skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Census Reveals Bright Spots, Challenges for Ohio Farming

play audio
Play

Monday, July 15, 2019   

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The latest Census of Agriculture confirms the continuing trend of an aging farming population. However, next-generation farmers are stepping up to fill their shoes.

The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association analyzed data from the five-year USDA survey and found the state ranks sixth nationally for the number of new and beginning farmers. Policy Director with OEFFA Amalie Lipstreu said that's roughly 33,000 people answering the call to a challenging occupation.

"Certainly this year, farmers are facing multiple challenges with the weather and with trade tensions," Lipstreu said. "So we need to make sure we're doing everything we can to ensure that farmers can make a living so that we have and can keep these young people that are interested in farming.”

Ohio also ranked sixth for the number of certified organic farms and second for the number of acres being transitioned to organic production systems. The state also increased its farmland by nearly 4,700 acres and is now home to 77,000 farms - the highest number since 1997.

Another bright spot is the value of food sold directly to Ohio consumers, which nearly doubled between 2012 and 2017 to $80 million, despite what Lipstreu said are serious shortcomings in the food-processing infrastructure. For example, she explained, the state only has one certified organic meat processing facility.

"Now is the time for investment in local and regional food systems to further increase the value of these direct marketed foods, create food and agriculture jobs and increase farm viability at a time when farmers would greatly benefit from that support,” she said.

As the nation faces a growing climate crisis and Ohio works to solve water-quality problems, Lipstreu said organic production can help food and agricultural systems become resilient and regenerative. She contended investments are needed that incentivize the transition to organic, and provide organic farmers with research data and technical assistance.

"We should be looking for ways to increase support for certified organic production systems that provide ecosystem benefits like clean water, wildlife habitat and increased wealth to local communities,” she said.

According to the analysis, research links economic health at the county level to organic agriculture.


Disclosure: Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association contributes to our fund for reporting on Consumer Issues, Hunger/Food/Nutrition, Rural/Farming, Sustainable Agriculture. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021