Local delegates return from OFU Convention

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LIMA – Local delegates recently represented Darke County at the Ohio Farmers Union 86th annual Convention in Lima. Those delegates included Todd and Amy Rhoades, Jim and Diana Zumbrink, Ted and Holly Finnarn and youth delegate, Emily Schmitz, who spent their time considering policies ranging from water quality to rural healthcare reform.

Each January, the Ohio Farmers Union holds its annual convention and this year it was held in Lima. One of the most important duties the delegates undertake each year is to identify the “Special Orders of Business” for duration of the current year. These special orders are what convention delegates determined through debate and votes should be the highlights of OFU policy for the year.

OFU convention delegates passed special orders of business for 2020 on the following issues:

* A Focus on Lake Erie Water Quality and Nutrient Management

* The Congressional Will on the SNAP Work Requirements

* Increased Accountability for State and Federal Checkoff Funds

* Healthcare Reform for Rural America

* Supporting Renewable Energy in Rural Ohio

* Needed Regulation on Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Lands

* Renewable Fuel Standards Decisions in Washington that Reward Fuel Companies at the Expense of Farmers

* Environmental Cleanup in Regards to Concentrated Animal Feeding Facilities and Operations

* Monopolistic Corporate Concentration in Ag Industry

* Prohibition of Radioactive Brine Being Used as Dust Suppression and De-Icing Treatments

Darke County received both of the Joe Fichter Essay Scholarship Awards this year, garnering first and second place in the State. John Fischer, a senior from Ansonia High School, won first place and Emily Schmitz, a senior from Mississinawa Valley High School, won second place in the scholarship contest.

For a complete rundown of all of OFU’s policy considerations for 2020, see https://ohfarmersunion.org/. For information about the Darke County Farmers Union, contact Holly Finnarn at 421 Public Square, Greenville, Ohio, 937-548-3240.

Bill Miller, OFU’s vice president, addressed the 86th annual Ohio Farmers Union Convention.
https://www.dailyadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/web1_OFU-Convention-2020-2-w.jpgBill Miller, OFU’s vice president, addressed the 86th annual Ohio Farmers Union Convention. Courtesy photo

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