Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. April 12, 2024.
Editorial: Agricultural census findings should spur lawmakers to create statewide water plan
With residents numbering an estimated 271,493, Allen County is home to Indiana’s second-most populous city, Fort Wayne. But did you know Allen, the largest Hoosier county geographically, also figures among the state’s five counties with the most farms?
According to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Allen County’s 1,497 farms generated $310.5 million in sales in 2022, accounting for about 2% of Indiana’s total agricultural income.
At $18 billion in farm sales, Indiana remains a top agricultural producer, ranking ninth among the states. State farmers also reported a record number of cover crops in 2022 to help absorb nutrients and reduce soil runoff, but more conservation will be needed in the future to help feed the world’s growing population, now at 7.9 billion.
“This data shows that agriculture remains a pillar of the Indiana economy with the total value of agriculture production growing 62% over a five-year period,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, secretary of agriculture and rural development. “The Census of Agriculture is all-encompassing, and it allows us to compare ourselves to fellow states, whether that is in ranking of commodities, prices, demographics and more.”
The Census of Agriculture, taken once every five years, is a complete count of U.S. farms and the people who run them. Even small plots, whether rural or urban, growing fruit, vegetables or food animals, count if $1,000 or more of the products were raised or sold during the census year.
Patrick Graham, whose family has been farming in Wells County since 1873, participated in the 2022 agricultural census. The Grahams received the Hoosier Homestead Sesquicentennial Award in 2023 for keeping the farm in operation for at least 150 years.
Graham grows corn and soybeans on 145 acres, Indiana’s top two commodities in both acreage and exports. In total, Hoosier farms grew about 5.7 million acres of soybeans and 5.4 million acres of corn.
But there’s more to Indiana agriculture than its two most visible products. According to the agricultural census, the Hoosier State is the nation’s No. 1 producer of popcorn, gourds and duck; second for pumpkins; third for spearmint and turkeys; fourth for peppermint and soybeans; fifth for corn and hogs; sixth for eggs and watermelons; and 10th for maple syrup and hemp.
“We are thankful for all the farmers who completed the survey,” said Indiana Department of Agriculture Director Don Lamb. “This data allows our department to provide accurate and reliable information and data to Hoosiers, to farmers and to decision-makers.”
Data from the census shapes programs and initiatives that benefit farmers, according to the state agriculture department. The findings of the agricultural census should be used to assist Indiana lawmakers and officials in creating and implementing a sorely needed statewide water conservation strategy.
Indiana has 25,000 miles of polluted rivers and streams, the most of any state, a 2022 report by the Environmental Integrity Project found. To reduce nitrogen and phosphorus from running off farm fields and into waterways, Hoosier farmers planted a record amount of cover crops on 1.6 million acres in 2022.
In Indiana, 36% of farms are left untilled over the winter, and 25% used “reduced tillage” techniques to reduce runoff. Still, just 8% of farms used cover crops in the fall and winter, which keep nutrients in the ground and heat-trapping carbon dioxide out of the air.
Leading the nation in the most miles of polluted waterways, despite progress in cover-crop plantings and tillage reductions, should motivate state lawmakers to explore more ways to incentivize their use on Indiana’s 53,599 farms.
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Anderson Herald Bulletin. April 13, 2024.
Editorial: All voters, young and old, are valued
Despite all the political attack ads, all the job-approval roller-coaster ratings and all the are-you-better-off-than-four-years-ago questions, Americans seem lukewarm about voting this year.
One Gallup poll had 29% of the national respondents saying neither President Joe Biden nor former President Donald Trump would be good for the next term.
Another found that a slight majority were “fired up” to vote but 41% were not so enthusiastic.
This shouldn’t be the case.
By now, as we are less than one month from the Indiana primary, Hoosiers should have a good idea which party ballot they’ll take into the voting booth on May 7. And they should also have a good idea of whom they will vote for, particularly for president, governor and U.S. representative.
But here is what we find truly revealing: We’re not sure how young Hoosiers will vote. Their interests are vast: the economy, the cost of housing, student loans and the future of Social Security, among a few.
