A true grassroots effort


BY TYHIGGINS, OHIO AG NET In early March, Ohio Farm Bureau


(OFBF) County Presidents from through- out the Buckeye state made the journey to Washington to sit directly in front of their Congressmen and women and share their views and concerns. There are many issues inside the Beltway that are being reviewed by lawmakers that could have enormous impacts on agriculture. Estate tax, commonly referred to as the


“death tax,” is one issue that was put into focus for OFBF members. Individuals, family partnerships and family corpora- tions own 98% of the country’s 2 million farms. When estate taxes on an agricultural business exceed cash and other liquid assets, surviving family partners may be forced to sell land, buildings or equipment needed to keep their businesses operating. “Congress has the ability to keep the


current rates in place,” said Pat Wolfe, Director of Tax and Rural Development for the American Farm Bureau Federation. “They need to get this legislation on the floor and vote to keep the higher estate tax exemption. We are calling on farmers from Ohio and all over the country to deliver the message to Congress that this is impor- tant for farm families.” This is not just an ag issue, as it will


have an impact on other small businesses as well. “Just look around your town and the


people that own grocery stores, hardware stores and other types of small business,” Wolfe said. “We’ve come together in a coalition of close to 60 small business groups and we are all working for the same thing — to keep the estate tax rates low and estate tax exemption high.” The Unemployment Insurance


Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 set the estate tax exemption at $5 mil- lion per person and the top rate at 35% for 2011 and 2012. The bill put into place a new provision for 2011-2012 that allows the unused portion of a spouse’s exemp- tion to be used by a surviving spouse. Without congressional action, in 2013, the estate tax exemption will shrink to $1 mil- lion per person with no spousal transfer, and the top rate will increase to 55%. Another major concern for OFBF mem-


bers is a proposal by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to revise regulations on youth employment in agriculture that could affect family farms across the coun- try. Last September, the DOL published a


notice of proposed rulemaking that would amend and expand a number of existing hazardous occupation orders as they per- tain to the employment of youths under the age of 16 on farms. Paul Schlegel, with the American Farm Bureau Federation, said this is one issue to keep a very close eye on. “The Department of Labor received


over 10,000 comments, most of which agree with our perspective,” said Schlegel about the overreach of authority of the proposed rule. “They have since said that they would repropose some parts of the rule, but we still don’t know what exactly what that means so we still have quite a ways to go until we have something that we can live with.” With every generation becoming


more and more removed from the farm, the viability of agriculture is contingent on the younger generation wanting to become a part of the farm for many years to come. If that early experience of the farm way of life is not available for young people, the ambition to keep the operation intact declines. “We’re training a future generation of


farmers,” Schlegel said. “They get a work ethic and a way of life that fewer and fewer people are exposed to and we would like to keep the interest in farm- ing going.” For approximately a decade, activists


have attempted to pass legislation amend- ing the Fair Labor Standards Act to restrict the ability of youth under the age of 16 to work in agriculture. Farm Bureau opposes this most recent attempt and is working in a bipartisan manner with members of both the House and the Senate to ensure that the department does not narrow the family farm exemption or unduly limit employ- ment opportunities for youths under age 16 on farms. As the OFBF members prepared for


their visits with legislators, Troy Ernest, the OFBF County President from Allen County, made sure that he had his talking points ready for his meeting with Congressman Jim Jordan. “We just want to make sure the legisla-


tors get it right,” said Ernest, commenting on the farm bill. “We need a good safety net in place with crop insurance being a key part of the new bill.” Ernest also entered Washington with a major concern about what the DOL was


From Left to Right, Troy Ernest, Allen County, Lauren Fehlan, OFBF, Josiah Robinson, Union County and Congressman Jim Jordan, representing Ohio’s 4th District, meet during the 66th Annual Ohio Farm Bureau County Presidents Trip to Washington, D.C.


proposing that may change many things on the farm as far as youth are concerned. “We want to keep kids in 4-H and FFA


able to do the activities that they normally do and to insure that we can train the next generation of farmers as they come along,” Ernest said. It seems to Ernest that year in, year out,


agriculture is getting roughed up a bit on Capitol Hill. “It seems like whenever there is a prob-


lem, agriculture always gets the blame,” said Ernest, especially when it pertains to water quality. “Yes we do influence the quality of water and we need to look into changing some things along that line. I think regulators need to look elsewhere too instead of picking on only the 2% of the population.” Having a game plan for a


Congressional visit is half of the battle as there is only a small period of time to share views with the representative. Ernest and other County Presidents that share his district did have a strategy in place for talking with Congressmen Jordan and the meeting went very well. Jordan admitted that, with the way Washington is operating right now, not much will get done this year as legisla- tors are sitting on their hands waiting to see what the upcoming elections bring. Jordan was very receptive about


OFBF’s feelings about the farm youth labor


rules being put forth by the DOL, calling the measure “crazy.” As for the farm bill, Jordan says


whether it will be completed this year or not depends on who is asked. Earlier in the day he spoke with House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson of Minnesota about a timeline and Peterson believed that there was an 85% chance that the farm bill would be put together this year. Others say there is only a 15% possibility of that happening. Ernest came away from the experi-


ence with mixed emotions but more favorable than not. “Sometimes he doesn’t give good,


solid answers but he’s willing to work,” Ernest said walking down the halls of Congress after the meeting with Jordan. “Congressman Jordan has been a friend of Ohio agriculture for several years and I do not see that attribute changing.” Many who travel to D.C. leave with a


different opinion of our government. For Ernest, it was what he was expecting. “I feel pretty positive with the results


from our trip this year,” Ernest said. “You have to keep in mind that most of our speakers know who they’re talking to and keep their message agriculturally- based. What matters is what they go on and do with the issues that we discussed after we head back home.”


New ODNR employees focus on grazing management activities


The Ohio Department of Natural


Resources’ (ODNR) Division of Soil and Water Resources has secured funds to directly train agriculture professionals and assist landowners in southern and eastern Ohio for grazing management activities. Four individuals recently started in these new positions. When implemented on farms, grazing


management practices improve soil health, reduce soil erosion, improve infil- tration and help meet local water quality goals. Grasslands and grazing operations are an important sector in Ohio’s econo- my. The number of pasture-based live- stock operations represents the largest


8 News • Ohio’s Country Journal • ocj.com • April 2012


number of livestock operations in Ohio. Grazing livestock can be both sustain- able and profitable to reduce overhead, operating and feed costs. This funding is available through


ODNR partnering with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to add Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) funds to help provide technical assistance in the development and imple- mentation of grazing management plans. The overall effort will be coordinated


with ODNR, NRCS, local soil and water conservation districts and other partners to further enhance education and out- reach activities.


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