• State Policy

    Local Food is Essential

    Four state level groups recently called on state leaders to adopt six policies that will help farmers, farmers’ markets, and low income food access.

    OEFFA, Produce Perks Midwest, the Ohio Farmers’ Market Network, and the Ohio Food Policy Network, with input from Countryside and Summit Food Coalition, believe that decisive action is needed to ensure the survival of small and mid-scale family farmers that feed our communities and make sure Ohioans, particularly those receiving nutrition assistance, can access much needed fresh, local food in the months ahead.

    In addition to the public impact, the group’s policy recommendations, are designed to address the broader economic impacts of COVID-19 on Ohio’s local food systems, especially among Ohio’s already under-served communities.

    Nationally, from March to May 2020, alternative market channels—farmers markets, farm-to-school, and food hubs serving institutions and restaurants—are projected to lose more than $688 million in sales, leading to a payroll decline of up to $103.3 million, and a total loss to the economy of more than $1.3 billion.

    We are asking Ohio’s leaders to:

    • 1) Swiftly issue, in cooperation with the Ohio Farmers’ Market Network and others, operational guidance to farmers’ markets, as well as other direct market agricultural outlets, and provide resources to help them implement necessary changes, including sanitation supplies.
    • 2) Develop or expand buy-up programs, such as the Ohio Agricultural Clearance Program, and pay farmers a fair price for produce, meat, and poultry items that have lost market venues and distribute them to the emergency food system.
    • 3) Expand upon and increase opportunities for use of public assistance benefits with online food purchasing and delivery options, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program.
    • 4) Support the immediate expansion of Produce Perks to serve rapidly growing vulnerable populations, including individuals and households receiving unemployment benefits.
    • 5) Provide incentives and assistance for alternative sales methods such as on-line ordering platforms, curbside pick-up at farmers’ markets, or relocating to larger public spaces in order to reduce handling at markets and promote social distancing.
    • 6) Include farmers selling to direct food outlets, schools, restaurants, food hubs, and produce auctions in aid packages for small businesses negatively affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

    If you support these recommendations, please contact Ohio Governor Mike DeWine now and encourage him to act immediately to make sure small and mid-size farmers, farmers’ markets, and families who rely on nutrition assistance don’t fall through the cracks, as we adapt to this crisis. We need a vibrant and just local food system now more than ever.

    OEFFA appreciates the leadership Governor Mike DeWine has provided during this pandemic that will have far reaching implications for many sectors of our economy, our families, and our communities. As crisis responses continue to unfold, protecting food security by investing in Ohio farmers is essential.

  • State Policy

    The Future of Food and Farm Businesses Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic

    UPDATE: Since this article was originally published, Ohio has issued an amended Stay at Home Order, effective through May 1, 2020. The links throughout this article reference the original Stay at Home Order. The amended order no longer references “certified” farmers’ markets, instead listing simply “farmers’ markets” among the Essential Businesses and Operations.

    All of our lives are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including OEFFA members and supporters concerned about sustainable agriculture and healthy local and regional food systems that are likely to experience disruption in the days and months ahead. Please know that OEFFA remains open for business; this includes our organic certification services as well as our education department. We are not in our Columbus office but are available by phone and email.

    We are currently advocating for policy responses to this pandemic that protect farmers, support local food systems, and protect public health. Please take every opportunity to contact your state and federal representatives and urge them to support these policy recommendations. If you are not sure who they are or how to contact them, click here.

    We will be providing important updates on how the pandemic is affecting agriculture in the days and weeks to come on this blog, and we have launched a new COVID-19 News and Resources page where we will be sharing updates and resources as well.

    In this first COVID-related blog post, we focus on the impact of Governor DeWine’s Executive Order, issued on March 22, 2020, which requires all non-essential businesses to close and directs the public to stay at home. In an effort to help Ohio’s small farmers and related businesses comply with the Governor’s Stay At Home Order, we have compiled this brief analysis.

    Please note: OEFFA is not a law firm and this analysis DOES NOT represent legal advice.

    Can I farm?

    Yes! Farming is identified as an Essential Business under the Director’s Order. Food and beverage manufacturing are also classified as such. See page 5, section 12(c).

    Are my workers allowed to come to work?

    Yes, travel related to Essential Businesses is allowed. See page 2, section 5(d). Businesses must make sure that employees practice social distancing and comply with the guidelines in section 15 (page 8) wherever possible. Employers are also responsible for taking the listed actions in section 18 (page 8-9) intended to keep employees safe. It may be advisable to develop a letter for your employees indicating that they are in your employ and are working for an essential business. OEFFA has developed a template in-transit letter for agricultural employees you can use.

