COLUMBUS – As Congressional committees begin prepping for the 2018 Farm Bill, the Ohio Farmers Union will hold a listening session and briefing in Wilmington on Monday, Sept. 18.

The event will be held at the Moyer Community Room in the Wilmington Municipal Building, 69 N. South St. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. and is expected to last two hours.

The event is open to the public but will he geared to farmers. Light refreshments will be provided by the Clinton County Farmers Union.

“It’s essential that despite the current dysfunction in Washington, Congress crafts a reasonable, responsible Farm Bill that provides a strong safety net,” said OFU President Joe Logan.

Logan said that the National Farmers Union is working with state organizations around the country to hold regional listening sessions where family farmers may come and share thoughts on what’s working and not working with current Farm Bill programs like Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC).

Comments from farmers around the country are being compiled and will become part of NFU’s Farm Bill lobbying efforts.

The first part of the event will be devoted to taking unfiltered comments from farmers.

Farmers will then get a briefing from NFU on the current state of the Farm Bill process. Dr. Harwood Schaffer, director of the Agricultural Policy Analysis Center at the University of Tennessee, will speak about potential alternatives to ARC and PLC.

“Farmers cannot control the weather and we don’t control markets,” Logan said.

“The Farm Bill and a reasonable safety net for producers is a vital part of our ability to continue to feed Ohio and the world – and it’s not too early for Ohio farmers to be heard on the next one,” Logan said.