tree

Spring is around the corner. After a cold, snowy and damp winter across most of the state, the warmth of the upcoming planting season is a welcome change. Trees will start to bloom, much like ag careers at places such as Davey Tree Co., which is the backdrop of a feature about pathways into agriculture in the March/April edition of Our Ohio magazine. 

Youth Pathways is a cornerstone initiative of the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation. The success of that initiative in 2021, as well as many others, is highlighted in the foundation’s annual report included in this issue. Another foundation cornerstone, ExploreAg, is also featured. We tell the story of three men who attended an ExploreAg experience and are now linemen apprentices for various utility companies.

Executive Vice President Adam Sharp’s Across the Table column addresses what members would like candidates who are running for office in 2022 to know about both the challenges and opportunities farming and living rural communities can present. To that end, Farm Bureau unveiled its Ohio Agriculture and Rural Communities Action Plan of 2022 priority issues in February. More about the action plan can be found in the March/April issue of Our Ohio.

Farmer mental health is a Farm Bureau priority issue, and in this issue we talk to two farmers at the center of a journey to better mental health. We feature a farmer who noticed the actions of a farming friend were warning signs that some intervention was needed. The farmer in need sought help from the encouragement and both are telling the story of the importance of looking out for your neighbor. 

Other items of interest in this issue include the latest OSU Impact from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and a story about a study that looks at the different types of rural Ohio that exist, as well as reader favorites — spring recipes and Grow and Know events

These are just some of what members will find in the latest issue of Our Ohio magazine, a benefit of Farm Bureau membership and Our Ohio Supporters. A digital edition is also available.

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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