As Congress prepared to verify the results of the 2020 presidential election today, a group of far-right insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol building, vandalizing and stealing federal property, assaulting Capitol police officers, and threatening lawmakers with violence.
The event, which occurred mere blocks from National Farmers Union’s (NFU) D.C. office, is a disturbing attempt to undermine the will of American voters and the very democracy that guarantees our freedoms and protections.
“National Farmers Union and its members support all Americans’ right to free speech and peaceful protest, but these acts of intimidation and terror have no place in this country, and they cannot be condoned or brushed aside,” said NFU President Rob Larew. “More than that, this event demonstrates just how fragile democracy truly is. It doesn’t exist simply because it is written in the Constitution; it requires action of the part of every American. Every day, we must commit anew to upholding its core tenets of social equality, personal liberty, sovereignty, and a peaceful transfer of power.… Continue reading
Every year, thousands of farmers and commercial grain handlers risk their lives by entering grain bins to remove clumped or rotted grain. As rural communities have come to know all too well, an accident in a grain bin can quickly turn deadly. In just seconds, adults can sink to their waist in flowing grain, rendering them completely trapped without the proper rescue devices. These accidents result in dozens of lost lives each year, and deaths have spiked in 2019 and early 2020 due to the wet harvest.
To lead the fight against these all-too-common accidents, Nationwide, is once again teaming up with the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS) in Iowa and other partners to hold the Nominate Your Fire Department Contest as part of annual Grain Bin Safety Week, which runs Feb. 21 to 27, 2021.
Now in its eighth year, the contest awards grain rescue tubes and hands-on rescue training to first responders to help save lives.… Continue reading
With the start of 2021, Ohio’s Country Journal and Ohio Ag Net are beginning a new chapter.
At its November meeting, Ohio Farm Bureau’s board of trustees voted to pursue the purchase of Ohio’s Country Journal and Ohio Ag Net radio and digital assets from owners Bart and Sheryl Johnson. After extensive due diligence, the sale closed Dec. 28, 2020.
“Both of these farm media outlets have a rich history of getting the most important, up-to-date news stories and information to Ohio’s agricultural community,” said Adam Sharp, OFBF executive vice president. “Bart, his wife, Sheryl, and their talented team have continued to grow the company into a trusted resource for their readers and listeners. We look forward to continuing that almost 50-year legacy.”
With the creation of Ohio Farm Bureau’s Strategic Partnerships department in 2019, Ohio Farm Bureau positioned itself to pursue new business opportunities such as this to allow the organization to bring in additional revenue outside of traditional memberships and partnerships to become an even stronger asset to those they serve for many years to come.… Continue reading
There is less than one month left to apply for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ (ODNR) Water Quality Incentive Program (WQIP). The new program, under Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio initiative, is designed to encourage farmers to aid in conservation and improve water quality. ODNR is accepting applications through Jan. 29, 2021.
“Every step toward improving the quality of water in Ohio is crucial,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “I encourage farmers to take advantage of this incentive program as a way to contribute to clean water for future generations of Ohioans.”
The new program is being offered in combination with the Lake Erie Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). CREP is a USDA conservation program that offers farmers and landowners financial compensation for taking cropland out of production and establishing conservation practices. The H2Ohio Water Quality Incentive Program will offer a one-time payment of $2,000 per acre for new Lake Erie CREP wetlands and forested riparian buffers (buffer strip with trees) to help improve water quality in the Lake Erie watershed.… Continue reading
Warning: This story (and the video it’s about) portrays a fictional plotline about farmer suicide. It’s intended to raise awareness.I will do my best to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but they are in the story.
My phone buzzed with a message from one of my friends on Facebook.
“Hey Kolt,” the message read. “I was wondering if you’d seen the short film about small farmers and suicide.”
Farm stress is a topic that I have been passionate about covering since I started in the business. I’ve interviewed experts from Ohio State, advocates from Ohio Farm Bureau, and farmers about the issue. It’s something that happens too often and doesn’t get near the attention it deserves in my opinion.
Anyway — back to the story. I went about my evening and returned to my computer later that night to watch the short film.… Continue reading
Agricultural producers and private landowners interested in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) could sign up for the popular program beginning Jan. 4, 2021. Signup goes through Feb. 12, 2021. The competitive program, administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provides annual rental payments for land devoted to conservation purposes.
“This signup for the Conservation Reserve Program gives producers and landowners an opportunity to enroll for the first time or continue their participation for another term,” said Richard Fordyce, FSA administrator. “This program encourages conservation on sensitive lands or low-yielding acres, which provides tremendous benefits for stewardship of our natural resources and wildlife.”
