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Agricultural lands in the U.S. grow an astounding array of food, fiber, biofuels, and other raw materials. This abundance has made the U.S. one of the most food secure nations in the world. Yet it can also mask vulnerabilities. For too many Americans, it is easy to brush off farmland loss or view it as inevitable. This puts our future at risk according to American Farmland Trust’s newest Farms Under Threat 2040 report. The report focuses on the unsustainable impacts of development on American farmland and it quantifies what our nation could lose if sprawling development continues—or save through more compact growth—by the year 2040. Find out more about this report on this Our Ohio Weekly.

00:00 – American Farmland Trust Midwest Regional Director Kristopher Reynolds shares what trends are showing us for farmland loss across the country and how Ohio falls into the mix.

16:50 – American Farmland Trust has mapped out three scenarios for the future of farmland across the country. Reynolds talks about what they all would mean.

23:50 – On this “To the Beat of Agriculture” we continue to spotlight Ohio Farm Bureau state trustees. This week we’ll hear from a Farm Bureau representative from the northwest part of our state. He’ll tell you about his family background and how he grew his grandfather’s farm into the operation it is today.

32:20 – An Ohio Farm Bureau pilot project will test a unique combination of staffing and service delivery over eight counties instead of the typical four-county model. Ohio Farm Bureau’s vice president of membership, Paul Lyons, talks about the project’s focus and goals.

42:20 – Sackett v. U.S. EPA is a water case under review by the U.S. Supreme Court. Ohio Farm Bureau recently joined with other state Farm Bureaus to file an amicus brief with the court. Leah Curtis, policy counsel for Ohio Farm Bureau has the details.