    How can I sell my products?

    In addition to grocery stores, certified farmers’ markets and farm and produce stands are considered Essential Businesses by the Director’s Order. However, the decision to open is at the discretion of the individual market. Furthermore, open markets are likely to change operations to comply with social distancing requirements. Please contact your market outlets directly for information on their plans. Travel for groceries and food are identified as Essential Activities for the general public on page 2, section 5(b), so if your market is open, people can come and buy from you.

    What is a “certified” farmers’ market?

    Unlike some other states, Ohio doesn’t technically have a “certification” for farmers markets. OEFFA and partner organizations interpret this language to mean markets that have registered with the Ohio Department of Agriculture. We will update this information if we get further clarification from the state. If your market is not registered with the ODA, we recommend doing so here.

    I want to keep my market open. What do I need to do to keep customers safe?

    The Ohio Farmers Market Network is working on a set of recommendations for open markets to follow. Watch our COVID-19 News and Resources page for these recommendations. For now, we recommend reading section 15 (page 8) for the state’s social distancing requirements.

    What about other services I may need to operate like tractor repair, banking, insurance, veterinary care, construction trades, etc?

    Many of the support industries that farmers rely on, from gas stations, to hardware stores, to veterinarians, to legal counsel are included as Essential Businesses under section 12 (pages 5-7). We’ve gone through the list and highlighted businesses that may be relevant to some farm operations. However, it is important to remember that the Director’s Order “encourages” Essential Businesses to remain open, but does not mandate that they remain open. Some businesses may choose not to open or may open with limited operations. We recommend contacting any business you wish to utilize to see if they are operating and what, if any, changes they may have made. If you need to travel for a good or service essential to your business, that should be considered allowed travel related to an Essential Business.  

    I do not farm, but my business serves farmers. Am I considered an Essential Business?

    Maybe. In addition to the list of essential businesses on pages 5-7, the Director’s Order also includes the Department of Homeland Security’s “Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce” as an attachment. Page 18 includes a long list of food and agriculture related workers deemed essential by the federal government.

    How does social distancing work?

    We are all in this together and all of us must do our best to limit the spread of COVID-19. Please carefully read the Social Distancing Requirements in section 15 (page 8) and work to comply as much as possible.

    How will this be enforced?

    In section 17 (page 8), the Director’s Order gives enforcement power to state and local law enforcement. The Director also delegates authority to answer questions about this Order in writing to local health departments. If you have questions about this Order, please contact your local health department.


    We will continue to keep you apprised of additional developments and measures that may affect food and farm operations as well as opportunities to support the important work of growing food sustainably and getting it to those in need.

    Photo Credit: Three Creeks Produce

  • Climate Change

    Comprehensive Climate Bill Invests in Farm-Based Solutions

    Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME)

    One of very few farmers in Congress, Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) recently introduced the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), the most comprehensive climate and agriculture bill ever introduced.

    It lays out 12 bold and necessary goals to meet over the next 20 years to restore lost soil carbon, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, boost on-farm renewable energy, and reduce food waste, among other laudable goals.

    According to the Congresswoman, “Farming has always been a risky business, but unpredictable, extreme weather patterns are creating immense challenges that threaten our nation’s food production and jeopardize the livelihood of American farmers.”

    Currently, agriculture contributes more than 8 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., but the sector is uniquely positioned to draw down massive amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil. To help achieve this, the bill focuses on six concrete areas based on science and driven by farmers:

    Improving Soil Health

    The ARA would create a new soil health grant program for states, authorize the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to offer performance-based crop insurance discounts for practices that reduce risk, and explore new ways to reward farmers for soil carbon sequestration. The USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) has worked for years to increase adoption of good conservation practices and this bill will significantly increase funding for NRCS’s Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). CSP, the nation’s largest working lands conservation program, would see funding increase four-fold.

    Protecting Farmland

    The ARA would increase funding for the Local Agriculture Market Program championed by Pingree and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and create a new part of the program that would focus on farm viability and local climate resilience centers to help farmers reach new markets. It would also increase funding for the permanent protection of farm ground through the Agriculture Conservation Easement program and make sure any proceeds from the sale of an easement or farmland to beginning, socially disadvantaged, veteran, and young farmers would be excluded from gross income.

