Ag Day at the Capital: A Farmer’s Perspective from Columbus

This week, I had the privilege of attending Ohio Farm Bureau’s Ag Day at the Capital in Columbus. As a farmer and a member of the Fulton County Farm Bureau Board of Trustees, this day is extremely important to me: to connect with other producers across the state, meet with local elected officials, and share what is going on in our industry.

More than 250 farmers and agricultural professionals from across Ohio gathered at the Statehouse to meet directly with our state legislators. Events like this aren’t just about showing up — they’re about making sure Ohio agriculture has a voice in the policies and decisions made today.

When you spend most of your time focused on crop planning, markets, and weather, it’s easy to overlook how much Ohio agriculture policy affects day-to-day operations. But the reality is simple: what happens in Columbus impacts what happens in our fields, today and in the future.

Representing Local Agriculture

While at the Statehouse, we met with Representative Jim Hoops, Representative Roy Klopfenstein, and Senator Rob McColley. These were thoughtful, direct conversations about what is happening in the districts they represent.

As someone who serves on the board locally, I take seriously the responsibility to represent not just our farm, but the broader agricultural community in Fulton County. When we speak with legislators, we’re carrying the concerns of neighbors, fellow producers, and rural businesses.

In Fulton County, we’ve seen packed public meetings and real action: the Area Planning Commission voted 6-1 on February 11, 2026, to approve a 12-month moratorium on new data center zoning after hours of testimony from concerned residents. Just days later on February 16, Archbold Village Council held a standing-room-only session dominated by data center rumors — a local developer purchased land off County Road C east of the village, and a hyperscale facility is now one of the options being considered. Many in the room (and across townships like German Township) voiced strong opposition over the permanent loss of cropland, strain on rural infrastructure, and changes to our community character.

Right in our backyard, the Ritter Station Solar project north of Fayette in Gorham Township shows how these pressures play out with solar as well. The Ohio Power Siting Board approved the 199-megawatt project (up to 1,700 acres) in a 7-2 vote on November 20, 2025, despite Fulton County commissioners voting to formally oppose it. Land was optioned and leases signed on prime farmland — some of it potentially sitting out of full production for years while the project gears up for a target 2027 completion. This is exactly the kind of “signed but not yet built” situation we’re seeing across northwest Ohio: acres locked up in limbo, removed from rotation, while local governments scramble to respond. Just this month (February 16, 2026), Fulton County commissioners restricted new utility-scale solar and wind projects in all unincorporated areas (with a case-by-case exception process), giving townships more say and reflecting the strong local sentiment against converting productive ag land.

Data centers are enormous consumers of electricity (AEP projects demand in its service territory could surge from 600 MW to 5+ GW) and water for cooling (some facilities use millions of gallons per day). Once that land goes industrial — whether blacktop for servers or panels for solar — it’s effectively gone for food and fuel production forever. For generational farmers like us, this isn’t just acreage; it’s heritage, livelihood, and Ohio’s role in national food and fuel security.

We were direct with legislators: growth is welcome, but not at the default expense of our best farmland. That’s why Farm Bureau strongly supports Bipartisan House Bill 646, which would create a bipartisan Data Center Study Commission to examine exactly these issues — farmland loss, water/energy strain, noise, economic trade-offs — and report back in six months. The bill had its first hearing February 17 and a second one scheduled for February 24. Prioritizing brownfields and existing industrial sites first, while keeping land-use decisions local through zoning, is the thoughtful approach our Action Plan calls for.

Water Policy and the Future of H2Ohio

We also spent significant time on water issues tied to both on-farm practices and the wave of new development moving into rural areas — including the heavy water demands of data centers and large solar installations — plus drainage infrastructure and the future of the H2Ohio program.

