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OEFFA Applauds Bipartisan Bill to Support Domestic Organic Farmers, Promote Organic Integrity
On June 24, 2026, Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) and Congressman Zach Nunn (IA-03) introduced the Organic Imports Verification Act (OIVA). The bipartisan bill would safeguard domestic organic producers and consumers from fraudulent organic imports. By centering long-standing needs, like those voiced by organic farmers in Congresswoman Brown’s state, OIVA would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to test high-risk imports of organic feedstuffs, leveling the playing field for America’s organic producers and promoting integrity in the growing organic sector. This bill mirrors companion legislation in the Senate introduced by Senators Ricketts (NE), Smith (MN), and Scott (SC) last year. The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) endorses this…
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Healthy Communities Start with Healthy Farmers
As Mental Health Awareness Month, May serves as a reminder of the importance of mental wellness. However, we should consider supporting farmers’ and farmworkers’ mental health as a year-round responsibility. Food and agriculture are Ohio’s top industries, employing one out of every seven people in the state. In caring for our communities, health, and environment, many producers navigate challenges like extreme weather events, trade disruptions, market fluctuations, difficult management decisions, trying working conditions, and isolation. These can all take a toll on their mental health, with stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms commonly reported by beginning and experienced farmers alike. Need help right now? If you or someone you know is…
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Member Spotlight: Purplebrown Farmstead
Originally published in the Winter 2026 edition of the OEFFA newsletter. In 1999, the Countryside Initiative began the important work of re-establishing working farms within Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP). Its mission was to manage and enhance the natural and cultural resources of this unique landscape along the Cuyahoga River corridor between Akron and Cleveland. These farms would demonstrate that agriculture—when done thoughtfully—can be a meaningful tool for ecological restoration, education, and community connection. In response to a request for proposals, Sasha and James Miller submitted an ambitious business plan rooted in permaculture and organic production. In 2016, they were awarded the opportunity to bring their vision to life: to…
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Member Spotlight: The Local Butcher
Originally published in the Autumn 2025 edition of the OEFFA newsletter. Agriculture is an integral part of the Meeks Family. Jenna Meeks has always aspired to educate others about agricultural practices and now teaches on the subject in Meigs County in Southeast Ohio. Her younger brother, Chase, “was born showing animals” and grew up participating in Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H, contributing to his dream of one day owning a butcher shop. Rhonda comes from a family of farmers, and after her husband, Kenny, was encouraged to raise cattle himself, the parents were in a position to help turn Chase’s dreams of a butcher shop into reality. In…
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Farm Aid Packages Fail to Benefit All Farmers
On Monday, December 8, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the long-awaited farm aid package. The Farmer Bridge Assistance Program will provide $11 billion in one-time payments for major commodity crops, like corn, soybeans, cotton, rice, and barley, and $1 billion will be dedicated to other crops, including specialty crops like vegetables, fruits, and tree nuts. Commodity producers who go through the filing process should know commodity-specific payment rates by the end of the calendar year. There is no timeline or eligibility information available for specialty crop payments. The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) maintains that farm aid packages should benefit all farmers, especially those who…
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OEFFA Farmers Face Impact of Government Shutdown, Other Federal Issues
The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) is a community of sustainable and organic farmers, handlers, producers, and consumers across the U.S. The challenges faced by those in our network are unique to diversified and usually small- or mid-scale farms that provide healthy food to their communities. The government shutdown, tariff negotiations, staffing changes at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other recent events have specific implications for these farms and the local communities that benefit from their products. We have been actively connecting with individuals who want to share their stories to uplift some of the experiences of those in our community. “I do not know…
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Member Spotlight: Dan Halterman
Originally published in the Summer 2025 edition of the OEFFA newsletter. Dan Halterman considers himself a “global accumulator of wealth.” He’s dubbed his backyard a “nutrient funnel,” where he composts banana peels from Central America, coffee waste collected from a local Starbucks, bags of leaves sourced from neighbors, and produce from California and beyond. All of this nutrition concentrates in Halterman’s backyard garden at his home in the North Linden neighborhood of Columbus. And then he eats it. Before retiring from more than three decades with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, he would have a desktop compost collector at work and tell colleagues as they dropped off apple cores or…
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Ohio Legislature Passes HB 65, Officially Recognizing Ohio Soil Health Week
House Bill 65, the Agriculture Appreciation Act, passed the Ohio legislature on June 24, 2025, and was signed into law by Governor DeWine yesterday, on July 1. The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) and members of its Ohio Soil Health Initiative (OSHI) celebrate the passage of this bill and the opportunities that come with it. The bill makes several specified day and week designations relating to agriculture, including recognizing the second full week of November as “Ohio Soil Health Week.” OEFFA thanks Sen. Tim Shaffer for his 2024 amendment recognizing Ohio Soil Health Week and applauds Reps. Klopfenstein and Peterson for reintroducing the bill this session. Ohio Soil Health Week celebrates…
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Statement: Budget Reconciliation Bill Threatens Passage of Much-Needed Farm Bill
On May 22, 2025, House Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This budget reconciliation legislation would slash critical support systems for families, increase funding for agricultural subsidies inaccessible to most farmers, and imperil the likelihood of farm bill reauthorization. As the bill moves through Congress, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) urges the Senate to reject it and its potential to devastate the farm bill coalition and threaten the passage of a desperately needed new farm bill. Since the reauthorization of the 2018 Farm Bill, the cost of living has increased, requiring more families and communities to stretch resources and make difficult decisions when purchasing food.…
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Farmers, Organizations Impacted by Funding Freeze Ask USDA to Honor Farmer Contracts
Since January, billions in lawfully signed federal funding contracts have been frozen for review or cancelled. As the situation unfolded, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) surveyed our community to assess the impact. We interviewed three respondents, briefly capturing their experiences in the short video below [transcript here]. As farmers prepare for each growing season, they must make decisions with a large degree of uncertainty in the outcomes. How the weather, market, seeds, and soil respond is out of their hands. Despite their experience and planning, every year is a gamble that their yields will be what they need. Farmers must always tolerate uncertainty; however, this growing season…
Ecological Food and Farm News
