Support for the Statehouse News Bureau comes from the law offices of Porter, Wright, Morris and Arthur LLP.

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And from the Ohio education Association, representing 120,000 educators who are united in their mission to create the excellent public schools every child deserves.

More at OHEA.org The campaigns for governor go hard at each other.

With just over two months until the election.

And the people who power one of the top industries in Ohio agriculture are confronting several challenges.

More on what farmers are taking on this weekend.

The state of Ohio.

Welcome to the state of Ohio.

I'm Karen Kasler.

The two major party candidates for governor have hit each other with some harsh claims as they try to define themselves and their opponents for voters.

It's already become a nasty campaign and a costly one.

It's on track to be the most expensive race for governor in Ohio history, beating the record of around $45 million spent by Republican Mike DeWine and Democrat Richard Cordray in 2018.

State House correspondent Jo Ingles reports.

in Acton's First Dad, released in July.

She talks about her difficult childhood.

I was 12 and we were living in a tent.

Acton talks about how she overcame her past, and that she intends to use what she's learned to improve the lives of Ohioans.

Amy Acton's medical knowledge was described as insufficient to.

Republicans are painting a different story about Acton.

Party leaders have long blasted her for mask mandates and shutdowns during Covid, though Republican Governor Mike DeWine has said they came from him.

But the GOP has also turned to a police report from 2019, which describes a fight during which both Acton and her husband admitted to drinking.

On August 19th, the Ohio Republican Party took a Facebook post from Acton about her Jeep and posted it on X with some changes and a different caption.

Her post read the they got a new plane.

We got a tire cover for our Jeep made by a local Ohio artist.

The Republican Party posted on X a few hours later.

I can't believe Amy Acton posted this.

Check out the license plate.

It's Acton's photo, but with a license plate reading Drunk Mom.

The party's post didn't disclose that AI was used to change the photo, and party chair Alex Trento Filho doesn't see a problem with that.

It's satire.

It's we know that we know.

Obviously, that's not what her license plate says, but someone else disagreed, resulting in a community note to disclose the image and the post is AI altered.

Trying to lose stands by it, saying it's based on facts.

Survived.

Her own daughter called the police.

And this is all in documented not by us, but by police officers.

Acton says those details are being misrepresented by Republicans.

They're taking things out of context, words out of context.

As I shared before, we did have a moment where my husband and I had an argument and it was a normal marital fight.

That 2019 police report shows.

Officers took about 45 minutes to investigate the situation and left without filing any charges against Acton or anyone in her home.

Ramaswami and his political action committee have been running ads since March.

His ads focus on his business skills and describe him as an innovator, a leader and a family man.

I'm a poor swami.

Nothing means more to my husband, Vivek, than being a father.

And like their opponents, Acton and groups that support her are telling a different story.

They routinely refer to Ramaswami as a corrupt billionaire out of touch with ordinary Ohioans, as in this ad from the Democratic Governors Association.

The ad is based on allegations that Swami's biotech company inflated the value of an Alzheimer's drug it had bought that had failed previous trials.

Acton's running mate, David Pepper, says investors ended up losing millions while Ramaswami profits and says it's part of a pattern huckster ism, false hope, false hype that never adds up, but it exploits everyday people while he gets rich.

Trent roundly rejects that characterization of Ramaswami, saying he's a success story to be celebrated.

He's a born and bred Ohio success story from an immigrant family, a very middle class immigrant family.

He's hardly a con artist.

He's the opposite of that.

He's someone that we ought to be lifting up and celebrating as a great success story of what happens when you play by the rules, play fair, and do the right thing.

Acton's campaign manager, Justin Barack, says Republicans backing Ramaswami are getting desperate because they've spent tens of millions in ads against her with no gain.

You know, the latest line of attack from Vivek Ramaswami is desperate and does reflect the candidate who has had $43 million of ads for him so far that haven't moved the needle against Doctor Acton.

