OABA Represents Ohio in State Agribusiness Washington, D.C., Fly-In Trip

Chris Henney and OABA Board Member Doug Busdeker Discuss Ag Topics with National Legislators

Ohio AgriBusiness Association President and CEO Chris Henney and Board Member Doug Busdeker (with The Andersons, Inc.) joined other state and national organizations in Washington, D.C., for the 2013 State Agribusiness D.C. Fly-In. The Ohio group was also represented by John and Kay Oster with Morral Companies, LLC and Kellie Bray with CropLife America.

The group started their trip by meeting with the staff of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and then met personally with U.S. Rep. David Joyce, member of the House Appropriations Committee and Health Committee. The group then met with staff of U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs, member of the House Agriculture Committee and Transportation Committee; U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge, member of the House Agriculture Committee; U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, member of the House Appropriations Committee; U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, member of the Senate Agriculture Committee; U.S. Rep. John Boehner, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; and U.S. Rep. Bob Latta.

“It was a great opportunity to meet with our congressmen and get their perspective on the Farm Bill and where they’re at in the process. During our time with the congressmen, we stressed the importance of the Farm Bill and encouraged them to get the bill passed,” Busdeker said. “We met with several Ohio congressmen and were able to talk about water quality and we were able to reinforce what agriculture is already doing to address the challenge. Every one of them recognized that water quality is high on the list of priorities, and they recognize agriculture is not the only contributor to water quality challenges in Ohio."

The group touched on a variety of issues including the Farm Bill, biotechnology, waterway transportation, CFTC reforms and re-authorization, environmental regulatory reform, the Chemical Facility Anti-terrorism Standards Program, tax reform and trade.

During the trip, Henney and the Ohio group also spent time with members and staff discussing nutrient and water quality issues in Ohio, the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program and steps Ohio’s agricultural community are taking to reduce phosphorous runoff.

National organizations present during the trip include the Agriculture Retailers Association, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, CropLife America, National Grain and Feed Association and The Fertilizer Institute.