CIRCLEVILLE HERALD by J.D. River

PICKAWAY COUNTY — Members of the Pickaway County Farm Bureau participated in a forum with Congressman Steve Stivers on Friday to discuss issues ranging from agriculture to the state of America’s economy.

“Agriculture in Ohio generates about one out of every seven jobs, that’s a big deal” Stivers said. “We need to continue to support agriculture as a big industry”

Stivers said he is supporting a multi-year farm bill currently in the works, one which will secure certainty for farmers as well as protect crop insurance.

“There will be some cuts in the farm bill,” Stivers said. “We’ve got to figure out how to spend less money in Washington, but we need to do it smart which is why I do listening sessions like this one.”

During the forumm a question was posed on how the nation’s debt issues will affect those in the farming community. Stivers said during the fiscal cliff negotiations late last year, a $5 million tax exemption was created in the estate tax which allows farms to be passed down through generations in the future.

“We also created permanent tax rates for the first time in 20 years, so that’s important, I think, in planning purposes,” he added.

Other items covered were energy independence, animal welfare and the struggles of farming families in dealing with new EPA and FDA regulations each year.

“We need to make sure the regulations make sense and that there is a benefit to comply with them,” Stivers said.

Mike Videkovich, president of the Pickaway County Farm Bureau, said he was pleased by the forum and praised Stiver’s openness to new thoughts and questions.

“It was really great to have him here today,” said Videkovich. “We covered a lot of topics important to local farmers and were able to see how issues can be resolved in the future.”

Stivers will host a town hall meeting on other issues involving Pickaway County at 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at Ohio Christian University.