And so they're forced to sort of sink into the depths of the gutter to lie about her.

As if.

Campaign finance reports filed in August.

Ramaswami has spent more than $21 million in Acton, has spent around $5.5 million this year.

Jo Ingles, Statehouse news bureau.

the Ohio Supreme Court has again rejected the lawsuit filed on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Ohioans who say they're owed $900 million in pandemic unemployment checks.

The lawsuit claims that Ohio law says only state lawmakers, and not governor Mike DeWine, could end the $300 federal Covid unemployment checks in May 2021, four months before the feds ended the program.

The court agreed with the state, which argued the cases moot because the federal program ended in 2021.

But Mark Dan, the Democratic former attorney general who filed a suit, says he'll ask for reconsideration because there's an issue over separation of powers between the governor and the legislature.

Dan estimates 300,000 Ohioans are due around $3,000 each.

And he says the federal money is still available.

The business community had asked why to stop the checks early, along with leaders in two dozen other Republican led states.

Just like politics is now year round, so is farming.

But that's not a new development.

Farmers have long worked long hours, days and months to get the many jobs they handle done, all while dealing with weather, commodities, markets, costs of equipment and supplies, and other things they can't control and sometimes can't predict.

This week I talked with Jack Irvin, vice president of public policy for the Ohio Farm Bureau, about the challenges farmers are facing headed into the fall.

A year ago, Ohio was in a drought in the last year.

Ohio was seen severe late summer storms.

Higher than average temperatures, terrible air quality from wildfires and intermittent dry spells.

So what's been the impact of all of this on Ohio farmers?

It has been a wild difference between last August and this Saugus.

So we're sitting here in Columbus today.

Let's look at the difference between last August and this August.

So last August as a whole, Columbus got just barely half an inch of rain this August.

To this point in the month, we've already got almost ten inches of rain, which is triple kind of the normal average that what Columbus would get.

So Columbus is about three inches.

And I think depending on where you are, you've seen wild differences of that.

Unfortunately our friends down in southeast Ohio, they've had storms that have had seven plus inches of rain.

So really a tale of two different seasons compared to last year.

And this year because last year we were in a historic drought.

Weren't we very dry?

Yeah.

Like I said, we had half an inch in the whole month of August last year here in central Ohio.

And southeast Ohio would have been similar to that.

Normally you get a rain in August.

Farmers are very thankful for that.

So normally it's very good.

But it's kind of how much and when when you're getting these really, really intense rains.

Unfortunately, those can be a little bit challenging to deal with.

I would say though, overall for Ohio's crop this year, with some of these August rains, there's certainly some pockets that would be an exception to this, but we're pretty hopeful that we'll have a pretty good crop in Ohio this year.

Let's talk about prices that farmers have to pay here.

Diesel fuel diesel prices are a near-record high fertilizer prices.

Also a concern to the point where there are agriculture groups calling for more competition in the fertilizer market and cost of equipment going up as well.

So are the prices that farmers are getting for what they're farming, kind of helping them with those profit margins or are they struggling?

So profit margins are very small across the board.

There's a few segments and sectors that are doing pretty well are better, I should say, than others.

But overall the costs are much higher than the prices that they're able to receive.

I think one of the issues that we struggle with is unites.

Consumers were out shopping.

We see very high prices at the grocery store.

It's a stretch.

Right for is a big issue for a lot of families.

But depending kind of what metric you look at, most farmers are seen between like $0.06 in $0.11 on every dollar that you and I spend.

So very little is actually going back to the farm.

So many other costs involved in that, from the transportation to the marketing to, you know, the different cost to put it on the retail shelf, etc.. So unfortunately, margins are very tight.

And as a whole, the industry is it's struggling in a lot of ways.

Does the industry struggle when there are things that come out about problems, health related problems?

You know, let us be in contaminated blueberries, things like that.

That has to have an effect on farmers.

100%.

