By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH
Indiana Correspondent

LIMA, Ohio — As the political climate changes, so should the goals of those in agriculture, according to an official with the National Corn Growers Assoc. (NCGA).

“We need to be smart. We need not to be playing the old agenda in a new place,” said Jon Doggett, NCGA’s vice president of public policy. “Our agenda has to match the political reality.”

Doggett noted the NCGA and other agricultural groups have a longstanding and good relationship with U.S. Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), expected to be chosen speaker of the House of Representatives once the new Congress convenes in January. Even with that, agriculture must carefully gauge what it asks for, he added.

The last 90 or so days have seen changes that will affect agriculture and what farmers can do, he explained.

“People who represented rural districts for a long time were not reelected. These were the people who went to convince the Speaker (Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.) that people in the flyover zone have concerns. The Democratic caucus is going to the left, and the Republican caucus is going to the right, and this won’t help the bipartisanship the voters want,” he said.

Doggett spoke Dec. 16 at the second annual Ohio Grain Farmers Symposium in downtown Lima. The event was sponsored by the Ohio Corn Growers Assoc., the Ohio Soybean Assoc. and the Ohio Wheat Growers Assoc. Worry over the mounting deficit could affect funding for a variety of programs, including those in agriculture, he said.

“The deficit is one of the big, long-term game changers,” he said. “Americans are concerned about the deficit and understand everyone will have to feel a part of the pain. The debt-reduction commission recently recommended some pretty drastic changes and everyone will have to participate.”

Research in agriculture is critical and there is concern about potential cuts in funding and how the public perceives the research, said Beverly Paul, Washington, D.C., representative for the American Soybean Assoc.

“I’m fearful about the days ahead and the support we’ll have for ag research,” she said. “It will be a different environment in the next few years.”

The tax bill included earmarks for agricultural research totaling about $70 million, but when the public hears some of that funding was targeted toward research on maple syrup and bovine gas, some may be skeptical, Paul noted.
“Earmarks such as those are dangerous to our reputation. They’ve given all of ag research a black eye,” she said.

It is a good time to be involved in farming, which is the most profitable sector of the economy, Paul stated. It’s also encouraging to see companies such as Domino’s Pizza use advertising that promotes where their products come from, such as tomato sauce, she added.

“They’re talking about the traceability of products, getting to know your farmer. It’s an interesting time to be in agriculture.”

Livestock Care Board update

The Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, approved by voters in November 2009, spent most of 2010 organizing and listening to the public before approving some new standards in October, said Michael Bailey, its executive director.

The board created euthanasia livestock care standards and approved proposed civil penalty rules that will be used to enforce new livestock care standards, he said. For more information, visit www.ohiolivestockcarestandardsboard.org
The 13-member board includes livestock producers and veterinarians.