The Blade | Tony Zartman, October 7
As a Paulding County farmer for 25 years, a former Paulding County commissioner, and now the director of operations for the Ohio Conservative Energy Forum, I have seen firsthand how Ohio’s farmers are struggling with rising costs, low commodity prices, and the added pressures of state policies that limit their ability to stabilize their operations through renewable energy development.
The economic struggle in Ohio’s agricultural community is real — and getting worse every day.
The cost of farm inputs, the essential supplies needed to grow our food, has skyrocketed over the past two decades.
U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates show that production costs have increased by more than 220 percent during that period.
At the same time, commodity prices — the market value farmers can expect for their crops — remain stuck at levels last seen in 2007 to 2008.
Agriculture is unique in that farmers plant each season without knowing what price they will receive at harvest.
Imagine running any other business with no ability to predict your revenue — it would be unthinkable. Yet this gamble is the reality every Ohio farmer faces.
The financial squeeze has led to a massive consolidation of farms across the state.
In 1960, Ohio had about 124,000 individual farms. Today, that number has dropped to around 74,000 — a 40 percent decline.
Fewer, larger farms dominate, not because that’s healthier for the market, but because so many small and midsized family farms have been forced out.
As if rising costs and weak prices weren’t enough, severe drought conditions over the last two years have slashed yields even further.
Farmers have had less to sell, worsening already thin margins. The outcome is predictable: more foreclosures, more consolidation, and fewer family farms left to pass down to the next generation.
But there is a lifeline — renewable energy development. Leasing farmland for wind or solar projects can provide landowners with a stable, long-term source of income.
For many, it’s the one tool that can balance the books and ensure the farm survives for their children and grandchildren. In effect, energy leasing doesn’t just produce electricity — it helps preserve Ohio’s agricultural heritage.
Unfortunately, state lawmakers have made that option harder to access. Senate Bill 52 gives county officials the power to ban or block renewable energy projects — even when willing landowners want them. This is not just a policy misstep; it’s an erosion of fundamental private property rights. Both the U.S. and Ohio constitutions guarantee the rights of landownership, yet S.B. 52 prioritizes the opinions of neighbors over the rights of the property owner.
This should concern every Ohioan.
We are a society built on capitalism and entrepreneurship. Why should the government step in to stop a farmer from using their own land to support their livelihood? Why should property rights be subject to a popularity contest at the county level? And why, at a time when Ohio desperately needs more energy for economic growth, are we limiting clean energy development?
The bottom line is this: S.B. 52 punishes farmers at a time when they can least afford it. It pushes more families out of agriculture, accelerates consolidation, and strips away individual rights in the process. That’s not just a bad deal for farmers — it’s a bad deal for Ohio.
Lawmakers need to revisit and repeal this flawed legislation. Farmers deserve the freedom to make choices that sustain their operations, protect their families, and strengthen our energy future. Ohio’s agricultural legacy depends on it.
Read the original article here.