COLUMBUS, Ohio – Farmland preservation, artificial intelligence (AI), solar power, and feral hogs were just a few of the topics that 359 delegates hashed out at the Ohio Farm Bureau’s (OFB) 105th annual meeting.

“There was a lot of conversation about farmland preservation, how can we continue to grow as a state but also make sure we are growing smartly and trying to preserve and protect our farmland,” said Jack Irvin, OFB’s vice president of public policy.

That took on a broad range of topics under the umbrella of farmland preservation, such as tax policies, incentives for solar projects, and brownfield development.

Currently in Ohio, the state has money to buy developmental rights, but then another entity needs to come up with matching funds. Many delegates would like to see the state handle the entire cost instead of relying on a second entity for matching funds, said Tim Hesselbrock, Butler County Farm Bureau policy chair, a delegate, who took part in the discussions.

“Many municipalities or local governments such as townships don’t have the money, or most aren’t interested in farmland preservation in the way we think it should be,” Hesselbrock said. “Economic development brings them more money and they need operating money.”

Concerning AI, farm bureau, particularly at the federal level, does not have a clear policy, Irvin said. Members were concerned about data privacy, security and ownership, and necessary regulatory parameters for the development and use of AI.

“While it has been around awhile it is rapidly evolving and we have an opportunity to be more proactive as an organization and have some policy that speaks to data privacy and security in ownership and components,” Irvin said. “Our delegates thought it was necessary to have that conversation and submit those policy suggestions on to the American Farm Bureau.”

Hesselbrock noted that there was talk of spreading H2Ohio across the state rather than just in northern Ohio.

“The thing is if it is equitable,” Hesselbrock said. “Farm Service Agency (FSA) has had those programs for decades. The problem is that most of the time people couldn’t afford to let the land set because they were not paid as much as they could get for renting the ground. If they can get the price up to make it equitable, so the landowners can afford to have a set aside (setting land aside for conservation) instead of leaving it in crop production.”

Solar energy was again a hot topic. There is a lot of interest in balancing property rights versus protecting farmland and respecting the agricultural heritage, Irvin said.

“Our delegates moved forward with supporting some new policy surrounding the community solar projects and making sure local governments have a few more tools and resources (concerning) the sitings and the ordinances that they would use for those projects,” Irvin said.

“There is a lot of interest in making sure that we are prioritizing looking on non-agricultural land for these types of projects; not saying you can’t have them on agricultural land, but concerning some of the available incentives, making sure that land other than agricultural land can be prioritized,” Irvin explained.

Hesselbrock said many were in favor of blocking all solar development on prime farmland.

The February 2023 train derailment in East Palestine brought up talk about the importance of local emergency management agencies engaging with the agricultural community to prepare for emergencies.

Hesselbrock talked about a grain entrapment situation where a local fire department had the necessary equipment and knowledge to rescue the victim. However, the emergency management team came and took charge. They did not know how to successfully operate the rescue equipment.

“You need to let the local people who know what they’re doing, whether they’re the top dog there or not, be in charge,” Hesselbrock said.

Also up for discussion was the subject of foreign governments and foreign entities buying land and driving up prices, Hesselbrock said. That makes it harder for young people trying to get a start in farming.

“That is a problem we’re having across the country,” Hesselbrock said.

While feral hogs are not yet a big problem in most of Ohio, farm bureau members want to eradicate them before they get a stronger hold.

“They’re very invasive, aggressive, and destructive, both to the environment and crops,” Irvin said. “They’re also a threat to livestock and a huge biosecurity risk. Delegates are interested in making sure that we get rid of that population and don’t see it expand in Ohio.”

Hesselbrock added that they are not native animals, they are just somebody’s hogs that got away. “You can’t have a short season, it shouldn’t be a season,” he said. “They are a nuisance.”

Such rigorous discussion of policy at the annual meeting and beyond is at the core of a grassroots organization, Irvin said.

“As the members have set our policy, it is now our job to advocate at the Statehouse and in Washington, D.C., on behalf of them and all of Ohio agriculture,” Irvin said.