    Supporting Pasture-Based Livestock Systems

    The bill would create a new alternative manure management program and a grant program to help very small meat processors cover costs of complying with federal meat inspection guidelines. These costs can be prohibitive and have limited the number of meat processing options in Ohio and elsewhere.

    Investing in Research

    The ARA would prioritize research relate to climate and increase funding for USDA’s Regional Climate Hubs. The bill also supports much needed public plant and animal breeding.

    Investing in On-Farm Energy

    The Rural Energy for American Program (REAP) provides guaranteed loan financing and grants to farmers for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. ARA would increase funding to REAP and provide technical assistance to farmers interested in reducing methane emissions.

    Reducing Food Waste

    The ARA would standardize food date labels to reduce consumer confusion and create a program within USDA to reduce food waste in schools and increase federal support for composting and anaerobic digestion.


    While bills like this usually move forward as one complete piece of legislation, the ARA marker bill is likely to be broken out into smaller pieces that address the areas highlighted above. This comes as we wait for the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis to release their policy recommendations at the end of March.

    OEFFA supports this comprehensive roadmap for climate and agriculture and appreciates it being led by an organic farmer who understand first-hand the challenges of farming and the benefits of best management practices. Representative Pingree’s inclusion of farm viability is a case in point. If farmers are not profitable, that land will be lost and become housing subdivisions, roads, or commercial space which leads to more carbon emissions. We are also poised to see the transfer of hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland in the coming years and we all want that land to stay in agriculture, and be as environmentally and economically resilient as possible.

    We are thankful to have the voice of farmers represented as climate discussions move forward. Let us know if you are interested in adding your voice to address the climate crisis and, if you are a farmer, sign the farmer statement on climate change today!

  • Dirty Energy,  State Policy

    Farmers Celebrate as Ohio EPA Terminates Permit for Coal Mine in Perry State Forest

    After two years of grassroots organizing, local farmers, community members, and forest supporters celebrated a major victory in their campaign to prevent coal mining on public land just outside New Lexington, Ohio in Perry County.

    On January 30, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) announced it will terminate CCU Coal and Construction’s wastewater discharge permit for a proposed 545 acre strip mine in the Perry State Forest in close proximity to farmland, local residents, and public recreation spaces. The termination of the permit came at the request of the coal company, according to OEPA, and will take effect April 1.

    Down the Road Farm, with Perry State Forest in background

    “This is a huge victory for our community, our forest, and our farm,” said Lauren Ketcham, an OEFFA member produce and flower farmer at Down the Road Farm, whose farm borders the forest. “This project has cast a dark shadow over our farm and the businesses and homes of our neighbors for a long time. We moved here to put down roots, start a small business, feed our community, and invest in the land. Coal mining put all that at risk.”

    Throughout Ohio, OEFFA has been working with farmers and rural communities like this who are being harmed by coal mining, fracking, pipelines, and other energy infrastructure projects that scar, pollute, and fragment the land. The livelihoods of sustainable farmers, like Lauren, depend on a clean environment and biodiverse ecosystems to grow nutritious food and healthy animals.

    Moreover, the fossil fuel industry contributes to a changing climate, which is already beginning to stress farmers through extreme weather like heat waves, droughts, heavy rain fall, reduced crop and livestock yields, and increased pest and weed pressure.

    These energy projects work at cross-purposes with these farmers, whose practices help sequester carbon, protect water quality, promote public health, and contribute to the social and economic viability of the region.

    Since 2018, OEFFA has helped mobilize members and spoken out about the impact of the proposed Perry State Forest coal mine on local farmers. As OEFFA’s Policy Director, I provided testimony at the October 2018 OEPA hearing and published an op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch. OEFFA sent postcards to hundreds of local residents ahead of the OEPA hearing and a February 2019 Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) meeting, helping to draw hundreds of people to these events. OEFFA’s online organizing resulted in more than 1,100 emails being sent to ODNR, OEPA, and state lawmakers.

    Friends of Perry State Forest meets at Perry Backwoods Campground

    In addition to working with OEFFA, with fellow farmer Henry Jochem of Primaterra Farm, Lauren helped to organize Friends of Perry State Forest, a grassroots group of farmers, concerned citizens, all-purpose vehicle (APV) riders, trail and riding organizations, and business owners. The group held regular meetings, raised funds for a legal challenge, organized public comments, generated extensive statewide media coverage, and brought together a diverse coalition including OEFFA, the Ohio Environmental Council, Perry Forest Trail Maintenance Crew, Sierra Club, American Motorcyclist Association, Buckeye Environmental Network, Ohio Motorized Trails Association, Perry County Think Tank on Poverty, and Appalachian Voices.