Yet, an Axios national poll in February indicated that 58% of those from ages 18 to 34 doubted whether they would cast a ballot.
Practical Hoosiers don’t believe in such polls. They know that participation in the electoral process is an essential part of living in this country.
But about the youth …
In a CNHI special report, “Pulse of the Voter,” journalists talked with young Hoosiers who generally sensed disenchantment with the upcoming election. One 19-year-old felt his demographic was underrepresented in politics. Another hoped to have a third political party. Yet, another was not pleased to have a rerun of the 2020 presidential election.
They want younger choices. There might be one way to ensure that option exists in the future.
They need to vote. They must make it known that they want candidates to reflect their views and wishes for a successful future.
It’s an approach that all Hoosiers can take.
We must respect these younger voters. None of us should write off their age as one without life experience. Their involvement in the process is just as valid as those of older Hoosiers.
The last day for early voting, which started April 9, in Madison County will be noon Monday, May 6, in the county courthouse.
Satellite voting runs April 29 through May 4 at the 4-H Building in Alexandria, Anderson (four sites), Elwood City Hall and the Pendleton Library.
Check the website of the Madison County Clerk’s Office for hours.
Know the issues. Know the candidates.
And, above all, know that all voters, young and old, are valued.
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Kokomo Tribune. April 9, 2024.
Editorial: Poll workers vital to communities
With just one month left until the May 7 primary, most people should be informed enough to know their plans for Election Day: where you will vote, when and for whom.
But what if there’s more you could do on Election Day? Many counties in Indiana are reporting a need for poll workers, which is a great way to get involved in your community and help others.
In a bid to attract more and younger election poll workers, Howard County officials this year increased what it pays. County Clerk Debbie Stewart said the local poll workers are almost exclusively older people.
The only requirements to be a poll worker are you must be 18 and registered to vote. However, anyone age 16 or 17 can work on Election Day in a limited fashion through the state’s Hoosier Hall Pass program.
Daviess County is also increasing pay for those working the polls. There, Clerk Lauren Milton described the increase in pay as “pretty good.”
Both Milton and Martin County Clerk Julie Fithian said they are currently building potential poll worker lists and will continue to do so through Election Day. Haylee Hall, an election clerk in Clark County, said she’s also looking to fill positions, especially clerks, whose primary function is recordkeeping, assisting voters with signing in and helping set up poll pads and sign-in areas.
“Poll workers really help the people on the ground on Election Day,” Hall told the Jeffersonville News and Tribune early this month. “It’s really important that we have them because not only are they vital to making sure that Election Day works, but it’s also a great way for people to get involved in their community.”
But being a poll worker can be a thankless job; it’s a long day — workers arrive before the polls open and stay until they close.
“Poll workers work really hard,” Milton told the Washington Times Herald last week. “They are required to take a training class, and they work 14 hours on Election Day without leaving the building.”
And while most clerks across the state report no major safety concerns on Election Day, one in six election officials have experienced threats because of their job, and 77% say they feel these threats have increased in recent years, according to a 2022 survey by the Brennan Center for Justice.
As reported by CNHI State Reporter Carson Gerber recently, Knox County Clerk David Shelton was approached by a losing candidate in a local township trustee race who was “cussing me out, calling me every name in the book … saying I’m a liar, cheater and I’ve rigged the whole system.”
The candidate’s son also physically bumped into Shelton twice before the two walked away, according to Shelton. The county prosecutor filed a misdemeanor charge against the pair.
Shelton was one of many elected officials who advocated this year for Senate Enrolled Act 170, which makes it a Level 6 felony to threaten, injure or interfere with election workers carrying out their duties at the polls.
Situations like these might keep people from helping out at their county polling centers. Those who take the time to help their community members exercise their right to vote should be respected and appreciated.
And it’s also up to voters at polling locations to speak up if they see something that doesn’t seem right.
If you have the time available, consider contacting your county clerk’s office to help out your community voting process. And on Election Day, make sure to show appreciation to those who are giving their time to work the polls.
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