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The agriculture sector continues to face a volatile economy, particularly with continued uncertainty around the price and availability of inputs for the 2024 growing season. Consumers continue to pay higher prices for food while margins for agricultural producers remain tight. Meanwhile, development pressures from many different sources threaten the availability of farmland and the Buckeye State’s rich farming heritage.

Ohio Farm Bureau 2024 priority issues focus on building a strong business climate, creating a responsible regulatory environment, preserving Ohio’s farming heritage, building healthy rural communities and engaging in grassroots advocacy.

The 2024 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.

Priority Issue: 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.
• 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.
• Promote policies and programs to increase meat and poultry processing capacity in Ohio to make the food system more resilient for farmers and consumers.

View the complete 2024 Ohio Agriculture and Rural Communities Action Plan