinner
Some of the proposed plans included routes in Marion and Morrow counties as well. When the scope was understood, that’s when the grassroots nature of Farm Bureau came into focus. Spreading the word to farmers in neighboring counties who could have been impacted by the proposals was key, said Abra Dunn, Ohio Farm Bureau organization director for Crawford, Marion, Morrow and Richland counties. Ohio Farm Bureau also submitted comments through ODOT’s comment portal for the project on behalf of members in impacted counties as well.
Constructing a bypass through farmland does more than potentially take scores of acres out of agricultural production; it has a profound and costly impact on everything that piece of land has been about for decades, Brian said.
“It would change the landscape of a farm completely,” he said. “It’s so disruptive and damaging. They don’t see the tile structure underneath a farm, or the potential extra miles out of the way I’d have to go to get to the other side of the farm. It is not the same farm.”
Spreading the word to fellow Farm Bureau members, and having those members and local supporters of farmers show up to ODOT meetings on the bypass, made an impact, Connie said. In May, ODOT scrapped previous plans and headed back to the drawing board this fall.
“One of the best things to come out of this process is that (ODOT) is now including (area farmers),” she said. “They are listening to us. They really need to know what we have to say.”
The ability to mobilize a grassroots effort is one of Farm Bureau’s greatest strengths, said Melinda Lee, Ohio Farm Bureau organization director for Delaware, Franklin, Madison and Union counties.
“Being a Farm Bureau member gives you a voice,” Lee said. “When it comes to large road projects that present options to take prime farmland out of production, that is where you see your membership dollars at work. Farm Bureau was at the table and our voice was heard.”
There is no doubt that the congestion on U.S. 23 north of Columbus needs to be addressed, Brian said, but he noted that “there are other possibilities and less invasive methods to conserve the land.”
However, any loss of farmland – more than 11 million acres have been lost to development in the last two decades across the country – weighs heavily on the Skinners’ minds as well. It reminds Brian that farmers and ranchers everywhere need to be ever-vigilant and pay attention to the potential costs of urban progress.
“Without our farmland, our country and the world are destined for hardship,” Brian said.
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Roundabouts are another obstacle farmers face as they move from field to field during harvest and planting seasons, and Farm Bureau has worked with ODOT as they are developed in rural areas. However, all roundabouts aren’t created equal. A recent visit with a Plain City farmer highlights those challenges.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Knowing that horticulture is under the agriculture umbrella and having Farm Bureau supporting horticulture like it does the rest of ag is very important.
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.
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.
Perhaps it is time once again for a larger conversation about farmland preservation in our state, as each acre taken jeopardizes future food production and food security for our nation.
Farmers who are enrolled in the Current Agricultural Use Valuation (CAUV) program have been seeing sharp increases in the taxable value of their land. This story/graphic explains why.