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Ohio Farmers Union to push for CAUV reform

Property taxes on farmland remain a major concern for members of the Ohio Farmers Union.

Organization president Joe Logan says the current formula to determine Certified Agricultural Use Value (CAUV) tax in Ohio has been a huge burden on farmers in the Buckeye State.

“It has increased from 600 to 800 percent in many cases over the last five or six years and that is a tremendous burden on farmers. It adds $80 to $90 to the cost of production for each acre of land that farmers have,” says Logan.

At their annual meeting in Columbus, members approved a platform to reform CAUV by clarifying the factors used to determine the rates based on current market values.

Logan says CAUV reform will be a major focus of the organization’s lobbying efforts this year

“Major changes in the budget for the State of Ohio to make sure that CAUV values get adjusted back to a realistic value that’s in line with the farmer’s ability to produce revenue off his property” says Logan.

A CAUV reform measure was considered during the last lame duck session of the Ohio General assembly. That measure was dropped following opposition from school organizations.

Audio: Joe Logan, President, Ohio Farmers Union