Through CRP, farmers and ranchers establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat on cropland. Farmers and ranchers who participate in CRP help provide numerous benefits to their local region and the nation’s environment and economy.… Continue reading
Whether from trespassers, thieves, vandals, disgruntled employees, drug makers, activists, or extremists, farm security threats are a risk farmers face. Unfortunately, current social and political conditions have added new dimensions to that risk. Intruders can harm property in many ways: releasing or injuring livestock, stealing anhydrous or chemicals, destroying crops, contaminating water, introducing disease, setting fires, or committing other acts of theft, vandalism or destruction.
Bold when purchased, poinsettias can wither as winter goes on.
It might be because of how they were treated. If they were exposed to cold drafts or perched by a heat vent, or if they sat in a cold car through too many errands, the leaves could turn yellow and fall off—even before the holidays or not long after.
Native to Mexico, poinsettias favor bright light and warm conditions.
“You need to find a location in your house that provides good light. Six hours of bright light are necessary every day,” said Uttara Samarakoon, an assistant professor at Ohio State ATI in The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).
The biggest mistakes people typically make are not providing enough light, watering them too much or too little, and keeping them near heating or air conditioning vents, said Samarakoon, coordinator of the Greenhouse and Nursery Management Program at ATI.… Continue reading
Just in time for Christmas, Congress delivered quite a package by passing new COVID-19 relief legislation. President Trump signed the bill on Dec. 27. Buried in the 5,593 pages of the legislation is an allocation of nearly $11.2 billion dollars to the USDA. A large portion of the USDA funds will provide additional payments for agricultural producers under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Benefits for food processors, energy producers and timber harvesters are also in the bill, as well as funding for several other USDA programs and studies. We’ve categorized, compiled and summarized where the USDA funds are to go below.
Crops
Supplemental CFAP payments of $20 per eligible acre for the 2020 crop year, for eligible “price trigger crops,” which includes barley, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers, upland cotton and wheat, and eligible “flat rate crops,” which includes alfalfa, amaranth grain, buckwheat, canola, cotton, crambe, einkorn, emmer, flax, guar, hemp, indigo, industrial rice, kenaf, khorasan, millet, mustard, oats, peanuts, quinoa, rapeseed, rice, rice, sweet, rice, wild, rye, safflower, sesame, speltz, sugar beets, sugarcane, teff, and triticale but excludes hay, except alfalfa, and crops intended for grazing, green manure, or left standing.
Ohio’s past fair season was mayhem thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but some help is on the way. The Ohio General Assembly passed legislation on Dec. 22 aimed at updating laws and regulations governing agricultural societies and local fairs. Major highlights of the bill include increasing the amount that a county or independent agricultural society receives for operation expenses from a county, removing the cap on the amounts that a county may transfer to an agricultural society for junior club expenses associated with operating fairgrounds, and increasing the total amount of debt that a society may incur. Here’s a more detailed summary of the provisions contained within House Bill 665.
County payments to county or independent agricultural societies
For county and independent agricultural societies, H.B. 665 increases, from $800 to $1,600, the max amount that a county treasurer must annually transfer to a society operating within the county.… Continue reading
By Barry Ward, David Marrison, Peggy Hall, Dianne Shoemaker – Ohio State University Extension
“Farm Office Live” returns virtually this winter as an opportunity for you to get the latest outlook and updates on ag law, farm management, ag economics, farm business analysis and other related issues from faculty and educators with the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University.
Each Farm Office Live will start off with presentations on select ag law and farm management topics from our experts and then we’ll open it up for questions from attendees on other topics of interest. Viewers can attend “Farm Office Live” online each month on Wednesday evening or Friday morning, or can catch a recording of each program. The full slate of offerings for this winter are
In the first year of Governor Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio Initiative, Ohio agriculture has gained an incredible amount of ground in implementing agriculture’s portion of this unprecedented statewide water quality program.
Ohio farmers in the targeted 14 counties in the Maumee River Watershed showed overwhelming participation. In the first program year, 1,815 farmers enrolled 1,092,852 acres, or approximately 44% of the cropland in the targeted project area, in six proven, science-based conservation practices: voluntary nutrient management plans, variable rate application, sub-surface nutrient application, manure incorporation, conservation crop rotation, and overwintering cover crops.
In addition to these best practices to be implemented on cropland, producers have signed up for 681 drainage water management structures, which will be installed over the next calendar year in 13 of the 14 targeted counties, with the largest number in Wood, Henry, Putnam, Paulding, and Williams. Approximately 10,000 acres of cropland will be controlled by drainage water management structures.… Continue reading
Congress agreed on a $900 billion COVID stimulus package, which will include up to $13 billion in funding that directly benefits agriculture. Nearly $1 billion will support a dairy donation program and supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage payments for small and medium-sized producers. More help will be made available to specialty and non-specialty crop growers, and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) will be expanded, which will allow small farmers to continue operating and paying their employees.
