OFB Foundation
Foundation Programs & Events
Spring 2011 - Foundation Golf Invitational
The 2011 Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation (Foundation) Invitational Golf Outing was held Monday, June 27 at The Lakes Golf and Country Club, 6740 Worthington Road, Westerville, Ohio.
The course was designed by Ed Sneed and was opened in 1990, and has hosted tournament play for the OGA Ohio Senior Classic, CDGA Margraf Mixed and Pilkington Cup matches, as well as USGA Open qualifiers on local and sectional levels. The Lakes features 7,106 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72. The course rating is 74.1 and it has a slope rating of 134 on Bent grass.
The Foundation is pleased to announce that J. Michael Townsley, President of Bob Evans Foods is this year’s Honoree. Bob Evans Farms, Inc. is a publicly held restaurants and food products company, with sales of approximately $1.7 billion based in Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Townsley joined Bob Evans Farms Inc. in 2003 as President and Chief Operating Officer of Owens Foods, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bob Evans Farms, Inc.
Prior to joining Bob Evans Farms Inc., Mike was Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, for Premium Standard Farms in Kansas City. Premium Standard Farms was the largest fully integrated pork company in the country, with annual sales of $700 million. His prior experience includes three years at Smithfield Foods of Smithfield, Virginia., and 11 years with IBP Inc. of Dakota City, Nebraska.
Mike is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. He has dedicated his professional career to the improvement of the meat industry as well as animal agriculture and was honored in 2007 by Ohio State's College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences by receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award. Mr. Townsley currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Meat Institute and the Animals for Life Foundation. He served on the Board of Directors of the National Pork Producers Council, as well as the Colorado Beef Board.
Mike provides leadership to the company as it provides philanthropic support for agriculture with involvement in 4-H, FFA and the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University. Similar support is given to community service organizations, including the Heart Fund, Ohio Society for the Prevention of Blindness, Arthritis Foundation, Light Foundation and Easter Seals.
The Foundation is excited to have Nationwide as this year’s Tournament Marshall. Nationwide can trace its beginnings to a small mutual auto insurance company created by Farm Bureau members. Over the past 80 years, Nationwide’s relationship with farmers and rural residents has helped create a foundation that contributed to the growth of the company. Today, Nationwide is one of the largest insurance and financial services companies in the world. Its relationships with Ohio, seven other state Farm Bureaus and other key agribusiness organizations and cooperatives across the nation help the company stays close to its roots. The company is a proven leader that provides a variety of resources that benefit farmers and rural communities.
Map and Directions to The Lakes Golf & Country Club
For information on golf and sponsorship opportunities, please contact: Dale Arnold 614-246-8294 or e-mail foundation@ofbf.org.
Rural-Urban Community Auction
Fall 2011 - Ohio Farm Bureau Family of Foundations Unite to Sponsor Seventh Annual Community Silent Auction
Education and outreach - Farm and rural leaders are working together to generate resources that create programs that promote agriculture as an industry, focal point for community development, and a rewarding way of life. With this in mind, the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation (Foundation), the Animals for Life Foundation (AFLF) and the new Ohio Center of Agricultural Law, Inc. cordially invite you to donate to and/or participate in the Seventh Annual Community Silent Auction.
The event will be held Nov. 1-29, 2011 via the Internet at www.ofbf.cmarket.com, and will be featured on the national Bidding for Good Network. The auction will conclude with a final “live” session held on Wednesday, Nov. 30 in conjunction with the Hospitality Corner at the 2011 OFBF Annual Meeting at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Columbus.
Farm Bureau’s friends and neighbors that donate an auction item will receive the following benefits:
* Special recognition in Internet publication projects associated with the event. Moreover, our auction is a national participant in the Bidding for Good Network. Consumers looking for one of a kind gift items will have easy access to our Web site. Your item, representing your business, will have exposure on local, state and national levels.
* Special Internet Linkage – While your item will be highlighted in our auction premium catalogue, you have the ability to invite auction participants to discover more about your business. Using your company logo, auction participants can point, click and be automatically linked to an Internet website of your choosing. It’s a great way to invite a variety of Farm Bureau friends and neighbors to visit your company and get to know you better via cyberspace.
Suggested auction items could include the following:
* Auction Basket – You can create a “basket” of items that highlights the unique history and heritage of your business, and any possible connection to Farm Bureau. Besides using a basket, the container itself can be something special about your company, too.
* Special Product – The item can be any item that has been manufactured, hand crafted and/or artistically enhanced to promote your company.
* Other Special Item – Got that special piece of sports memorabilia, trip/getaway package or unique item that will make people say “WOW!” We can highlight those items, too!
Proceeds from the auction will be used to support the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation’s grant and scholarship programs, AFLF's education and community outreach projects, as well as the Agricultural Law Center's outreach and research programs.
Click Here for a PDF version of 2011 Auction Participation Form
Click Here for a PDF version of our Item Acceptance Policies & Guidelines