Reporters, please visit our news room located in the Media and Publications section of this site.
![[160x120]_JudyRoush.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_JudyRoush.jpg)
After nearly 20 years working with education programs and assisting volunteers and teachers in helping students learn the origins of their food, Judy Roush is returning to the family farm upon her retirement this month.
![[160x120]_olc3.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_olc3.jpg)
The Ohio Livestock Coalition (OLC) will host its Annual Meeting and Industry Symposium on April 4 at the Fawcett Center at Ohio State University.
Do you know someone who has positively developed or enhanced relationships between neighbors in Ohio’s farm communities? The Ohio Livestock Coalition (OLC), in partnership with OFBF, is now accepting nominations for the 2011 Neighbor of the Year awards.
Thanks to the farmers on our Facebook page who shared the reasons that they would encourage other farmers to join Farm Bureau. You can join in the conversation at www.facebook.com/ohiofarmbureau.
![[160x120]_Oprah.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_Oprah.jpg)
When one of the nation’s largest meatpackers opened its beef slaughter plant to a camera crew from The Oprah Winfrey Show, few were predicting the company would earn a pat on the back from a leading food system critic and positive words from Winfrey herself.
![[160x120]_HB2.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_HB2.jpg)
OFBF is supporting House Bill 22, which would clarify the law to ensure that farmers aren’t held criminally responsible when livestock get out through no fault of the farmer.
![[160x120]_germany_study_tour_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_germany_study_tour_320x240.jpg)
Farm Bureau members are invited to apply for a 21-day agricultural study tour through the McCloy Fellowship Program.
Ohio Speaker of the House, Rep. William Batchelder, joined Ohio Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Jack Fisher to share more about his duties and talk Ohio politics on Town Hall Ohio. Here's a sneak peek of the Feb. 26 show.
Mark Kvamme, director of the Ohio Department of Development, appears this weekend on Ohio Farm Bureau’s radio show Town Hall Ohio to discuss a new private-public partnership intended to bring jobs to the state. Here's a preview.
Hundreds of farmers & other Ohioans rally at Ohio Statehouse to repeal estate tax.
![[160x120]_Krueger_collegiate_discussion_meet_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_Krueger_collegiate_discussion_meet_320x240.jpg)
Emily Krueger of West Salem, Ohio was named the winner of the 2011 American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Collegiate Discussion Meet held recently during the AFBF Young Farmer and Rancher Conference in Orlando.
![[160x120]_FBact_trophy_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_FBact_trophy_320x240.jpg)
The American Farm Bureau Federation presented OFBF with the traveling FBACT (Farm Bureau Agricultural Contact Team) trophy for the Midwest Region. The award is presented once every congressional cycle. This is the second consecutive award won by Ohio.
![[160x120]_Oprah_Vegan_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_Oprah_Vegan_320x240.jpg)
When farmers learned that Oprah Winfrey was doing a show promoting a vegan lifestyle there was more than a little concern. But to the surprise of much of the agricultural community, the show may actually have done farmers a favor.
![[160x120]_action_alert_phone_320x2401.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_action_alert_phone_320x2401.jpg)
Burdensome estate taxes can cause the loss or break-up of family farms when heirs are forced to sell assets to pay the tax and/or administrative costs. Ohio Farm Bureau's Online Action Center makes contacting your lawmakers to urge an end to the Ohio Estate Tax a breeze.
![[160x120]_OSIA_320x2405.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_OSIA_320x2405.jpg)
The Ohio Sheep Improvement Association (OSIA) and Ohio Sheep and Wool Program honored many significant contributors to the sheep industry during its annual meeting and awards ceremony held in December.
![[160x120]_foudation_logo_320x2407.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_foudation_logo_320x2407.jpg){kind=logo}
The Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation continues to develop programs helping smaller, community-based groups, and has awarded a series of Agricultural Action and Awareness Grants for the 2011 program year.
With gas prices continuing to skyrocket, interest in tapping into Ohio’s natural resources for gas and oil is booming. More and more landowners are being approached by strangers asking if they are interested in leasing their property for oil and natural gas exploration.
![[160x120]_SherrodBrown.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_SherrodBrown.jpg)
President Obama recently signed a tax relief bill that sets for two years an estate tax rate exemption of $5 million with a maximum rate of 35 percent.
![[160x120]_menandmachinery.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_menandmachinery.jpg)
“Monday: All this snow is pretty but I could do without it. It makes life on a farm more work.” That’s a post on the Farmer’s Diary blog from Butler County Farm Bureau member and dairy farmer Rosemary Beeler, as she tells about her day on the farm.
![[160x120]_leahfinney.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_leahfinney.jpg)
Leah Finney has been named director of legal education for Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.
