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Jim
Zumbrink, Delegate to the National Farmers Union Convention; U. S.
Senator
Sherrod Brown with Youth Delegate, Aidan Evans
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Zumbrink
Elected Delegate to National Convention
During the 82nd Annual Ohio Farmers Union Convention held recently in
Columbus, Ohio, local agricultural leader, Jim Zumbrink, was elected to
represent Darke County at the Farmers Union National Convention to be
held in Bloomington, Minnesota, on March 5-8, 2016. During the
two-day event, delegates worked to update their policies on matters
such as: farm corporations, land trusts, ag cooperatives, manure
management, tax policy, farmland preservation, oil and gas wells,
carbon sequestration, nutrient management, transportation, renewable
and alternative energy, utilities, quality of life, health care,
international trade and commodities agreements, check-off programs,
education, etc. These policy stances can now be used when
lobbying the state legislature and serve as a basis for Ohio Farmers
Union’s perspective on formatting policy at the national level.
Local delegate participants from Darke County included Todd and Amy
Rhoades, Jim Zumbrink, Duane Shields, Shirley Morrow, Ted and Holly
Finnarn, Donna Evans and Youth Delegate, Aidan Evans. The
delegates were enlightened by a visit from U. S. Senator Sherrod Brown
on Friday where he spoke to the concerns on trade agreements and issues
in current farm legislation. State Rep. Brian Hill, Chairman of
the Ohio House Agriculture Committee, spoke on Saturday concerning
regulations on manure and nutrient management and farm CAUV
taxes. “Brian Hill has been especially good for Ohio’s family
farmers in fixing the problems with CAUV,” OFU President, Joe Logan
said. “Even before Rep. Hill was a chairman he stood with OFU
members in seeking fair and measured reforms in farmland real estate
taxes.” Logan said he credits Hill for the currently pending H.
B. 398 which would make improvements to the Current Agricultural Use
Valuation formula and take some of the wild fluctuations out of the tax
rates farmers are paying on their farmland in production. “It
should also be noted that Rep. Hill is one of the very few members of
legislature who is a working farmer. He gets us, he understands
our issues,” Logan said.
U. S. Rep Marcy Kaptur also spoke via electronic conveyance at
Saturday’s lunch. Kaptur has served in Congress since 1982 and is
a perennial winner of the National Farmers Union Golden Triangle
Award. The Golden Triangle is awarded based on a Congress
member’s advocacy for family farm issues and alignment with NFU
priorities. “Marcy Kaptur has been tireless in her advocacy for
common sense consumer labeling-particularly mandatory country of origin
labels for beef, pork and poultry,” said OFU President Joe Logan.
“Marcy has also been strongly in favor of fair trade deals and stood
with the Farmers Union against currency manipulation and so-called
fast-track trade authority.” OFU named State Rep. Brian Hill and
U. S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur the Legislators of the Year.
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