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Farmers Losing Ground to People, Recreation
| Thirty years is a long time. It was in 1971 that I began work fresh out of the University of Kentucky here in Clark County as the 4-H Agent. Then seven years later, I became the Agriculture and Community Development Agent. Thirty years gives me the distinction of being categorized as an "old and crusty ag agent." Thirty years ago urban sprawl, water quality, five-acre ranchettes, large lot zoning and mega-farms were not in my vocabulary. People on small farms actually milked cows and farrowed sows. Times have truly changed.
In my thirty years, I have met thousands of people connected with agriculture. Occasionally, I meet individuals that are "older and crustier" than myself. One gentleman in particular goes by the name of Don Lowry. For years Don was a salesman for an international company. At the time I first met him he was selling one of the first growth promotants for beef cattle, Ralgro, which is still around today. Don's territory was the eastern half of the U.S. plus Canada. He was known internationally as the "Ralgro-man". I have never met a better salesman than Don. He is so good, he has retired five times from sales positions. Other companies want him because he is a "champion" in the cattle industry While I was still in high school, Don was invited to a conference sponsored by the U.S. Department of Interior. This meeting took place in Bedford, Pennsylvania in 1965. During the meeting, Interior officials displayed a map of the U.S. They drew lines from New York City to Washington D.C. to Louisville, KY to Chicago, IL and back to New York. They stated that in 50 years (by 2015), the total area in the box, including all of Ohio, will be people and recreation. They called it a Megalopolis, which they defined as nothing but people and recreation. This begs the question- did the government decide 35 years ago what Ohio would become or did they have the foresight to envision that this would become reality? Or will it? Let's look at what has happened since the Bedford meeting. First, the Clarence J. Brown Reservoir buried nine of the most productive farms in the county. Buck Creek State Park was added for people and recreation. Second, there has been an expansion of metro and state parks in Ohio. Granted, several of these have been for protection from possible development. Third, roads have been created and widened to move people for recreation and housing. I-675 and route 35 east of Xenia are examples of state and national priorities. Fourth, the Darby Refuge is not the first or the last refuge proposal to take farmland for people and for recreation. Fifth, individuals who have made considerable wealth are converting farms to recreation or housing and recreation. My millionaire cousin from Florida bought 350 acres in Ohio just to hunt on occasionally. Another gentleman is converting 40 acres of cropland to a lake that is big enough for his speedboat. Sixth, the city of Springfield easily converted a large parcel of prime farmland to soccer fields two years ago. In Seattle, there is currently a huge land use battle because of a proposal to convert five acres of farmland to soccer fields. The biggest threat to agriculture is the elimination of livestock. For a century, value added farm income consisted of feeding low value grain to livestock to enhance profits. Narrow profit margins have always existed for grain crops. In 1965, 80% of Clark County's farm gate income came from livestock and livestock products. In 1999, livestock receipts in the county accounted for only 11% of the total income. Ohio's share of U.S. livestock production declined from 5.3% in 1910 to 1.9% in 1997. There are livestock battles everywhere in this state. Some of our most rural areas like Noble and Paulding Counties are having intense battles over large livestock operations. Marvin Berschet, cattle feeder from South Charleston has served on many National and State Cattlemen boards. Marvin told me that "Ohio is politically unfriendly to animal agriculture". As a result, we are losing value-added livestock dollars to western states. Why these monstrous livestock battles? It goes back to the 1965 meeting: people and recreation. In Noble County, the people do not want the hog operation for fear of hurting their tourism dollars. In northwest Ohio, the people do not want large dairies because they are afraid it might hurt the potential future development plans for their farms. Again, people and recreation rule. John C. Fisher, executive vice president, Ohio Farm Bureau, wrote an article entitled "Is Farming Still Viable in Ohio?" Carl Zulauf, OSU Ag Economist penned an article titled "Is Ohio's Agriculture Decline Irreversible?" And Allen Lines, OSU Ag Economist wrote, "Ohio may be extinct as a 'Corn Belt' state". As I conclude this article, I agree with John Fisher's view on this. He stated "Is farming in Ohio threatened? Yes. Are those threats insurmountable? No. Farms and farmers will remain an important part of the Ohio landscape. But only if we decide today to protect what we want for tomorrow". Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Admin. and Director, OSU Extension TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868 Updated: August 2001 |