News

Ag-LINK update needed

Since Ohio’s Ag-LINK program was last updated in 2002 a lot has changed in agriculture. State Representative Brian Hill of Zanesville, one of the co-sponsors of House Bill 415 says leading the change are rising input costs.

“Input costs have just gone through the roof, with energy costs affecting fertilizers and fuels, just everything that goes to plant and acre of corn, soybeans or any kind of crop and likewise in the livestock sector, all those costs have increased,” said Representative Hill. “It’s past time to increase the amount available to these farmers or ag businesses and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

The proposed legislation would increase the amount available per individual from $100,000 to $150,000. State Representative Robert Sprague of Findlay describes the proposed changes as being proactive.

“In the sense that it’s not going to make a tremendous difference this year, because the interest rates are so low, but what we are doing is preparing this program for the future, in terms of the aggregate limits, but really when it becomes an advantage is when interest rates are at six or seven percent,” Representative Sprague said. “That’s when the program is in use and it becomes a tremendous advantage to the agricultural community.”

Beth Vanderkooi with the Ohio Farm Bureau told Brownfield back in December to expect the legislation to be introduced and now that it has, Vanderkooi says, “that hopefully here in the next few days it will get assigned to a committee, I’m anticipating some of the finance and financial institution type committees, perhaps agriculture, we’ll see where the leadership of the House and Senate come down, but very excited to get started and get talking about this bill and hopefully not too long from now we’ll be getting it to the Governor.”

Audio: Beth Vanderkooi, Ohio Farm Bureau (2:40 MP3)