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OEFFA Members Work the Statehouse
OEFFA 2019 Lobby Day a Success! Support for beginning farmers has been a high priority for OEFFA and its members for years. The policy program has been advocating for the state to adopt a measure successfully implemented in Minnesota that provides tax credits for landowners who sell or lease land or other agricultural assets to beginning farmers. The recent release of the five-year Census of Agriculture by the U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed some good news for Ohio agriculture generally, and reveals opportunities for the state to grow healthy food systems, contribute to rural community economic development, and grow the agricultural sector by supporting this industry. After decades of farm…
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Local Food Funding Opportunities Abound
Light Up Your Community with LAMP OEFFA worked with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), to provide long-term and permanent funding for local food programs and we won! The final farm bill included the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) which provides funding for the Farmers’ Market and Local Food Promotion Programs (FMLFPP), as well as the Value-Added Producer Grant program and more. In April, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the availability of $23 million in funding for the FMLFPP which includes two programs, the Farmers’ Market Promotion Program and the Local Food Promotion Program. The deadline for both programs this year is June 18,…
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Family Farm ReGeneration Act Moves Forward
The average age of farmers continues to climb, more than 100 million acres of farmland will changes hands in the near future, and the biggest challenge identified by beginning farmers is access to land. OEFFA is working to see how the state of Ohio could do more to ensure a future for agriculture. More than a year ago, we began meeting with members of the Ohio Legislature to alert them to a legislative tool Minnesota recently passed. In little more than one year, the Minnesota Beginning Farmer Tax Credit received more than 800 applicants and provides tax credits for landowners that transfer land to a beginning farmer. OEFFA reached out…
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Conservation Stewardship Program Applications are Due by May 10!
Farmers across the country have little more than a week to apply for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), with applications due May 10. OEFFA urges farmers to sign up for this program which provides payments for conservation activity that many producers already employ. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has provided an information alert with details to answer many questions you may have. What is CSP? CSP is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) largest conservation program that offers whole farm conservation assistance to farmers across the U.S. Sign-up opportunities are available each year. The program provides financial assistance for advanced conservation through five-year contracts on all kinds of farmland. Many…
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Welcome to OEFFA’s Policy Blog!
OEFFA’s Policy Program has launched a new blog! Watch this page for up to date information about OEFFA’s policy work and the issues affecting ecological farmers, resources for engagement, program enrollment opportunities, and action alerts.
FARM POLICY MATTERS