    “This is a really great example of how local community organizing—and farmers in particular—can make a positive impact. We came together with a common love for the forest, put aside differences, shared our unique skills, and worked together to create change, even when the trees fell and the deck seemed so stacked against us,” Lauren said.

    On January 22, 2019, Friends of Perry State Forest and the Ohio Environmental Council filed an appeal of the OEPA’s wastewater discharge permit with the Environmental Review Appeals Commission, which would have required the company’s lawyers to defend the permit, originally issued to Oxford Mining Company, had it not been terminated.

    Permits from both ODNR and OEPA are required before the project can move forward. Although OEPA will now terminate its permit, and the company has signaled its abandoning the project, a mining permit application before ODNR remains pending.

    Notice posted at Perry State Forest clear-cut

    “The revocation of the wastewater discharge permit brings this project one step closer to termination. We hope the ODNR permit application will also be withdrawn and that the agency will move quickly to give closure to the community, revegetate and restore the 60 year old forest that they prematurely clear cut two years ago, and reopen the forest to once again allow the public to enjoy this land,” Lauren said.

    In addition to Lauren and Henry, OEFFA has worked with other farmers impacted by energy infrastructure projects, successfully helping organic farmers utilize organic mitigation impact plans to require companies to provide protections to address their unique management and certification requirements.

    If you’re a farmer faced with infrastructure development on your farm, like a coal mine, power lines, or pipelines, contact me by email or call (614) 421-2022. OEFFA provides free consultations and tools that can help you navigate, negotiate, and protect your farm resources and maintain your organic certification.

  • General

    OEFFA’s Top 10 Policy Highlights for 2019

    Making policy change is often a long and slow process. It can be difficult to identify “big wins” sometimes, but there are so many milestones we can look back on in 2019 that helped move sustainable agriculture forward into 2020 and beyond. Here are 10 positive strides we made this year:

    OEFFA Members and Staff at May 2019 Lobby Day

    Family Farm ReGeneration Act Advances in the Ohio Legislature

    The National Young Farmers Coalition conducted a survey of young farmers across the country which found the top challenge these farmers face is access to land. Since 2017 when OEFFA launched its Begin Farming program, we’ve seen first-hand the difficulty Ohio farmers experience getting on the land.

    That’s why, beginning in 2018, we started a conversation with state legislators and other farm groups to build awareness and support for legislation that would provide tax incentives for landowners who transition land or other agricultural assets to a beginning farmer. If enacted, the law would also provide a tax credit for beginning farmers to offset the costs of attending farm management programs critical to their business success.

    In 2019, bipartisan legislation was introduced in the Ohio House (HB 183), the Family Farm ReGeneration Act. After numerous legislative meetings, advocacy through OEFFA’s May lobby day, and testimony from OEFFA farmers and staff, the bill passed out of the Ohio House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee in November. We expect the legislation to go to the full House floor for a vote early in 2020 and Senate legislative champions have draft legislation ready to go. About 480 members and supporters have signed OEFFA’s petition in support of the bill. Help us meet our goal of 500 signatures and sign the petition today!

    Transition to Organic Mentorship Bill Advanced in Congress

    Awareness is growing about the ability of sustainable agriculture practices to sequester carbon in the soil and mitigate some of the weather extremes that threaten future food systems. And, there are important discussions taking place about how to reward farmers who adopt these practices. At the same time, there is a expanding cadre of producers that are making the switch to organic, but cannot get access to the information and resources they need. 

    Land-grant university Extension staff rarely have experience and training in organic management systems, and it is not top of mind for federal agencies that serve farmers either. That is, in fact, one of the reasons OEFFA was founded more than 40 years ago—to provide the farmer to farmer network needed for mentoring and education. Now with organic being more than a $40 billion industry, it is time for us to ensure that these producers that are using a suite of interconnected best practices have the support they need to survive and thrive.

    OEFFA has been working with coalition partners and Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan to craft a bill that will fund formal organic mentorship programs across the country. While it is still in the draft stages, this is an important step in helping family farmers succeed, providing healthy food to our communities, and mitigating the climate crisis.

    OEFFA Members Take to the Statehouse

    This year, OEFFA brought together a crew of staff, members, and other advocates interested in learning more about how to advocate on the issues they care about. Lobbyists from the County Commissioners Association of Ohio provided great information about how easy it is connect with representatives and develop positive, long-term relationships, while taking some of the anxiety and mystery out of the advocacy process. Members role-played possible meeting scenarios to prepare for meetings at the Statehouse.

