Seneca County Fair opens in Tiffin: 2026 schedule guide
With 750 market animals from 455 exhibitors entered, the week builds toward Saturday's livestock sale and includes Anne Wilson's grandstand show Wednesday.
Agriculture
USDA union leaders rally against proposed DC downsizing
Union leaders say only 7% of polled Forest Service workers would relocate, warning firefighting response and rural aid could suffer as unions seek a court injunction.
FDA: Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce sample produced a false positive for cyclospora
The FDA says the false positive does not change the data behind Taylor Farms' recall, as the outbreak has sickened over 1,600 people in five states including Ohio.
US House panel approves $95B GOP-only budget blueprint
The 20-14 party-line vote rejected all Democratic amendments and sets up $60 billion for defense, $12 billion for farmers and $10 billion for voter ID grants.
US House GOP launches process to provide $60B for defense, up to $12B for farms
The $95 billion package also includes $10 billion for state voter ID grants, and Senate Republicans remain divided over using reconciliation a third time.
More on Agriculture
In Ohio, solar is no big threat to farmland
Golf courses use nearly triple the farmland solar does statewide, and suburban sprawl five times more, according to a new SEIA land-use map.
Republicans in Congress struggle with internal squabbles as time runs out on 2026
With just 24 days in session before November elections, Republicans clash over a voter ID bill while stalling work on government funding and defense policy.
US Supreme Court hands win to Monsanto in case related to claims Roundup causes cancer
The court ruled that federal pesticide law bars state lawsuits over cancer warnings, overturning a Missouri jury's $1.25 million verdict for a Roundup user.
Vermont is first state to ban toxic herbicide paraquat, as others may follow
The ban follows Syngenta's announcement to end paraquat production globally, and nine other states are considering similar legislation.
Trump struck a deal for China to buy $17B a year in US ag products. Farmers are skeptical.
China hasn't confirmed the $17 billion commitment, and farmers say past trade deals fell short of promised purchases.
Bipartisan US senators want investigation into farm equipment companies moving jobs to Mexico
Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno and Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin are pushing the Commerce Department to investigate John Deere, Caterpillar, and CNH for offshoring manufacturing jobs to Mexico while paying billions to shareholders.
War in Middle East causes further stress on U.S. farmers
U.S. corn farmers are entering a 4th year of negative yields as Middle East conflict disrupts fertilizer imports and drives up production costs already topping $900 per acre.
GOP cuts in federal food aid scramble passage of long-delayed farm bill
The House Agriculture Committee passed a new farm bill 34–17, but deep divisions over Republican cuts to SNAP food assistance are threatening the decades-old coalition that has historically made the legislation possible.
Why a new Seneca County chicken facility could raise local water bills
Aqua Ohio cautions that runoff from a large egg-laying operation near Tiffin could increase drinking water treatment costs, potentially impacting customer water rates.
Ohio farmers see one-year, 74% loss in Chinese sales due largely to Trump tariffs, report shows
Ohio farmers lost nearly $76 million in exports to China this year as Trump’s tariffs disrupted trade, with soybean producers hardest hit and bailouts falling short of losses.
Tariffs trickle into cost of Thanksgiving dinner, jilting consumers and farmers
Farmers and food distributors warn that Trump-era tariffs are raising grocery prices, shrinking farm profits, and hurting food banks while calling for long-term policy fixes.
Trump allows more foreign ag workers, eases off ICE raids on farms
The Trump administration is expanding H-2A farm visas, lowering guest-worker wages, and quietly reducing agricultural ICE raids as growers face labor shortages and rising costs, drawing criticism from farmworker advocates.
The Trump administration continues to demonstrate its failure to appreciate the plight of American farmers
President Trump’s trade war and failed China “deal” have left U.S. farmers facing record debt, plunging exports, and collapsing markets. While the administration touts temporary bailouts, economists say the policies are enriching investors abroad and worsening the economic and climate crises hitting rural America.
Ohio farmers say Jon Husted-backed tariffs are driving them into the red
Soybean farmers across Ohio say tariffs are crippling their livelihoods, driving up costs and slashing overseas sales. As losses mount and rural frustration grows, many who once backed Husted now blame his trade policies for pushing Ohio agriculture to the brink.
