According to Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, nearly 31% of Ohio or over 8 million acres of the state is under forest cover. Almost 6 million of those acres are held by some 336,000 nonindustrial private landowners. If you are one of those owners, you probably already know that properly managing your woodland improves forest health, aesthetics, and wildlife habitat. It also provides soil stabilization, clean water, self-satisfaction, and a potential source of income. On this week’s Our Ohio Weekly, we discover more about Ohio’s timber industry.

Our Ohio Weekly · Ohio’s Timber Industry

00:00 – John Kehn, northern service forestry coordinator, Division of Forestry at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, gives an overview of Ohio’s timber industry.

16:50 – Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ John Kehn talks about the education needed when it comes to timber and the efforts being made on that front.

23:50 – Wyandot County pig farmer Randy Brown has been farming for over 40 years and his efforts on his farm and in the industry were recently recognized. Hear his story “To the Beat of Agriculture.”

32:20 – Farm Science Review is back in person this year. Adam Carney, senior director of membership sales and marketing with Ohio Farm Bureau, gives a preview of what is happening in OFBF’s barn this year at FSR.

42:20 – Kelly Burns, executive director of the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation, talks about the Youth Pathways to Careers on Agriculture grant program and its mission to introduce and train students for high-demand jobs in the farm and food sector.

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.
Mandy Way's avatar
Mandy Way

Way Farms

Farm Labor Resources
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.
Ernie Welch's avatar
Ernie Welch

Van Wert County Farm Bureau

Strong 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.
Matt Aultman's avatar
Matt Aultman

Darke County Farm Bureau

Leadership development
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.
Jaclyn De Candio's avatar
Jaclyn De Candio

Clark County Farm Bureau

Young Ag Professionals program
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.
Jenna Gregorich's avatar
Jenna Gregorich

Coshocton County Farm Bureau

Growing our Generation
Knowing that horticulture is under the agriculture umbrella and having Farm Bureau supporting horticulture like it does the rest of ag is very important.
Jared Hughes's avatar
Jared Hughes

Groovy Plants Ranch

Groovy Plants Ranch
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.
Austin Heil's avatar
Austin Heil

Hardin County Farm Bureau

Washington, D.C. Leadership Experience
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
Mary Smallsreed's avatar
Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Advocacy
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