March 28, 2024

“Government employees are not considered valid committee representatives when they have no involvement in handling or raising cattle in Ohio, and expand their livelihood by services and fees charged to “farmers.”

Feb. 2, 2010

Honorable OHIO AG & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

We oppose HB 414 due to no detailed documented representation for cattle producers.

The generic terms of HR 414 use the word “Farmers” as the total agriculture representatives. There are  at least three distinct segments of what you refer to as one name “farming.”

1) Dairying is the production of a milk product. It doesn’t produce grains or raise cattle for meat product.  Dairies compete with ranchers for grain and hay products.

2) Ranching is the raising beef cattle for meat purposes. A rancher does not sell milk, nor fibers. He normally will buy grain or hay from a farmer.

3) Farming is the process of plowing, planting and growing grain and fiber from the soil that can be sold to ranchers or dairies, or for other uses.

All of the three above compete with each other as distinct different businesses.

There is no verbiage in HB 414 that assures the largest livestock segment in Ohio (cattle) will have a single representative on your board of 13.

Government employees are not considered valid committee representatives when they have no involvement in handling or raising cattle in Ohio, and expand their livelihood by services and fees charged to “farmers.”

Therefore we consider HB 414 written grossly unfair to all cattle producers in the great state of Ohio.   Depending on the appointments, possibly also unfair to dairys and grain farmers.

Enforcement tired,

Darol Dickinson, Belmont County, 740 758 5050

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