    In the afternoon, 17 meetings were held with House and Senate offices and considerable support was garnered for the Family Farm ReGeneration Act. 

    Thank you to those who attended and if you are interested in attending an OEFFA Lobby Day in 2020, contact us today!

    Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Reborn

    In 1988, sustainable agriculture leaders in the Midwest pioneered the Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SAWG), a regional network of organizations working on sustainable agriculture issues. Other regional SAWG’s were also developed across the United States but in the late 2000’s the Midwest SAWG, or MSAWG, became subsumed in a merger of organizations that became the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

    Since that time MSAWG has ceased to exist despite active sustainable agriculture working groups in other parts of the country. In 2019, OEFFA in partnership with organizations in Indiana, revived the MSAWG. Now there is an opportunity for sustainable agriculture advocates at the state level to network with other state groups in the Midwest. This is especially important as special interest organizations at the national level often create legislation detrimental to the goals of small, independent family farmers and push that agenda through state legislatures across the U.S.

    “Changing Contours” Report Details Ohio Leadership in Organics, Beginning Farmers, and Local Food Systems

    Every five years the US Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service (USDA NASS) conducts a survey of farms where $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year. Policy staff eagerly awaits updated information that will inform trends and opportunities in agriculture and food systems. This census was no disappointment. 

    OEFFA compiled a summary of the census findings in “Ohio Agriculture: The Changing Contours of Farming.” Some of the key takeaways from the analysis are that Ohio is sixth in the nation in the number of beginning farmers (which is perhaps why our Begin Farming Ohio program is going strong!). We are also sixth in the nation in the number of organic farmers and second (only to California) in the amount of farmland that is being transitioned to organic management systems.

    On the land use side, Ohio is home to more than 77,000 farms, the highest number of farms since 1997. After decades of farm loss, the number of farms is on the rise. In a key indicator that economic investments in regional food systems would yield exponential results is the fact that the value of food sold directly to consumers increased dramatically between 2012 and 2017 as sales went from approximately $46 million to almost $80 million.

    If you like data as much as we do, you can download the complete report here.

    Energy Infrastructure Panel Brings Experience of Ohio Farmers to National Organic Audience

    OEFFA is both an education and advocacy organization and an organic certification agency. We certify farms in twelve states and that partnership allows us to serve our farmers and provide more support than organizations that do organic certification alone.

    A good example involves the difficult situation that an increasing number of farmers find themselves in as a pipeline, compressor station, frack pad, or other type of energy infrastructure is proposed to be cited on their farm.  This is a critical concern for organic producers who cannot count on synthetic fertilizer to help boost yields as they decline after soil disturbance or synthetic weed killer as weed seeds are brought onto the property.  Starting about three years ago, OEFFA adapted an Organic Agriculture Impact Mitigation plan that has been used with farmers, pipeline companies and contractors, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. While far from perfect, this tool is adaptable to each farm situation and has clear requirements for extra measures contractors need to take to protect organic certification. 

    After many years of testimony on this issue to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), the NOSB asked the National Organic Program (NOP) to add this item to their work agenda so that they could learn about the issue and how to protect farmers. As part of the preparation for the fall 2019 NOSB meeting, OEFFA staff organized a panel of impacted farmers, an organic inspector who has worked to monitor construction on organic farms, a researcher, and a certifier who all talked about the challenges surrounding this issue. While the NOP is not moving the item forward at this time, many board members were educated and engaged and one committed to take this issue to the national association of organic certification agencies, the Accredited Certifiers Association.

    DC Work Helps to Protect the Integrity of Organic

    OEFFA is a member of the National Organic Coalition (NOC), and through that collaboration, we are able to advocate on the integrity of organics. Our members have been clear about serious concerns over fraudulent imported grain, the certification of hydroponic products, lack of action on an origin of livestock rule that impacts the viability of organic dairy operations, and much more. 

    When we traveled to Washington, DC in March 2019, we went armed with information and a strong message. That message recently paid off as the House and Senate passed the annual agriculture appropriations bill that mandates the NOP move forward on an origin of livestock rule, provides more funding and staff to the NOP to fight organic fraud, and directs the national program to monitor the enforcement of access to pasture rules for very large dairy operations.

    There is much more work to do, but our connection with our national coalition partners and regular communication with Congress keeps farmer and member concerns top of mind and can result in real dollars and sense(ible) regulation.

