WASHINGTON – Gary Carter from Columbiana County and Joe Ray and Tom Yuhasz of Ashtabula County were among the Ohio Farmers Union members who met with Ohio Congress members to discuss the Farmers Union’s new legislative proposal for agriculture and rural communities.
Call for action. Participants urged lawmakers for swift and decisive action to enact legislation that allows producers to receive a reasonable income from the marketplace, provide an adequate budget for the department of agriculture, and ensure adequate emergency assistance and safety net.
OFU members also asked lawmakers to urge Secretary of Agriculture, Ann Veneman, to honor the vote of the pork checkoff, where 53 percent of pork producers voted to terminate the program.
Hot topics.
OFU members said these meetings were also used to discuss the issues of estate tax relief and country of origin labeling, which has become a very hot topic since the spread of mad cow disease and the foot-and-mouth epidemic coming out of Europe.
Those present. OFU members met with members of Congress and the administration, including Michelle Dallafiora, legislative director for Ted Strickland (6th District); congressman Sherrod Brown (13th District); and Catherine Walters, agricultural aide to Sen. George Voinovich.
