COLUMBUS – In conjunction with National Ag Day, Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague held a stakeholder roundtable Tuesday in Wapakoneta with State Rep. Susan Manchester, Auglaize County Commissioner Dave Bambauer, and members of the Auglaize County Farm Bureau. The event marked the fourth stop in Sprague’s statewide listening tour on inflation, which is occurring across Ohio throughout the month of March.
Sprague also toured Koenig Equipment in Anna. The facility offers new and used agricultural, lawn and garden, and compact construction equipment.
In addition to the impact of inflation on the agricultural industry, Treasurer Sprague highlighted proposed updates to the Ag-LINK program. For more than 30 years, Ag-LINK has helped Ohio farm operators and other agricultural businesses finance upfront operating costs through reduced interest loans.
As part of his Ohio Gains initiative, Sprague has proposed a series of reforms aimed at modernizing the program, including the removal of individual loan caps and adding agriculture co-operatives as eligible borrowers.
The Ohio Gains initiative aims to put the state’s balance sheet to work for Ohio and its institutions. The proposal centers around three new investment reforms that will help bolster support for the state’s agriculture community, health systems, and institutions of higher education.