Many farmers and ranchers who were previously left out of aid will now qualify for assistance, including growers who were forced to euthanize livestock during the initial wave of the pandemic.
The American Farm Bureau Federation worked for several months to ensure the needs of America’s farmers and ranchers were brought forward to lawmakers as they considered the latest stimulus package.
“We’re pleased that Congress understands the toll the pandemic continues to take on farmers, ranchers and rural Americans,” said Zippy Duvall, AFBF president.… Continue reading
A new agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and NASA strengthens their partnership. The goal is to more closely align NASA’s experience with technology development and USDA’s scientific experience and knowledge of agricultural production.
“Today, technology plays an ever-larger role in growing the food we eat, and this partnership between USDA and NASA will no doubt help to advance the goal we all share of feeding the world,” said Zippy Duvall, American Farm Bureau Federation president. “Many people don’t realize how applicable NASA’s technology is to agriculture and I applaud this commitment to breaking down walls and advancing innovation in agriculture. We look forward to working with both the USDA and NASA to inspire the next generation of agriculturalists.”
The memorandum will help both agencies explore research gaps of importance to the agricultural community. Another focus will be education to inspire youth in America to pursue careers in STEM and agriculture.… Continue reading
By Karen Mancl, Professor Food, Agricultural & Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University
Household water use is on the decline, which is good news. This is reversing a trend started in the 1950s of families steadily increasing their water use. Household water use peaked in the late 1990s. The required use of low-flush toilets and the introduction of low-water using washing machines is making all the difference. Water use per person has decreased 15% over the 17-year period 1999 to 2016, from an average of 60 gallons to 51 gallons per person per day. The biggest reductions were in water used to flush toilets and wash clothes. Figure 1 shows the typical household water use.
Household water leaks remain a problem and have been found to increase water use by 9.5 gallons per household each day. Efforts to fix a leaking faucet or running toilet can have a big impact for both the water supply and the wastewater treatment system.… Continue reading
The Ohio Department of Agriculture released the official dates for the 2021 fair season.
The Paulding County Fair will kick off the 2021 fair season on June 12, and the season will wrap up on Oct. 16 with the Fairfield County Fair. For a complete schedule, click here.
In addition to setting and approving the dates for the independent and county fairs, the Ohio Department of Agriculture is responsible for helping to ensure the safety of fair amusement rides, monitoring livestock shows to ensure honest competition and coordinating animal health efforts with local veterinarians. Here is a chronological list.
President-Elect Joe Biden nominated Michael Regan as the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Regan most recently led the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
“NPPC congratulates Michael Regan on his nomination. As DEQ secretary in North Carolina, a leading pork-producing state, he always had an open door, valued diverse points of view, and worked to find solutions that ensured science and data were guiding decisions. We hope those same qualities will be carried over to his leadership at EPA. We look forward to working with him on issues of importance to U.S. pork producers, as we continue to produce the highest-quality, most affordable and nutritious protein in the world,” said National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President Howard “AV” Roth, a hog farmer from Wauzeka, Wisconsin.
Regan’s nomination will be considered by the U.S. Senate when the chamber convenes in January.… Continue reading
It appears we are in unparalleled times. There is documentation that 675,000 Americans will die and 50 million worldwide could succumb to the pandemic.
Headlines read that Americans are rebelling against wearing masks. Politicians, who shall remain nameless, appeared at public events without a mask, though citizens are threatened with arrest if observed without a mask.
Politicians were sending mixed and confusing signals. It is argued that masks provide a false sense of security when other guidelines, such as social distancing and avoiding public events, are not being followed. Ultimately, the pandemic was like a raging fire.
Politicians ordered everyone to wear a mask, but some did not follow their own edict. Hospitals are full while medical professionals treating these patients are at risk of contracting the virus. Public pronouncements of supposed cures are also on the rise, but with little data to support them. Originally it was thought that the very young and old codgers like me were the only vulnerable patients to the virus.… Continue reading
By Dan Armitage, host of Buckeye Sportsman, Ohio’s longest running outdoor radio show
In hindsight, I think I would have enjoyed a career as a “game warden.” That’s what Ohio’s fish and game law enforcers were called before being pegged as Wildlife Officers and, more recently, rebranded as Natural Resource Officers. By any name, I believe the job would be rewarding on many levels. If you have an interest in pursuing such a career, applications are being accepted through January 15 for the next Natural Resources Officer training academy. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is seeking to fill at least 15 positions. Natural resources officer duties include law enforcement and public service, as well as education and public relations for ODNR’s divisions of Parks and Watercraft, Forestry, and Natural Areas and Preserves.
Top scoring candidates will undergo interviews and pre-employment evaluations. Those selected as cadets will attend the officer training academy for about five months.… Continue reading
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