We've definitely have seen that some of our producers in Ohio that produce lettuce, leafy greens, etc.

there's been a pretty big hit to that market.

As consumers.

We've kind of pulled back from that, recognizing some of the concerns that have been out there.

Thankfully, here in Ohio, we haven't really seen a lot of those from our products.

So, you know, we continue to stress, look local by local, get to know your farmer, look for those opportunities.

But it absolutely has had an impact from some of the lettuce recalls that we've seen.

Tariffs imposed by President Trump hit farmers hard.

Exports to China fell by 74% at the end of last year.

It was a drop of 85% for soybean farmers.

There was a point last year, I recall, where soybean farmers were saying they hadn't sold anything to China, which was one of their biggest, if not their biggest market.

So how is all that working now?

How are farmers handling that?

So trade is vital for American agriculture, probably between 20 and 25% of all the agricultural products across the United States get exported in some form.

So that might be wine, that might be soybeans and corn and kind of everything in between.

And certainly I think one of the challenges that we see, we do appreciate the president has, has definitely pushed back with some of our trading partners on trying to level the playing field.

There's no doubt there's for many years that US farmers, America has followed a certain set of rules.

And frankly, sometimes a lot of the world does not.

And so that has been a point of frustration.

But certainly some of the the short term pains have been real from some of the tariffs and some of the challenges we've seen in creating volatility and uncertainty in that market.

But I think overall, I think you also have to recognize the big picture.

One of the areas that we've been concerned about, you've actually seen a growing trade deficit in agriculture going back probably the last like five years or so.

Thankfully, we're starting to see that kind of adjust and come down a little bit.

So trade deficit meaning agricultural is importing more products than we're sending out.

Historically, that has not been the case.

We've always had a kind of a surplus from the agricultural standpoint.

So to see kind of a negative surplus has definitely been a concern.

And we do appreciate the president's been trying to address that.

We certainly have some concerns about some of the means we've used to get there, but recognize their probably will be some short term pains to hopefully have some better, longer term benefits.

I feel like we've been talking mostly about crops rather than livestock here on the livestock front, one recent tariff issues President Trump's announcement of a 90 day waiver of tariffs on beef imports.

Beef prices had been high anyway.

So what does that do to specifically be farmers in Ohio?

Yes.

So that's certainly an area where we're pushing back and raising some concerns with.

So historically speaking, kind of the herd.

So the number of cattle that we have in the United States is approaching numbers we haven't seen since, like the early 1970s.

So the smallest herd we've had in a long time, that is certainly having an impact on prices, some of the drought and other issues that you mentioned earlier, that certainly has had an impact.

Southeast Ohio last year.

Ohio is a great example.

Some of our farm families unfortunately had to sell their cattle.

They just didn't have the feed to to keep them.

And so that has had an impact on our herd size, and that has certainly had an impact on our prices.

One of the areas that we're hopeful for is kind of build that heard back up.

We have concerns and questions.

How is importing going to help us do that?

Right.

If you're going to depress the price potentially, and that's kind of the goal to press the price that is going to create a disincentive for farmers to reinvest.

It's very cattle is very expensive.

It's not a quick turnaround.

You don't just flip a switch and you get a stake on the on the retail shelf.

And so it can take several years to kind of rebuild that herd.

Reese, move out that curve, so to speak, of of lost cattle.

And we have a lot of concerns of the impact of what imports would be on that.

We've already seen fairly high imports from foreign beef producers, record levels in some areas, and we don't want to add to that.

We definitely want to be able to give opportunities for domestic producers to grow and build their herds.

And, you know, you and I have the opportunity to buy us beef.

And I was just going to ask about USB versus beef brought in from other countries.

Are there the same standards here?

Do farmers want to they have to follow standards that are very specific.

I would think, in this country, you know, I certainly would defend our beef producer against anyone in the world.

We certainly have the highest quality, safest as a whole, most affordable food supply in the United States or in the world.

Excuse me.

