FREMONT, Ohio — As Congressional committees begin prepping for the 2018 farm bill, the Ohio Farmers Union and the office of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown will hold a listening session and briefing in Fremont on Aug. 29.
The event will be held at Terra State Community College, 2830 Napoleon Road., Fremont. It will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and attendees will be provided lunch.
The event is open to the public but will he geared toward farmers. RSVP by calling OFU’s state office at 800-321-3671.
“Commodity prices have plummeted over the past four years and forecasts indicate this is a trend that will last into the foreseeable future,” said OFU President Joe Logan. “It’s essential that despite the current dysfunction in Washington, Congress crafts a reasonable, responsible farm bill that provide a strong safety net.”
Logan said that the National Farmers Union is working with state organizations around the country to hold regional listening sessions where family farmers may come and share thoughts on what’s working and not working with current farm bill programs like Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC).
Comments from farmers around the country are being compiled and will become part of NFU’s lobbying efforts on behalf of family farmers with respect to the farm bill.
The first part of the four-hour event will be devoted to taking unfiltered comments from producers. Notes will be taken and these comments along with comments from a similar meeting to be held in southern Ohio, in September, will be compiled into a report from Ohio to NFU legislative staff.
Farmers will then get a briefing from NFU on the current state of the Farm Bill process. Harwood Schaffer, director of the Agricultural Policy Analysis Center at the University of Tennessee, will speak about potential alternatives to ARC and PLC.
A staff member from Brown’s office will also be present.
