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Protecting Ohio agriculture is deeply woven into the fabric of what Ohio Farm Bureau does day in and day out.

Although we are best known for our work in keeping regulators at bay and helping legislators create policy to strengthen the farming community, we also guard our members from possible harm from litigators looking to have their way through the court system.

I may be a bit biased, but Ohio Farm Bureau and American Farm Bureau are flush with some of the best farm law experts, working tirelessly to review court cases that directly impact our members. While Farm Bureau cannot be involved in every case that involves a member, our team frequently consults with members’ attorneys to help provide additional research or context that may be helpful as they represent their clients.

One prime example of our success in the courts was when Toledo’s Lake Erie Bill of Rights ballot initiative was ruled invalid following a lawsuit filed by Ohio Farm Bureau member and Wood County farmer Mark Drewes. The legal victory thwarted the attempt to give legal rights to Lake Erie and give Toledoans authority to sue farmers on behalf of the lake. Throughout the process, OFBF’s legal staff lent agricultural expertise to Drewes’ lawyers and provided supporting information about agriculture’s efforts to protect water quality.

The success of our work on the legal front can even be traced, multiple times, all the way to the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court. In fact, in 2019 Ohio Farm Bureau was part of a SCOTUS case which overturned a long-standing precedent that prevented takings claims from going to federal court. Just last year, Ohio Farm Bureau filed a brief with the highest court in the land, asking the justices to take on a case to give Ohio landowners better options to protect their rights in court.

In addition to providing direct support to members, our legal staff speaks at local Farm Bureau events about the prevalent legal topics impacting the local community. They also review, update and develop Ohio Farm Bureau’s informational resources to ensure they are meeting the evolving needs of our members to help keep them up-to-date with current laws.

It is evident that attacks on agriculture are constantly coming from various angles. As you will learn throughout this issue of Our Ohio, it is easy to make the case that Farm Bureau’s efforts keep our members protected and educated when it comes to ag and the law.

The legal issues we tackle for members address complex questions like these (plus many, many more):

• Providing liability protection for agritourism operations

• Helping members navigate trucking and hauling regulations

• Creating better leases for farmers and landowners

• Protecting landowners from being sued by Lake Erie

• Standing up for landowners when the government takes property but doesn’t follow the law and provide compensation