And so we're very proud of what we produce here.

And we'll stack up against anyone in the world.

And you feel it's the food that's produced in the United States is safe, 100%, 100% data centers.

Another big issue.

Our data centers a threat to farmland because we keep hearing about data centers coming into areas where there isn't anything, which quite often is farmland.

Our data centers are threat to farmland.

There's probably not an issue out there right now that I personally hear more from our members on with questions, concerns, just trying to kind of better understand it's it's such a rapidly moving space and as a whole.

If you look at Ohio agriculture, unfortunately in the last 20 years we've lost a million acres of farmland.

So think about basically an acre is basically a football field without the end zone.

So just kind of help people visualize how much it is.

We've lost a million football fields essentially in agriculture.

Now that's everything from housing, warehouses, business, etc.

and certainly data centers are a big component of that.

I think some of the questions that we're seeing and we're hearing is certainly the impact on farmland, but also what's it going to mean for energy prices, water, kind of just the neighborly impact, etc.. And so we've been trying to engage with our members, trying to address those questions and concerns.

And, you know, it's a tough balance because as an industry, we are a very data intensive, energy intensive industry.

So we use a lot of technology.

And so we recognize that like a lot of the services we use are going through data centers.

Right.

So we're not anti-death centers, but can we be smart about where and how we develop as a state and, you know, potentially have some guardrails in place?

So we have some transparency.

We have a good understanding of what the impact is going to be on your utility bills, etc.. When you talk about losing that much farmland, what does that say about farming in Ohio that farmers have been willing to sell their farmland?

Is farming still a business that is making people money?

It can be for sure.

But, you know, one of the one of the terms that I've heard years ago, one of the best ways to preserve farmlands is to have profitable farms, right.

And there's no doubt that has been a challenge.

But when you get so much pressure kind of coming out, particularly here in central Ohio, we're just kind of growing out in those concentric circles.

It puts a lot of pressure on farmers.

And I think another thing kind of the listeners and viewers need to understand, roughly half of the farmland in Ohio is actually not owned by the farmer.

So, you know, you and I had, you know, our parents had a farm and we moved away.

And, you know, they've they've passed on.

We inherit the farm.

We maybe we'll just rent it out to a local farmer to go ahead and keep farming that.

Well, for different reasons.

We live in different states.

We might have some different pressures to sell that farm.

And if you're seeing pressures from data centers, housing, etc., it's probably very difficult for that farmer to buy that farm and make it a profitable business at some of the land prices that we're seeing in Ohio.

So that definitely is a real concern and challenge.

Our is some of that land being bought up by large farming operations, you know, that have the big livestock that millions of chickens, for instance, that kind of thing.

So, you know, there's a lot of pressure for farmland in Ohio.

You know, 97, 98% of the farmland is owned by or operated, excuse me, by family farms here in Ohio.

And that's that's every size, right?

If you're probably looking in kind of central Ohio, some of the areas that you're seeing, a lot of big pressure, you're not seeing like big chunks of ground being sold because they're just not much as available in that space.

It tends to be more pressure from the development side, not necessarily from other farmers.

So housing and commercial development, correct.

Let me ask you about property taxes, which has been a big issue for everybody, including farmers.

Farmers are they have farmland that's enrolled in current agricultural use value or CUV, which means it's taxed on its agricultural value, not its development value if it were a residential or commercial property.

So that normally results in a substantially lower tax bill.

But like for everybody, property taxes have gone up for farmers, right?

Absolutely.

And probably aside from data centers, property tax is probably the next issue that I've heard the most about.

So in the last couple of years, we've all seen it in our homes, right.

There's been a significant increase from the cave.

Specifically, we've seen 100% increase or more in some areas of the state.

And in turn, that has equated to pretty significant property tax increases across the board.

I think one of the challenges that we see with farming is we're talking a lot of profitability issues, right?

So if you don't make any money, you still have that property tax bill.

