Even though I was raised a “city boy,” I have long held a great appreciation for Ohio’s farmers. They are the backbone of Ohio and the nation, and there’s no doubt in my mind that the people of the agriculture community are among the finest citizens in the state – committed to faith, family and hard work.

 Agriculture is Ohio’s number one industry and probably always will be because the majority of our food supply comes from agriculture. The Ohio Livestock Coalition (OLC) reports that Ohio has 78,000 farms covering 14.7 million acres of land and is a top producer of livestock, corn and soybeans. It ranks in the top 10 nationally in production of pork, turkey, eggs, Swiss cheese and ice cream.

 But the “agbioresource” industry goes beyond the fields: Ohio is a leader in bio-products innovation and home to more than 800 food processing plants, including processors of meat, poultry, dairy and other specialty foods.

Thanks to advances in biotechnology, farmers today are working harder, smarter and more efficiently than ever before. According to the OLC, 50 years ago one farmer fed only 19 people. Today, one farmer feeds 129 people – 101 in America and 28 abroad. This efficiency is helping Ohio’s farmers compete, not only in the national marketplace, but globally as well.

 Each year we celebrate National Agriculture Week during the month of March. This is a wonderful opportunity to honor farmers and ranchers for all they do to keep America, and the world, fed. I was pleased to celebrate this time by hosting my annual Farm Forum in Columbus, Ohio. Each year I meet with Ohio’s agriculture groups to thank them for their contributions to our state and find out what I can do to help them.

 Currently, our nation’s fiscal health is hurting agribusiness. Programs farmers need are not getting funded because of the squeeze on our discretionary budget. Right now, the federal government spends only one-sixth of its annual budget on non-defense discretionary spending. I am hopeful that the 110th Congress will reauthorize the Farm Bill sometime this summer. If it follows in the footsteps of previous bills, it should cover commodity price support, conservation, trade, energy, nutrition, rural development and research. 

 I look forward to working with the agriculture community to make sure the Farm Bill meets the needs of Ohio’s farmers and ranchers. I’m eager to see a bill that provides a strong safety-net for farmers, beneficial conservation programs and more investment in energy independence through renewable fuel development and research.

 In order to strengthen Ohio’s agribusiness, we must become less dependant on foreign sources of energy. That’s why in 2005, I supported and Congress passed the Energy Policy Act, which is a good step toward energy independence.
Specifically, I supported an amendment that calls for increasing the amount of renewable fuel, such as ethanol or biodiesel, to 7.5 billion gallons in 2012.

This would be a great boost to Ohio’s economy and agriculture industry, as corn is a major Ohio crop.

 I know many farmers are also concerned with the state of our nation’s immigration policy. It presents a very serious problem in parts of the country like New England and California. Fields are going unpicked and crops are going bad. This threatens the livelihood of local businesses and their employees and impacts the local economy.

 That is why I have long supported Senator Craig and Senator Feinstein’s efforts to pass the AgJOBS bill, which would overhaul the agricultural H-2A guest worker program and provide for a legal guest worker program. While I support AgJOBS, I also recognize that border security and control is one of the highest priorities of government.

Any solution must address both the issue of border security and the economy. We can secure the borders and work the fields at the same time, and I intend to see both accomplished.

 I am pleased that my work on behalf of Ohio’s agribusiness community has been recognized with the “Friend of the Farm Bureau Award” and the National Corn Growers Association’s “President’s Award.”  

I am committed to continuing to work as a federal partner to enact commonsense policies that will help safeguard Ohio’s interests and maintain our number one industry. And I encourage all Ohioans to thank your local farmers for all they do to strengthen our economy.         

This farm news was published in the March 28, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.