Farmers live and breathe water management every single day: installing and maintaining tile drainage, using cover crops and precision application to keep nutrients in the field, building buffers, and watching how every rain event moves across the landscape. We understand hydrology at a practical level that few others do. When large-scale development comes in — whether a data center pulling millions of gallons daily for evaporative cooling or a solar array altering natural drainage patterns with panels, roads, and grading — it doesn’t just affect the project site. It can change runoff, increase peak flows, or create new demands on wells and surface water that impact neighboring farms downstream.

In northwest Ohio especially, where we sit in the Western Lake Erie Basin, these cumulative pressures matter. The 2026 Action Plan reinforces Farm Bureau’s role as “the voice for agriculture by ensuring discussions on water quality are objective and specifically aimed at improving Ohio’s water quality.” That includes greater scrutiny of the water-quality impacts of energy-intensive projects like data centers. Proposals for facilities that could consume 5+ million gallons per day have prompted legislative calls for caps, mandatory reporting, and developer-funded infrastructure upgrades. Rural water systems weren’t built for that kind of industrial-scale draw, and the last thing we need is higher costs or quality issues passed on to farms and families.

That’s why H2Ohio remains such a success story and a critical tool moving forward. As of late 2025, the program had conservation practices on 2.5 million acres statewide — including more than 2 million acres right here in northwest Ohio, covering over 50% of the cropland in the region. A new independent analysis released just this week (February 18, 2026) shows the program prevented more than 420,000 pounds of phosphorus from reaching Lake Erie while delivering multi-million-dollar economic returns to Ohio through cleaner water, healthier fisheries, and stronger rural economies. Farmers are voluntarily stepping up with proven practices that improve water quality without taking land out of production. (And under HB 575, H2Ohio-enrolled land will clearly qualify for CAUV — more on that below.)

The message we delivered in Columbus is clear: H2Ohio works. Continued stable, long-term funding and clear direction are non-negotiable. Short-term budget pressures or uncertainty threaten the momentum we’ve built. Water quality is a marathon, not a sprint — and farmers are committed partners when the program has the stability it needs.

Year-Round E15 in Ohio

The plan states that Farm Bureau will “Promote U.S.-based agriculturally sourced bioproducts and biofuels that provide savings to both the farmer and the consumer, including the authorization of year-round E15.”

E15 is a gasoline blend with up to 15% ethanol (made right here from American corn), and expanding its availability year-round means stronger demand for our crop, better prices at the elevator, and real support for rural economies and Ohio’s ethanol plants. It also delivers savings at the pump for consumers — often 10-30 cents per gallon cheaper than regular E10 — while reducing reliance on imported oil and boosting energy security.

Ohio was part of the eight Midwestern states approved for permanent year-round E15 under the EPA’s Midwest E15 rule (finalized in 2024, effective April 28, 2025). But implementation hit a snag: in early 2025, the EPA granted Ohio a one-year delay on removing the 1-psi volatility waiver for E10 blends, pushing full compliance to April 28, 2026. Just this month (February 4, 2026), the EPA reinstated that waiver after Ohio’s request, meaning E15 could stay available during the 2026 summer driving season via emergency waivers if needed — but we’re still waiting for seamless, permanent access without seasonal restrictions or patchwork rules.

Nationally, momentum is building but stalled recently. A bipartisan push for year-round E15 legislation hit roadblocks in January 2026, leading to a House “Rural Domestic Energy Council” tasked with delivering a consensus proposal by February 15 — which missed the deadline with no deal announced. Leaders from the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, and National Corn Growers Association (including Ohio farmer Jed Bower as NCGA President) issued a strong call to refocus on existing bipartisan bills with broad support from ag, biofuels, retailers, and even much of the refining sector. They emphasize it’s not a mandate — just removing outdated volatility barriers (disproven by science) so stations can offer E15 year-round if they choose.