    Blog Provides Home for In-Depth Policy News

    Well, I really don’t need to tell you about our new blog because you are here! But seriously, we are very excited to not have to wait to share information through our policy bulletin once each month. (Adding a blog was part of our policy program’s website overhaul this year, so you’ll see that our other policy pages also have a new and improved look!)

    These are important issues and so often the devil is in the details. You deserve more thorough information about the work we are doing and about what is happening in the sustainable agriculture and local and regional food systems space.

    So please, come back, read often, and stay in communication with us about what you like, what you don’t, and what you would like to see more of!

    Columbus Dispatch Features OEFFA Earth Day Message

    One of the things we often tell our members is that a great way to get your message across is to write a letter to the editor or an opinion piece for your local newspaper. On Earth Day, we walked the talk and had an op-ed piece published in the Columbus Dispatch

    Certainly, it isn’t the first time that OEFFA has had an op-ed published, but it was an important time to get the message out about protecting our state-owned lands. Some OEFFA members have been actively opposing the clearing and re-mining (yes you read that right) of the Perry State Forest. These sustainable farmers are very concerned about the economic and environmental impacts this project would have on their communities and their businesses. 

    If there is an issue that you are passionate about and would like some help getting a letter to the editor or opinion piece in your local paper, contact us today!

    OEFFA Members Invest in Leadership and Advocacy

    OEFFA partnered with the Institute for Conservation Leadership to provide a leadership training for OEFFA members. We had no idea of the kind of response we would get and were pleasantly surprised by a full house of 35 attendees and a long waiting list. Truthfully, many of the folks in attendance are already leaders in their own right but frequently don’t recognize how much they are already doing. Nonetheless, the workshop provided hands-on exercises, time for reflection, networking, and an opportunity to develop a leadership plan of action.

    We are thinking about offering this type of training again in 2020. If you are interested, please drop us a line and we can make sure you don’t end up on a waiting list! 

  • State Policy

    Land Access Legislation Moves to the House Floor

    Jason Ward provides testimony at HB 183 hearing

    OEFFA has been working with members of the Ohio House and Senate to pass legislation that would incentivize land transfer between current landowners and beginning farmers.

    After months of work, the House Bill 183, the Family Farm ReGeneration Act, passed out of the Ohio House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee unanimously on November 19.

    OEFFA is thankful to the bill’s co-sponsors Rep. Susan Manchester and Rep. John Patterson.

    In October, OEFFA’s Begin Farming Program Coordinator, Rachel Tayse, presented testimony to the committee on the need for this bill based on her experience working with aspiring and early career farmers.

    According to Rachel’s testimony, “… OEFFA’s elder farmer generation call on me nearly daily for help finding young people to carry on their agricultural legacy.

    Despite work to develop a new HeartlandFarmLink.org website, an online matching services for farm land seekers and existing farm owners, significant barriers to farm transfer remain. Surveys conducted both OEFFA and the National Young Farmers Coalition show access to land is the top challenge beginning farmers face.

    Jason Ward, Rep. Manchester, Rep. Patterson, Rachel Tayse

    OEFFA member and first generation beginning organic farmer Jason Ward also presented powerful testimony about the land access challenges he faces farming more than 36 parcels, averaging a size of five acres each, in four different counties, spread across 20 miles.

    According to Jason, “Increasing pressure from large corporations and investors on landowners to sell their farmland for development purposes, has been detrimental to the small family farm on which I work to make a living. The availability of farmland continues to decline at an alarming rate, yet there is currently no incentive for landowners to take a chance on beginning farmers, such as myself.”

    The legislation now goes to the full House for a vote. Senate Bill 159, introduced by Senator Peterson (R-17), has been assigned to the Senate Ways and Means Committee and awaits its first hearing.

    You can help move this bill forward by signing our petition in support of the Family Farm ReGeneration Act today. Our goal is 500 signatures and we are currently at 447. Add your name so that we can send a strong message to the Ohio Legislature that we support beginning farmers!

  • Climate Change

    New Report Provides Roadmap on Climate Solutions in Agriculture

    Multiple adverse effects of the climate crisis have been documented in U.S. agriculture, including:

    • Intensified droughts, floods, and storms;
    • Stresses on crops, livestock, and farm personnel from higher summer temperatures;
    • Disruption of seasonal development, flowering, and fruiting in horticultural crops;
    • Shifting pest, weed, and disease life cycles and geographic ranges; and
    • Disproportionate impacts on economically disadvantaged rural communities

    Certainly, farmers in the Midwest experienced some of these impacts this spring and summer with hurricanes, record setting rains, and summer drought.

