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With a nearly 30% decline in net farm income over the past two years, the agriculture sector continues to face a volatile economy. Add to that the stresses of an outdated farm bill, trade disputes and the questionable outlook for estate tax laws and the uncertainties abound for farmers. Meanwhile, development pressures from many different sources threaten the availability of farmland and the Buckeye State’s rich farming heritage.

The 2025 Ohio Agriculture and Rural Communities Action plan provides a blueprint for policymakers and Ohio Farm Bureau members to bolster Ohio’s agriculture industry and our rural communities.

2025 Priority Issues

Promote a strong business climate

Farm Bureau will:

• Engage with the U.S. Congress and the Ohio General  Assembly on a tax landscape
  that encourages a strong farm economy which includes advocating for the preservation of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that is set to expire at the end of 2025.
• Pursue a long-term farm bill to give Ohio farmers certainty when it comes to planning for their operations.
• Promote enactment of legislation that helps farmers meet their labor needs.
• Support initiatives and implementation efforts that bring proper infrastructure, affordable broadband, and high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved parts of the state.
• Secure resources to rebuild, repair, or modernize transportation infrastructure, including rural roads and bridges, ports, and inland waterway locks and dams.
• Support the development of businesses that produce value-added products from locally grown agricultural commodities.
• Support existing and develop new trade opportunities for all  Ohio agriculture.

Create a responsible regulatory environment

Farm Bureau will:

• Work for a regulatory environment that enables farmers to be productive as well as environmentally and economically sustainable.
• Continue to be the voice for agriculture by ensuring discussions involving water quality are objective and specifically target improving Ohio’s water quality.
• Encourage a transparent and open process that places an emphasis on proven, scientific methodology when reviewing regulations on essential agricultural technologies.
• Promote U.S.-based agriculturally sourced biofuels that provide savings to both the farmer and the consumer.

Promote an efficient state budget

Farm Bureau will:

• Promote continuous funding for the H2Ohio program, which supports voluntary best management practices improving Ohio’s water quality and conservation.
• Ensure that institutions vital to agriculture’s success, primarily those with research facilities, are appropriately funded.
• Promote workforce development initiatives, especially those with a focus on agricultural education.

Preserve Ohio’s farming heritage

Farm Bureau will:

• Encourage policies that simultaneously allow for economic development and smart growth while preserving Ohio farmland, including but not limited to, brownfield remediation, smart growth planning, and support for local land use planning.
• Lead efforts for additional landowner protections, including eminent domain reform, streamlined judicial procedures, and agricultural easement program enforcement.
• Seek stronger requirements for local government use of private land for projects that impact agricultural land, such as rails-to-trails projects.
• Continue to engage in ballot initiatives, judicial challenges, and nuisance lawsuits so farmers can freely and responsibly operate their farms for generations to come.

Build healthy rural communities

Farm Bureau will:

• Support the expansion of telehealth into rural communities to provide critical health care needs, including access to behavioral health care.
• Increase the accessibility of health care services currently lacking in rural areas.
• Focus on grassroots initiatives that engage a wide range of stakeholders to offer prevention strategies for men, women, and youth at risk in agriculture.
• Increase affordable health care options for Ohio Farm Bureau members, whether they are individuals, families or businesses, by growing and establishing Farm Bureau Health Plans.

Engage in grassroots advocacy and increase engagement

Farm Bureau will:

• Work with members to create opportunities for political education and engagement through candidate education and recruitment, Ag Day at the Capital, County Presidents’ Trip to Washington, D.C., Advocacy in Action programs, and other local opportunities.
• Mobilize extensive grassroots networks to shape public policy at all levels of government through action alerts and direct contact.
• Utilize communication and advocacy resources to empower members when speaking with policymakers.