20 farms selected for COAEPP
REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Office of Farmland Preservation is scheduled to purchase easement rights on 3,316 acres of farmland from 20 farms in 11 counties under the sixth funding round of the Clean Ohio Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (COAEPP).

A total of $3.1 million from the Clean Ohio Fund and $168,000 from USDA’s Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program will be used to purchase agricultural easements on the farms for permanent preservation.

“In the last 50 years, more than 6.9 million acres of Ohio farmland have been converted from agricultural use,” said Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Robert Boggs. “Agriculture in Ohio is a multi-billion industry, adding nearly $94 billion into the economy. It is imperative that we work to save our most valuable resource through farmland preservation.”

An agricultural easement is an agreement between the landowner, the state and the local community to keep a piece of property in agricultural production forever. Landowners may undertake any agricultural activity permitted under Ohio law, and can sell their farm or pass it along as a gift to others.

The restriction prohibiting non-farm development travels with the land and future owners cannot convert the land to non-farm uses.
The Ohio Farmland Preservation Advisory Board recommended 20 farms. The landowners agreed to the offers by the department to purchase agriculture easements on their farms, pending completion of a legal review, title search, boundary review and any necessary review of third-party interests.

This funding cycle, the department received 235 applications from 31 counties, offering 34,292 acres for protection. Since the inception of the program in 2002, the Office of Farmland Preservation has received 1,603 applications, totaling approximately 251,961 acres.

Including this year’s funding cycle, approximately $21.7 million in Clean Ohio Funds and $7.2 in federal grant funds have been allocated to purchase agricultural easements on 117 farms in 23 counties, totaling 23,616 acres.

To view the complete list of recipients, visit www.ohioagriculture.gov/farmland

China says problems found with U.S. soybean exports
BEIJING (AP) — China said last week it had found pesticides, poisonous weeds and dirt in shipments of imported U.S. soybeans.
China has gone on the defensive following discoveries of high levels of chemicals and toxins in a range of Chinese exports from toothpaste and seafood to pet food ingredients and toys. The government has responded by defending its safety standards and highlighting similar problems in other countries.

China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said it has found “numerous quality problems” with soybeans imported from the United States. The quality watchdog said it found pesticides, poisonous weeds and dirt.

The American Soybean Association says the beans – crushed for oil and used as animal feed – are the biggest single U.S. farm export to China, which has bought billions of dollars worth since the current market year began in September.

Appeals panel says Ohio egg farm can keep permits
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An environmental appeals panel on Thursday reversed a decision to revoke the operating permits for Ohio’s largest egg producer, saying the state didn’t prove its case that the company obtained the permits by misleading agriculture officials.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) in November revoked the permits to operate for Ohio Fresh Eggs, which took over the 14-million-hen Buckeye Egg Farm in 2004. The agency said Ohio Fresh Eggs misrepresented itself by not disclosing that Jack DeCoster, labeled a “habitual violator” of environmental laws in Iowa, was involved in the Ohio Fresh Eggs’ day-to-day operations.

Ohio Fresh Eggs appealed to the Environmental Review Appeals Commission, which ruled 3-0 that the company’s permit application was not misleading. DeCoster’s involvement was spelled out in the applications, it said.

The decision is the latest in a long fight among the egg farm, its neighbors and state officials. Buckeye Egg had a history of clean-water law violations and complaints from neighbors about fly and rodent infestations associated with hen manure. The department revoked permits to operate in 2003. Since October 2004, Ohio Fresh Eggs has been cited 15 times, mostly for manure problems.
Ohio Fresh Eggs operates farms in Licking, Hardin and Wyandot counties.

The state can appeal to the 10th Ohio District Court of Appeals. A message seeking comment was left for a spokeswoman for Robert Boggs, ODA director. The permits were revoked during the tenure of former director Fred Dailey.

“The commission finds that the director’s determination that Mr. DeCoster is an individual ‘who has a right to control or in fact controls management’ of OFE is inconsistent with a careful analysis of the terms of the operative documents,” the commission said in its ruling.

Evidence in the case found that the transaction contracts were drafted “to ensure that Mr. DeCoster was precluded from initiating any actions relating to the operation,” while giving him a limited ability to protect his investment, the commission said.

OFE spokesman Harry Palmer referred a call seeking comment to company attorney Bill Smith. A message was left for Smith.

This farm news was published in the Aug. 29, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.