    Although agriculture currently affects our climate through direct greenhouse gas emissions and the indirect loss of carbon in our soil, a report released this week demonstrates how organic and ecological farming can be a critical part of the solution to climate change.

    The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)’s new report, Agriculture and Climate Change: Policy Imperatives and Opportunities to Help Producers Meet the Challenge offers policy and program recommendations, including:

    • Remove barriers and strengthen support for organic and sustainable production systems;
    • Support climate-friendly livestock production systems and end subsidies for CAFOs;
    • Fund public plant and animal breeding for climate-resilient agriculture;
    • Increase the emphasis on climate mitigation and adaptation through Natural Resources Conservation Service working lands and easement programs, and the Conservation Reserve Program; and
    • Apply a whole farm emphasis across U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programming, including Whole Farm Revenue Protection insurance

    As a member of NSAC, OEFFA supports the immediate transition to a resilient food and agriculture system based on the sustainable and organic practices detailed in the NSAC report. If you are an OEFFA member who would like to be active in our climate change work, contact us today. If you are a farmer on the front lines of this issue, please consider signing on to this national letter on climate change from farmers to members of Congress and the current administration.

    Helping farmers build the resilience of their operations to withstand the effects of climate change will be the focus of OEFFA’s 41st annual conference: A Climate for Change, February 13-15, 2020 in Dayton, Ohio. Friday keynote speaker Laura Legnick is the author of the 2015 book, Resilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems for a Changing Climate, and contributed to the third National Climate Assessment as a lead author of the USDA report Climate Change and U.S. Agriculture: Effects and Adaptation. Saturday keynote speaker Eric Holt-Giménez, an agroecologist, political economist, activist, and author of the book, Can We Feed the World without Destroying It? He will explore the need to harness our diversity to forge the political will to achieve climate justice.

  • General

    Nourishing People, Nurturing the Planet: A Call to Action on World Food Day

    Today is “World Food Day,” an international day of action when people from around the world come together to declare their commitment to eradicating global hunger.

    As we join with the state, national, and international community today, it is important to critically consider the ways in which our food system so often fails us. Millions of people suffer from obesity and obesity-related diseases and more than a billion people globally are overweight.

    At the same time, 10 percent of the world—821 million people—currently experience chronic hunger. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report saying the impact of the climate crisis on agriculture will result in growing world hunger, unless there are seismic shifts in global land use, production methods, food waste, and human diets.

    Acknowledging this, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has made a commitment to these broader food system issues, stating that achieving zero hunger is “about nourishing people, while nurturing the planet.”

    Rather than calling for farmers to “get big or get out” in order to “feed the world,” the focus should be on true sustainability for the planet and agricultural justice for its people. On this important day, let us commit to a sustainable food system that pays farmers a living wage, provides ecosystem benefits, and feeds and nourishes communities with diets appropriate to culture and place.

    According to M. Jaji Chappell, political agroecologist and Executive Director of Food First, “It is within our reach to end hunger in the world. It has been within our reach for a while now. But the challenges we must surmount to achieve this have been fundamentally, essentially institutional.”

    Institutional capacity for food system change has been building in Ohio for many years starting with powerful community level efforts including food councils, the Ohio Agricultural Clearance Program, the Ohio Food Policy Advisory Council, and recently the Ohio Smart Agriculture effort.

    Ohio has a strong and committed group of volunteers in the Ohio Food Policy Network that has been building our capacity for fundamentally changing our food system for the better.

    On this World Food Day, join us in calling on Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to formally invest in state institutional capacity to support these efforts and the organizations doing good work for farmers and eaters in Ohio.

    Please take action and contact Governor DeWine now using the form below.

  • Farm Bill

    Rethinking Crop Insurance

    Saturated fields predominated across the Midwest this spring

    This year, farmers across the Midwest have seen tornadoes, torrential rain, and flooding that made planting difficult, if not impossible.

    In Ohio, where 40 of 88 counties received disaster designation, many growers were unable to plant at all and those that did face increased disease, pest, and weed pressure and late harvests. Needless to say, the loss of marketable crops and reduced farm income has been devastating for many farmers.

    In the past, as OEFFA staff talk with growers about crop insurance, the phrase “my diversification is my insurance” has been a frequent refrain. Yet, this spring has many farmers rethinking the decision not to use crop insurance. While organic, diversified, and sustainable farmers have had few options historically, Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) is a relatively new option available everywhere, for all types of growers.

