COLUMBUS, Ohio — As the voice of agriculture, Ohio Farm Bureau advocates for government policies that protect and enhance the State’s largest industry— agriculture — which annually contributes  $1.2 billion to Ohio’s economy. 

Ohio Farm Bureau recently adopted the 2023 Ohio Agriculture and Rural Communities Action Plan which outlines specific policy goals intended to strengthen Ohio’s agriculture industry and rural communities. 

Ohio Farm Bureau traditionally established annual priority issues, however, the action plan is a recent development. “This will be the third year that we switched to the format of presenting our priority issues as an action plan for policymakers, rather than just simply saying, hey, these are our priority issues,” Brandon Kern, Ohio Farm Bureau Senior Director, State and National Policy said

The action plan is divided into six topic areas: 

• Strengthening the food supply chain and focus on the economy

• Promote an efficient state budget

• Enact regulatory reform

• Preserve Ohio’s farming heritage

• Build healthy rural communities

• Engage in grassroots advocacy 

Each topic area includes multiple provisions specific to the topic’s established aims. Provisions are established by the Ohio Farm Bureau Board of Trustees each year. “We have a very robust grassroots policy development process that starts at our county Farm Bureau levels and we have a delegate session that meets each year and votes on changes to our official public policy positions ahead of the next calendar year,” Kern said.

Farm Bureau members make recommendations on public policy topics which may impact them. This includes taxes, environmental regulation, education policy and rural health care. “One of the things that the board of trustees likes to do each year is prioritize of all that work that our members have done and establish policy position they’d like my  government affairs team to focus on,” Kern said. “They get together at their first board meeting of the year to discuss what the important issues affecting the agriculture industry are, then they craft the Rural Communities Action Plan.”

The Action Plan is a living document subject to yearly review based on how successful efforts were in meeting goals or the rise and fall of impactful issues. “Either we accomplished our goal or the public policy issues have been rectified or settled, then they move on and kind of replace that with something that is more of immediate priority for us,” Kern said. “I think there are some years where it could look similar and there are other years where it could look very different depending on what’s important or ongoing in the public policy arena regarding agriculture.” 

Although one topic is not prioritized over another, farmland preservation and increased production costs are high on the list of concerns for Ohio farmers. “We have been working with lawmakers to get legislation introduced that would reform our Imminent Domain system in Ohio, that’s probably at the very top of our priority list,” Kern said.  “Also, our members are really feeling the pressure from development all across the state. It’s coming from growing communities, housing being built, economic development sites where you have manufacturing facilities and so on and so forth.” Ker added, “I think the lingering effects of the pandemic and, and the impact that we have seen from inflationary pressures on the logistics and supply chain continue to be a significant concern.”

Ohio’s Rust Belt status belies a rich agriculture tradition that’s being challenged by the arrival of Intel, Google and Facebook. High-tech manufacturing and the information technology industry are acquiring land throughout the State at a brisk pace, posing an additional concern to rural communities. Farm Bureau doesn’t discourage economic growth, however it seeks to ensure that growth and economic development is done sensibly.

“There are places that are better suited for development and growth where infrastructure is already in place and you can mitigate how much prime farmland is taken out of production if you do it smartly,” Kern said. “We’re really stressing when growth does happen in a rural area where agricultural production is taking place that infrastructure developed around it considers the impact that it may have on the agriculture industry.”

An elementary, yet significant transportation consideration is the growing popularity of roundabouts and their impact agriculture transportation. “Something as simple as a as a building a roundabout that’s not done to specification that allows farmers to move large equipment through can create significant problems for the agriculture industry,” Kern said. “Really talking with local officials and policymakers about the effects of development makes sure growth is done smartly.”

Labor is in short supply nationally, and the agricultural industry is not immune. Preparing an adequate labor force begins with a focus on agricultural education. Promoting agriculture workforce development begins with hands-on career training. Career technical education is available in every Ohio public high school, either in-district or through a career technical center.

Kern values existing educational opportunities, however, more can be done. “Ohio policymakers have done a great job focusing on career technical education the past several years, however, I can tell you there are places where there are waiting lists for kids to get into career technical centers or joint vocational schools. Creating greater flexibility for traditional school districts to offer more career technical focused education is a significant priority for us.”

“The governor proposed increasing resources for facility construction and equipment to be directed toward career technical education,” Kern said. “I think that’s the type of prioritization that we want to see for career technical education that leads to enhancements in the workforce.” 

Kern’s work is not only focused on shaping policy at the state level he’s also concerned with national issues affecting agriculture. “My position within Ohio Farm Bureau is currently managing our government affairs team that includes some lobbyists who focus just on our state legislature. But I work on our federal policy and national affairs in coordination directly with American Farm Bureau and our Ohio Congressional Delegation.”