Kaptur holds a 'full-on listening session' for farmers

Farmers and agricultural representatives from around the area met with U.S. Reps. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, and Cheri Bustos, D-Illinois, both members of the House Agriculture Committee, on Monday to make requests regarding upcoming farm legislation.

At a meeting held at Terra State Community College, the congresswomen listened to the concerns of around 40 members of the farm, business and conservation communities regarding the 2023 Farm Bill. The agricultural funding bill, which comes up every five years for renewal, includes multiple provisions for special interests. Community members took turns expressing their concerns about the farm bill.

'Your voice will be part of that'

"This is designed to be a full-on listening session," said Bustos, who chairs the Agriculture Committee's General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee. "As the 2023 Farm Bill is written, your voice will be a part of that. We want to make sure that we get the Farm Bill right."

"This is an opportunity for us to impact the shape of the 2023 Farm Bill," Kaptur said.

Kaptur, who grew up in Rossford, the daughter of a grocer, said that her father was closely involved with the farmers and growers in the local area, and those relationships led her to an interest in agricultural and environmental issues. She said the Western Basin area of Lake Erie is the most tiled and drainage-ditched part of America, leading to environmental challenges from farm runoff and irrigation, among other issues. Kaptur said she envisions an entire restructuring of the Western Basin.

"Nature is changing in the region," she said.

Conservation, crop insurance are top issues

Among the many concerns expressed by agriculture representatives from across the state, the main issues were soil health conservation and the preservation of crop insurance coverage and rate structures.

Kirk Vanshaw, of the Spangler Candy Co. in, Bryan addressed issues related to large corporations swallowing up smaller, regional farming operations, such as happened with the regional sugar beet industry over the past decade. That, coupled with supply chain issues, had a heavy impact on the business in April.

"We ran out of sugar this year," said Vanshaw, whose company manufactures Dum-Dum suckers and is the only remaining American manufacturer of candy canes. He said that if the upcoming bill could shore up such issues, the company could relocate 200 jobs in Mexico to Bryan.

Kaptur recalled a discussion she had had regarding just that situation with area farmer Chet Mauch, who had seen the trend of large companies buying out whole regional farming operations.

"He knew those jobs would go down there," she said.

Joe Logan, a Northeast Ohio farmer and president of Ohio Farmers' Union, also mentioned the idea of larger corporations taking away from local farmers. He called for encouragement of competition and transparency in the livestock market. He also called for the bill to include a reconfiguring of crop insurance rates for farmers who improve soil health.

Julie Chase Morefield, of Second Harvest Food bank added that the bill should help fund contracts between food banks and local growers.

Paul Herringshaw, of Herringshaw Farms, near Bowling Green, also addressed the powerful need for subsidies for crop insurance.

"Crop insurance is an incredibly important tool for farmers in mitigating their risk," Herringshaw said.

Roger Wise, of the Ohio Farmers' Union, also looked to the future of renewable energy resources in the upcoming bill. He mentioned the Poet ethanol plant near Fostoria as a method for sustaining corn prices and improving the environment.

Kaptur agreed.

"We're just at the beginning with these renewables," she said, encouraging those assembled to continue to provide input over the course of the legislative process.

"We want the best science," she said. "We need all of your ideas."

mmagnuson@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Kaptur, Bustos listen to farmers