Farmer’s Guide to Trucking Regulations available to Ohio Farm Bureau members
The guide includes a farm driver checklist, overview of state and federal regulations and exemptions, CDL qualifications and more.
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Welcome to Morrow County Farm Bureau’s trustee spotlight blog! Every month, Morrow County will feature a spotlight blog on a board member so you can get to know him or her a little better. This month’s spotlight blog features Morrow County Farm Bureau’s board Vice President, Leila Bucher.
Bucher was born in Columbus, but was raised outside of Sparta, Ohio. Her great grandparents, Elbert and Donna Reece, were farmers. Bucher graduated from Highland High School. After high school, she attended Morrow Technical College and received her associate’s degree in business management. Bucher has been married for three years and has two dogs with her husband. Besides Farm Bureau, she helps coach the River Valley JV Softball Team.
What and where do you farm or work in agriculture? My husband is employed with Staley Farms full time and we raise chickens. We also own an excavating company, where most of our clientele are farmers.
How long have you been a farmer or worked in agriculture? I’m not sure if I can call myself a farmer, but I am a farmer’s wife so packing lunches, and bringing snacks and dinner to the field is something I’ve been doing for seven years when needed.
Why did you decide to work in agriculture? I have always loved agriculture. It is important to know where your food comes from and there is no better way to learn than first-hand knowledge.
What do you love about working in agriculture? The pride in yourself that comes along with doing a job well done, day in and day out. The hard work mentality goes hand in hand with farming.
Why do you think it is important to know where your food comes from? I think if you are going to eat something, you should know the process it takes to get it table ready. It is more than picking something off a store shelf.
What is the biggest challenge facing agriculture? The backlash from people who don’t know any better about agriculture. I hear so many people talk about how farmers mistreat their animals, but the many farmers that I know would make sure their livestock is fed before they are fed.
Why are you active (the biggest benefit) in Farm Bureau? I am active so I can be an advocate for agriculture. It is a way of life that is necessary, and I want to help spread the word. The agricultural community is pretty terrific!
What is your favorite Farm Bureau event or activity? I like the tent at the fair. It gives you a chance to talk to people and answer their questions in a relaxed setting.
What Farm Bureau programs are you most active in? I am most active in the Young Ag Professionals group.
What are your hobbies besides farming? I love to paint, go to the gym and coach softball. I am also slowly but surely getting into gardening, but am not a pro yet!
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? I would love to go to Ireland, because the landscape looks beautiful.
Labor has always been an issue, mainly because we are a seasonal operation. So that's a challenge finding somebody who only wants to work three months out of a year, sometimes up to six months.
I appreciate the benefit of having a strong voice in my corner. The extras that are included in membership are wonderful, but I'm a member because of the positive impact to my local and state agricultural communities.
I see the value and need to be engaged in the community I live in, to be a part of the decision-making process and to volunteer with organizations that help make our community better.
Farm Bureau involvement has taught me how to grow my professional and leadership experience outside of the workforce and how to do that in a community-centric way.
With not growing up on a farm, I’d say I was a late bloomer to agriculture. I feel so fortunate that I found the agriculture industry. There are so many opportunities for growth.
Knowing that horticulture is under the agriculture umbrella and having Farm Bureau supporting horticulture like it does the rest of ag is very important.
If it wasn't for Farm Bureau, I personally, along with many others, would not have had the opportunity to meet with our representatives face to face in Washington.
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