Farmers concerned about soil after train derailment in East Palestine; DeWine weighs in

EAST PALESTINE — Farmers in and around East Palestine have big questions about their livelihoods and the agricultural industry after the train derailment.

News Center 7‘s John Bedell asked Governor Mike DeWine on Friday about their questions.

DeWine spent part of his Friday in the Miami Valley. While he was here, News Center 7 asked him about the serious concerns farmers have about their soil, their crops, and their livestock after the toxic train derailment last month.

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“I have a part ownership in a farm, so I’m concerned about that,” said Eloise Harmon, of East Palestine. “The soil at the farm, Can we plant? Can we not plant? Will anybody buy it, if we do plant?”

News Center 7 took those concerns to DeWine.

“There’s going to be soil testing. Anybody want soil testing, that’s going to be provided. So it’s very important, the testing of the water continues, the testing of air continues,” DeWine said. “We’re going to see the testing of the soil as well. So I understand people’s concerns. I think we see that. But, you know, if they’re seeing anything, the growth of the livestock, you know, part of agriculture obviously can become involved in that. We can get the state veterinary involved in that.”

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News Center 7 also asked DeWine about farmers who say they have concerns about planting this spring in the soil.

“We really can get the experts in. Going to have a meeting of farmers, you know, with AG experts from our different universities brought from the state and really to allow them to hear that concern. So it’s an understandable concern. I’m not the expert. We’re going to bring in the experts. We’ll put them together with the farmers,” DeWine said.

As we reported earlier this week, both of Ohio’s senators have co-sponsored legislation aimed at preventing train derailments like the one that happened in East Palestine from happening again.

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