Connecticut Legislative Session Highlights

The 2007 regular session of the Connecticut General Assembly is now history. Unfortunately, three bills providing financial support for dairy farmers based on the price of milk passed the Senate died on the House calendar. While none of these bills would have affected the fairs directly, it is likely that without support, more dairy farmers will sell out their herds, thus reducing the opportunities for youngsters to lease animals for their 4-H projects.

One big success this year was to get authorization for lump sum bonding for the Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s farmland preservation program. Until now, each time the Department of Agriculture wanted to preserve a farm by purchasing the development rights, they first had to reach an agreement on price with the farm owner and then go before the State Bond Commission to request the funds. Several times a farm was lost to development after the farmer had made an agreement with the State because the Department of Agriculture could not get their request for funds on the Bond Commission’s agenda. While the new act does not authorize the sale of any new bonds, it is a significant step forward because it allows the Department of Agriculture to pay the farmers in a timely manner after they have a contract to purchase the development rights to a farm.

Another section of Public Act 07-162 creates a twelvemember Farmland Preservation Advisory Board to advise and assist the Department of Agriculture in preserving farmland purchasing the development rights. The advisory board will make recommendations on identifying prime farmland which should be preserved, methods for increased participation by towns and farmers, methods to streamline the process of purchasing the development rights, and outreach programs to attract more quality applications from farmers to sell their development rights to the State.

Grange Testifies before the Massachusetts Senate and House Joint Agriculture Committee

Dozens of farmers and consumers from around Massachusetts, including the MA State Grange, delivered testimony to the Massachusetts Senate and House joint Agriculture Committee on two bills related to farming. One bill would cut off further Massachusetts’s participation in the National Animal Identification System. Another bill would enact a moratorium on growing genetically engineered crops until ecological and health dangers are overcome.

OH Agricultural Linked Deposit Program Makes Loans to Farmers

Ohio State Treasurer Richard Corday announced the Ohio Treasury has approved $125 million in new requests from farmers and lenders through the Agricultural Linked Deposit Program. Awards represent a more than 63 percent approval rate out of all applications. Corday said that more than 1,700 Ohio farmers will be able to borrow money at an average of 4.9 percent interest in 2007, and that total investments will equal the maximum amount allowed by state law. The average loan approved is roughly $76,000 and the average farm size is 745 acres. The state received requests for nearly $200 million from 2,585 farmers in 76 of Ohio’s 88 counties this year. Participating farmers raise a variety of crops, livestock, dairy products, poultry, produce, and nursery stock.

Ohio Raw Milk Sales on the Way?

Legislation introduced in the Ohio Legislature, H.B. 52, would grant raw milk producers the ability to provide this product legally to an educated, willing individual by creating a “raw milk retailer” license. The gift, sale, offer for sale, or exposure of raw milk for sale would have to be at the production site. The raw milk producer must display an Ohio Department of Agriculture notice in a conspicuous place advising consumers that raw milk “has not been pasteurized and may contain disease producing organisms.” The legislation would further direct the Ohio Department of Agriculture to adopt appropriate regulations governing the production, labeling, inspection, and sampling such raw milk, as well as rules governing warning notices and standards regarding packaging and storage of raw milk. Finally the legislation would extend farmer representation on and authority of the Ohio Milk Sanitation board to include issues related to raw milk.