OEFFA's Policy Caucuses

Our policy work must be grounded in relationships with those affected by our advocacy—farmers, eaters, and community members. All OEFFA members are invited to join our Policy Caucuses to expand their advocacy skills, share their stories, and collectively raise the profile of food and farm policy matters.

Together, we can advance policy that protects our environment, advances organic agriculture, combats consolidation, strengthens our local and regional food systems, and supports ALL farmers.

Join a Meeting!

Advance climate resiliency and uplift agriculture as a solution to the climate crisis. Focuses on the various intersections of environmental health and agriculture.

Policies related to: Soil health, PFAS contamination, NRCS conservation programs and partnerships, H2Ohio Program

Subcommittee: Ohio Soil Health Initiative (OSHI)

Identify and advocate for policy changes that can support local food infrastructure and processing systems. Invest in ways that regional and local food systems can keep money local, promote sustainability, and secure a resilient food system.

Policies related to: Marketing, nutrition, infrastructure (like value-added processing facilities)

Possible Subcommittees: Rural Development, Urban Agriculture

Break down barriers in farming to ensure accessibility for all, promote farmer resilience, and make certain that agricultural government programs work for everyone by creating a system that is fair, functional, and informed.

Policies related to: Farmer mental health and general health, access to childcare, succession planning, Risk Management Agency, crop insurance reform

Possible Subcommittees: Land Access and Beginning Farmers, Crop Insurance

Address consolidation in food systems and advocate for policies that support small and medium farming operations. Looking at the overall ownership of agriculture systems and how the largest benefit the most.

Policies related to: Meat processing facilities and access, large agribusiness, regulation, anti-trust policies, checkoff programs, price setting

Vigilantly safeguard organic integrity through action grounded in farmer experience and input. This group will be open to more than just organic farmers and will work towards supporting organic market infrastructure, access to technical assistance and transitioning to organic through policy needs.

Policies related to: Fighting organic fraud, National Organic Standards Board, organic research, organic cost-share

Who Can Join?

We welcome any farmers, researchers, community members, and educators to participate in these caucuses. To help us formulate and strengthen member-driven priorities, we ask that you be an OEFFA member. While we offer student and need-based memberships at discounted rates, our team recognizes that finances still may be a barrier to participation. If OEFFA membership is out of reach for you, we still want you to engage and encourage you to reach out to us at policy@oeffa.org.

Other Information

Each caucus will operate through the lenses diversity, equity, and inclusion, and urban and rural agriculture, which help capture needs of our unique agriculture landscapes across Ohio. These groups will meet approximately four times a year, and the subcommittees will meet at group-determined times.

Get Involved!

Let us know which caucus(es) you’d like to be a part of! We’ll send you meeting invites, updates, action alerts, and other advocacy opportunities that are related to the policy issue area(s) you express interest in.