We told legislators: policy doesn’t end with EPA rules or waivers — it has to work in practice. Infrastructure upgrades at terminals, pipelines, and retail stations are key, along with clear regulatory signals so more pumps get labeled and stocked. Ohio Farm Bureau’s 2026 priority issues explicitly call for authorizing year-round E15 to promote U.S.-sourced biofuels that benefit farmers and consumers alike. For corn growers facing volatile markets and tight margins, this is one of the fastest ways to add demand without taxpayer cost. We need Congress to finish the job soon.

CAUV and Property Tax Reform

Finally, we addressed Current Agricultural Use Value (CAUV) and broader property tax reform — issues that hit every farm’s bottom line and shape long-term planning. This is another direct match with the 2026 Action Plan, which calls for engaging the General Assembly on a tax landscape that supports a strong farm economy with a focus on property tax reform and a review of tax incentives that encourage farmland development.

CAUV is one of Ohio’s most important farmland preservation tools: it values agricultural land based on its productivity for farming, not on speculative development pressure from data centers, solar arrays, or housing. In high-growth or high-pressure areas like parts of northwest Ohio, that protection is priceless. Without it, a sudden reappraisal could turn a farm’s tax bill into something unsustainable overnight.

Recent progress is encouraging. In December 2025, Governor DeWine signed a package of four major property tax reform bills (HB 186, HB 335, HB 129, and HB 309) that take effect for 2026 taxes. These cap certain school levy increases at inflation, fix flaws in the 20-mill floor, tighten oversight on new levies, and maintain the important agriculture tax credit — all while delivering billions in relief and more predictability for homeowners and farmers alike.

Specifically on CAUV, House Bill 575 (introduced in November 2025 by Reps. David Thomas and Bob Peterson) proposes practical improvements to the program itself — and Farm Bureau is strongly supportive. The bill does not change the core productivity-based CAUV calculation or cut taxes outright, but it brings much-needed transparency and uniformity during one of the toughest ag economies we’ve seen since the 1980s. Key highlights include:

• Counties must offer electronic/online CAUV applications and provide receipts/notifications if acres are not accepted.
• Counties must notify CAUV recipients (mail or electronic) when values are updated, showing soil types, present and future values, and how to check them.
• Property tax bills must display a new line: the CAUV credit savings — exactly how much the program saves each parcel.
• Uniformity fixes: H2Ohio-enrolled land clearly qualifies under its soil type; codifies fallow-year practices and the Maralgate Supreme Court decision (incidental non-commercial uses don’t kick land off CAUV); clarifies barns, driveways, farm markets, etc., all count as ag use; allows combining commonly owned acreage across counties; removes the annual renewal requirement; and more.

These small changes deliver big stability and fairness — exactly what the Action Plan calls for. Property taxes remain one of the highest fixed costs on any farm. With development pressures rising all around us, protecting a fair, stable CAUV system is essential so families can plan, invest, and pass land to the next generation. For our family, that predictability isn’t abstract. It’s about whether the farm stays viable for decades to come.

Why Ag Day at the Capital Matters

Ag Day at the Capital reminded me why these trips matter. It’s not just meetings — it’s about putting real farm faces and real Fulton County stories in front of the people writing the rules. The brand-new 2026 Ohio Farm Bureau Action Plan we discussed that day lays out exactly the balanced, common-sense priorities we need: smart growth that protects farmland, objective water-quality progress through H2Ohio, year-round E15 to grow corn markets, and CAUV transparency to keep farms viable.

In our county and across Ohio, we’re navigating real tension between economic growth and preserving the ag land that feeds us all — while pushing for market opportunities and stable tools that keep farms in production. I’m grateful for the chance to carry our local perspective to Columbus, and I’ll keep showing up.

If you’re a farmer, rural resident, or someone who cares about Ohio’s ag future — especially data centers, solar on farmland, water quality, E15 access, or property taxes — stay engaged locally and at the statehouse. Our voice only gets stronger when we use it.

What are your thoughts on these issues in your area? Have you pumped E15 yet, or seen land tied up in solar leases? Feel free to comment below or reach out — I’d love to hear from fellow Ohioans.