    Most federal crop insurance policies sold in the U.S. today are designed for farmers who grow a single crop, leaving diversified grain, livestock, and produce operations with few options to manage risks on their farms. However, WFRP is a crop-and-enterprise-neutral revenue insurance policy designed to protect revenue on a farmer’s whole farm, not just a single crop.  The program, initially authorized in the 2014 Farm Bill, changed the game by providing insurance to growers of all types in any county, but the first few years of implementation revealed needed changes.

    The 2018 Farm Bill authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency (USDA RMA) to solicit feedback on what changes would be necessary to improve this new tool. Based on that feedback, including recommendations by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) (of which OEFFA is a member), the following positive changes will take effect for the 2020 crop insurance year:

    • Disaster payments and other state and federal program payments (including Market Facilitation Program payments) will now be excluded from revenue-to-count and allowable revenue. This change will decrease the volatility of a farmer’s historic farm revenue and the resulting under-insuring and higher premium costs.
    • The impact of disaster years on historic farm revenue will now be moderated through the following three-step process:
      • The lowest of the average adjusted revenue years from the five-year average will be dropped.
      • Years that are below 60 percent of average revenue will be replaced by a 60 percent revenue plug (60 percent of the producer’s simple average or indexed average for calculating approved revenue).
      • A 90 percent cap on approved revenue will be instituted, meaning that the approved revenue for the current year will be at least 90 percent of the previous year.
      • Previously, WFRP users did not have access to the disaster year “smoothing” provisions enjoyed by other revenue policyholders.
    • Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Payments (NAP) will now be treated like other non-RMA insurance payments. NAP payments will be included as revenue-to-count when it exceeds the WFRP deductible. Previously, farms could participate in both programs but could only receive payments from one.
    • The livestock and nursery cap will be raised to $2 million, which is $0.5 million above the NSAC recommended amount and $1 million above the current cap. The cap applies to the amount insured, not to the producer’s total volume of production.

    Additionally, hemp is now added as an insurable crop with the following restrictions:

    • The hemp must be produced in compliance with a state, tribal, or federal applicable plan.
    • The hemp must be grown under a marketing contract.
    • No replant payments will be offered.
    • “Hot” hemp (when THC concentrations spike above 0.3 percent due to crop stress or cross-pollination) will not be considered an insurable loss.

    The 2018 Farm Bill also increases the period of time that beginning farmers have to use WFRP’s beginning farmer premium discount (ten percent) from five years to ten years. That change has already been implemented; effective immediately, beginning farmers with ten or fewer years in operation are now able to receive a ten percent discount on their annual WFRP insurance premiums.

    NSAC continues to advocate for ongoing improvements to this important new tool for growers. If you have not used crop insurance before and are thinking about ways to protect your farm in the face of weather extremes, WFRP is worth considering. Contact OEFFA to learn more.

  • State Policy

    Ohio Governor Signs Hemp Legislation into Law

    Photo: Columbus Dispatch

    Farmers will soon be able to grow and process hemp in Ohio, after Governor Mike DeWine signed legislation this week removing its prohibitions.

    Before that can happen though, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) must develop a formal program and rules, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will need to approve.

    Hemp contains a fiber, grain, and oil that can be extracted for cannabidiol (CBD), which is now being used in food and dietary supplements.

    Both hemp producers and processors need to apply for a license to grow or process their products to be in compliance with state and federal law. Those licenses will be valid for three years. A critical factor for the hemp industry is ensuring that THC levels remain below three-tenths of one percent. ODA will also be testing CBD and hemp products for safety and accurate labeling to protect Ohio consumers.

    In addition, the new law creates a hemp marketing program, or check-off. This program will create an assessment of one-half of one percent of the value of hemp seed, fiber, or flower at the first point of sale. Hemp production will be an eligible commodity for the Current Agricultural Use Valuation (CAUV) program.

    The Food and Drug Administration will assess the safety of CBD and determine if it can be safely added to foods and dietary supplements. They also need to ensure consistent strength in CBD products, safe manufacturing processes, and accurate labeling of these products.

    The USDA, according to Undersecretary Greg Ibach, aims to issue a regulation in time for the 2020 crop season, which will spell out guidelines for state and tribal oversight of industrial hemp. Hemp will also be eligible for federal crop insurance through the Whole Farm Revenue Program.

    ODA has created a web page to explain the hemp program and gather information from those interested in growing or processing the crop.