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Representative addresses hot topics at annual Farm Forum
 
By Doug Graves
Ohio Correspondent


VERSAILLES, Ohio – COVID-19 relief bill. Suicide in agriculture. Agriculture careers. Trade negotiations.
Warren Davidson, a Republican representing Ohio’s 8th Congressional District, weighed in on these and other hot topics during his annual Farm Forum last week at Versailles High School. The event was hosted by Versailles FFA students, and featured speeches from Davidson, State Rep. Kyle Koehler, Darke County Commissioner Matt Aultman and Jack Irvin, senior director of state and national policy with the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.
Davidson was met with many questions regarding the COVID-19 debate in Washington D.C., and how it relates to local farmers and ranchers. Davidson noted that the most recent coronavirus bill, known as The American Rescue Plan, is more than likely the final round of COVID-19 relief. He informed those in attendance that around $24 billion, of $30 billion planned for ag-related relief, has been distributed.
“I’ve talked to folks with row crops, and the relief money translates to approximately $100 per acre, but that’s not always the case uniformly with all the different programs,” said Davidson, as he delved further into the other assistance programs.
Davidson then spoke on what he believes to be an unconstitutional, racially biased aspect of the new COVID-19 relief bill.
“One of the many things that isn’t really COVID-19 related that’s in this last bill that, to me is likely to be unconstitutional, is a racially biased loan forgiveness program,” Davidson said. “If you’re a non-white farmer or rancher, socially disadvantaged is what the references say, you could have your FSA or CCC loans forgiven plus 20 percent. So, 120 percent of your loan could be forgiven up to $2.1 million.”
Davidson acknowledged that the 8th District isn’t the most diverse in the country, and encouraged those who are considered minority farmers or ranchers to take advantage of the program. He expects there will be continued challenges to this development.
The panel also a discussed the increasing rate of suicide in the agriculture community, five times higher than non-farmers. U.S. farmers are saddled with near-record debt, declaring bankruptcy at rising rates and selling off their farms amid an uncertain future clouded by climate of tariffs and bailouts.
It was noted that more than 450 farmers killed themselves across nine Midwestern states from 2014 to 2018, according the data collected by USA Today Network and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting.
“Acts of despair are on the rise and it’s not a good trend,” Davidson said. “A lot of it goes for farmers in a similar way for veterans. You have so much of your identity tied up into what you are doing. And when that feels threatened, it really gets to the core of who you are and how you see yourself.”
Davidson said it was important for neighbors to reach out to one another and to treat “mental hygiene” awareness in the same manner as physical hygiene.
David Hall, state director of Ohio’s USDA Ohio Rural Development, took the podium, addressing the mental health issue and encouraged those in the agriculture sector that “it’s OK to talk about this. We have to understand that we have to talk about this and have each other’s back and point people to directions of help,” Hall said.
Hall mentioned the Ohio Farm Bureau’s “Got Your Back” mental health campaign that has partnered with his agency to offer help.
Versailles FFA students chimed in, many of them asking what the future of agriculture meant in terms of careers. The panel cited several promising avenues for those entering the ag field. An example they discussed was the pending ethane “cracker plant” in Belmont County. That plant converts ethane to polyethylene, which is a component of plastics, household chemicals, textiles and other products.
Davidson was heavily involved in trade negotiations this past year, a topic which he spoke on extensively during the forum.
“USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canadian Agreement) was a big win as we established new tariff rate quotas on dairy products in particular,” Davidson said. “We got Canada to open their markets to imports from the U.S., which is big in our area for chicken and eggs.”
Davidson added that imports are no longer tied to domestic production in Canada. He said the tie was previously limiting U.S. trade ability, and also hurting the Canadian agriculture market. He also added that negotiations in trade with China have benefited all, and that farmers have paid a big price throughout the process of fixing trade policies. He added that new trade policies have again leveled the playing field and opened up new export avenues for farmers across the country.
Koehler touched on state house bills leaning toward water quality and food security. He mentioned Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio plan toward improving Ohio’s water quality, adding that nearly $40 million went to the Ohio Department of Agriculture and its nutrient management plans.
Koehler also spoke about the 2,000 acres of Ohio farmland certified to grow hemp, adding that the state government is still working on the details about how to successfully promote hemp as a commodity, and as a profitable plant to cultivate.
Irvin commented that food supply chain disruptions had a major impact on the agriculture and livestock industry during the pandemic, adding that during this time nearly a million fewer jobs and 250,000 fewer cows were processed as compared to previous years. “That disruption was not widely noticed and we credit that to the hard work of local farmers maintaining production to the best of their ability,” Irvin said.
4/12/2021