So I think that's one of the challenges that we see as an industry, whether you're doing very well or very poorly, you still have that bill as an industry.

And certainly property tax reform is a conversation that we've been very engaged in and will continue to be, and trying to see if there's different ways to have some more predictability and kind of smooth out these big spikes.

So we're not getting these 100% increases in some areas.

The values are appraised and updated every three years when counties do that.

Is there a concern that those are going to go up dramatically again this time?

So the most recent update we're hopefully to see relatively stable.

We have seen so part of the the formula high prices actually kind of help slow that down a little bit.

So say these based off of the farm economy.

So we are hopeful that with this most recent update coming this year that that that kind of the big spike will kind of slow down and be more level.

And some of the reforms that have happened here at the state House, we're hopeful we'll also have a pretty positive impact.

But to be determined here in the months ahead, for sure.

Many farmers well, actually most farmers have to reapply for the program every year.

And can that lead to errors, delays, some of the same things that happen when you have to continually reapply for a program administered by the government.

Thankfully, most of our economy auditors do a wonderful job helping Minister.

And then the Ohio Department of Tax kind of oversees all of that.

But that is definitely an area where a lot of my colleagues are constantly working with our, our members and our farmers, trying to help them navigate and make sure that everything is correct.

But there certainly are errors.

And we we constantly talk to our members like, you got to be an advocate for yourself and making sure everything that's getting taxed and getting appraise is correct.

And also with all of this we've been talking about here, financial concerns, unpredictability, the weather, a culture of self-reliance that farmers have must bring on a lot of stress.

And there have been studies that have shown that there's a higher suicide rate among farmers, as much as five times higher in some studies.

What can be done about that?

So that is a great question and something organizationally we work very hard on.

Unfortunately, some of the issues you mentioned on suicide are very real.

I think there's some unique challenges in kind of a generational impact if I'm, you know, fourth generation, fifth generation, I don't want to be the one that kind of lets that line break, right.

We kind of all stand on the shoulders of giants.

And I think in the farming community, they especially feel that especially being, you know, five, six, maybe even seven generations in on their particular farm.

And I think one of the areas that we kind of all collectively can continue to work on is, is just removing some of those stigmas.

It's okay to say, I'm not doing okay, and you got issues with your elbow, like you're going to say, you know, I got to go get this checked out.

And I think from the mental health side, that's one of the things that we're really trying to stress.

It's not a weakness or a failure on your part to say, you know what, I could talk to somebody.

I'm having some stresses and some different things, and I'm probably not doing well, and that's okay.

And we're just I think the beauty of the farming community is it truly is a community, and they try to look after one another.

And that's one of the things that we're trying to encourage is like, hey, let's let's rally around each other and support each other and try to get you the help and issue or address the issues you have and give you the resources you The American Farm Bureau has dedicated a page on its website to mental health called Farm State of Mind.

If you or anyone you know is in crisis, the National Suicide Hotline can be reached by dialing 988.

And Tuesday brought the terrible news that music legend and philanthropist Dolly Parton died following a brief battle with cancer.

Tributes poured out around the world, with governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine mourning the founder of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

One of the first projects to win pushed forward after he was elected.

Dolly came to Ohio in 2022 to celebrate her namesake program, and now Ohio leads the nation in the number of kids signed up to get a book in the mail each month until they're five, with 60% of eligible kids in Ohio enrolled.

The wines are such big fans, they named the puppy they got in 2020 Dolly.

And that is it for this week for my colleagues at the state House News Bureau of Ohio Public Media.

Thanks for watching.

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Support for the Statehouse News Bureau comes from the law offices of Porter, Wright, Morris and Arthur LLP.

Porter Wright is dedicated to bringing inspired legal outcomes to the Ohio business community.

More at Porter Wright.com.

Porter Wright.

inspired every day.

And from the Ohio education Association, representing 120,000 educators who are united in their mission to create the excellent public schools every child deserves.

More at OHEA.org