Ohio Farm Bureau continues opposition to U.S. 23 and I-71 Connector
Ohio Farm Bureau will continue to ask the state to focus on the many road projects already needed to ensure the state’s transportation system is safe and efficient.
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Ohio Farm Bureau recently submitted new comments to the Ohio Department of Transportation regarding the U.S. 23 and Interstate 71 Connector Feasibility Study, reiterating the organization’s opposition to the project and calling for the state to prioritize investments in Ohio’s existing transportation system.
Throughout the study, Ohio Farm Bureau has remained engaged, alongside the Marion and Morrow County Farm Bureaus, to ensure the voices of farmers, landowners and rural community members are heard. Earlier this year, the organization submitted formal comments outlining concerns with the project and encouraged members and impacted landowners to participate in the public comment process. Those comments emphasized that determining whether the project is “feasible” must go beyond whether the connector can be built and consider whether it should be built.
Following ODOT’s recent selection of a preferred alternative route, Ohio Farm Bureau raised additional concerns about the project’s full cost to taxpayers and local communities, the loss of farmland and the additional development pressure a new roadway could bring to the area. The organization also noted that many of the potential benefits would be realized outside the communities that would bear the direct costs of the project.
“This project asks farmers and rural communities to bear a significant cost for benefits that will largely be felt by those outside of the project area,” said Leah Curtis, associate general counsel for Ohio Farm Bureau. “We would also be remiss if we didn’t raise concerns related to the use of government resources for an unnecessary roadway when millions of dollars of existing road projects sit waiting. Economic development in this state for the benefit of all would be best helped by updating and fixing our current roadway infrastructure to reduce delays and closures.”
Ohio Farm Bureau appreciates the work ODOT has done throughout this process to keep stakeholders informed and answer any additional questions. Ohio Farm Bureau, however, remains opposed to the connector project, and will continue to ask the state to focus on the many road projects already needed to ensure the state’s transportation system is safe and efficient.
Read Ohio Farm Bureau’s comments
Make your voice heard in Ohio Farm Bureau
Advocacy efforts like this are a part of Ohio Farm Bureau’s mission to ensure agriculture has a strong, unified voice when critical decisions are on the table. As a member-led organization, Ohio Farm Bureau works through advocacy initiatives, member engagement and leadership development to support the interests of rural communities and preserve farmland for the next generation. For more information on becoming a member, visit ohiofarmbureau.org.
My first recommendation in your journey is to start out with a local farming friend or mentor along with joining an organization like Ohio Farm Bureau.
We’re just so thankful for the Farm Bureau and the foundation for helping put this together. And of course, the Boyert family for the vision they had with this grant. It’s jumping us forward 10 years. It’s unbelievable.
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
It wasn’t until I joined the Wilmington College Collegiate Farm Bureau that I truly saw how my passion could translate into leadership, advocacy and a career.
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.
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.
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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