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Representative Richardson Tours Farms, Leads Meeting on Systemic Drainage Issues

September 24, 2019
Tracy M. Richardson News

Press Release Poster

COLUMBUS – Representative Tracy Richardson (R-Marysville) hosted a “Farm Day” yesterday, touring three farm sites in Union County and facilitating a public meeting with Representatives Jon Cross and Haraz Ghanbari, and members of the Farm Bureau and Union Soil and Water Conservation District board. The tour was led by Ryan Lee, Steve Robinson, and Josiah Robinson.

The farm visits demonstrated the various types of drainage issues that farmers face, and the steps they take to remedy them. Tour participants viewed degraded tiles, farm land lost due to a systemic drainage problem caused by a major log jam in the Mill Creek, and a project where a new drainage system is being installed.

After the tour, Representative Richardson convened a public meeting to hear from local farmers. At the meeting, potential solutions to drainage problems were discussed. Local farmers provided input about their own drainage concerns, and ideas on how they could be addressed more effectively at the community and state level. A number of procedural difficulties to solving problems such as log jams were considered. Representative Jim Hoops was also in attendance to join in the conversation.

“Visiting these local farm sites and speaking with farmers made it very clear how interconnected farm land is, and highlighted how all levels of government have an important role to play in addressing systemic drainage problems,” Richardson said.

Representative Richardson is committed to applying what she learned from these conversations and tours in a review of current laws and regulations relating to drainage, and an exploration of ways state government can best serve farmers facing drainage problems.