![[160x120]_ofb_foundation_3204.gif](/uploads/[160x120]_ofb_foundation_3204.gif)
Ohio students from rural, suburban and urban communities and pursuing degrees connected to agriculture are invited to apply for a set of scholarships through three programs supported by the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation.
![[160x120]_chickencam.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_chickencam.jpg)
Animal behavior researcher Temple Grandin stirred some debate at a recent Animal Welfare Symposium at Ohio State University when she asserted that sow gestation stalls should be phased out because “I can’t sell them.”
![[160x120]_niehaus.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_niehaus.jpg)
More than two dozen new faces were sworn into the legislature earlier this month, with the House of Representatives switching to a Republican majority and the Senate gaining two Republican majority seats.
The Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board is considering rules that could lead to changes in the way farmers house pregnant pigs.
A review of Nationwide Insurance claims data reveals significant jumps in home fires started by alternative heating sources – such as fireplaces, wood burning stoves and space heaters.
![[160x120]_animals_for_life_without_animals_ad_dog_grill_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_animals_for_life_without_animals_ad_dog_grill_320x240.jpg)
Ohio Farm Bureau's Animals For Life Foundation is launching the “Life is Better with Animals” campaign to show importance of mutually beneficial human and animal interactions.
![[160x120]_honey.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_honey.jpg)
Alex Grooms, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Williamsburg is the winner of the Velvet Ice Cream and Ohio Farm Bureau Create-A-Flavor contest. His creation, Honey Caramel Ice Cream, is a mix of vanilla ice cream layered with sweet Ohio honey and caramel.
![[160x120]_County_FarmBureau_Map_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_County_FarmBureau_Map_320x240.jpg)
Scholarships, hearty breakfasts, family fun, informational meetings on a wide variety of food and farm topics and even filling job openings make winter a busy season for Ohio's county Farm Bureaus. Here's the latest on what's happening in your neck of the woods.
![[160x120]_Stallman_Porteus_AFBF11_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_Stallman_Porteus_AFBF11_320x240.jpg)
Ohio Farm Bureau, contestants, county Farm Bureau recognized on opening day of American Farm Bureau's annual meeting.
![[160x120]_Strickland_headshot_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_Strickland_headshot_320x240.jpg)
Gov. Ted Strickland has issued an executive order that completes the governor’s responsibilities brokered in the agreement between Ohio’s agricultural leaders and the Humane Society to enhance animal care standards while maintaining a vibrant livestock industry in Ohio.
![[160x120]_OLC_logo_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_OLC_logo_320x240.jpg){kind=logo}
Do you know someone who has positively developed or enhanced relationships between neighbors in Ohio’s farm communities? The Ohio Livestock Coalition (OLC), in partnership with the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, is now accepting nominations for the 2011 Neighbor of the Year awards.
![[160x120]_OSIA_320x2404.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_OSIA_320x2404.jpg)
The Ohio Sheep Improvement Association (OSIA) and Ohio State University Extension invite Ohio sheep and goat producers to a set of “District” educational outreach programs throughout the state to learn more about different areas of sheep and goat production.
![[160x120]_foudation_logo_320x2406.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_foudation_logo_320x2406.jpg){kind=logo}
Ohio students pursuing an agricultural-related degree are invited to apply for a set of $1,000 scholarships available through three program areas supported by the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation.
![[160x120]_Velvet_ice_cream_contest_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_Velvet_ice_cream_contest_320x240.jpg)
Alex Grooms, of Williamsburg, Ohio, is the winner of Velvet Ice Cream and Ohio Farm Bureau Federation's 2010 Create-a-Flavor contest with his creation, Honey Caramel Ice Cream.
![[160x120]_delegates_pg1_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_delegates_pg1_320x240.jpg)
After being elected in their counties to finalize Ohio Farm Bureau Federation’s (OFBF) policies, 343 family-farmers served as delegates to the group’s annual meeting.
![[160x120]_kasich_pg1_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_kasich_pg1_320x240.jpg)
Ohio governor-elect John Kasich highlighted several of his priorities and introduced the next director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture during Ohio Farm Bureau’s annual meeting.
![[160x120]_Jack_Fisher_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_Jack_Fisher_320x240.jpg)
The opportunity to participate in the discussions that shape agriculture is the No. 1 benefit of membership in Ohio Farm Bureau, according to Executive Vice President Jack Fisher.
How much money will it cost and where will it come from? With heightened awareness about federal spending, those will be the two questions lawmakers will be asking about every proposal they consider, including the 2012 Farm Bill.
![[160x120]_Boggs_Porteus_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_Boggs_Porteus_320x240.jpg)
The Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board is moving slowly, but that’s because it is being thorough, Ohio Department of Agriculture Director (ODA) Robert Boggs told attendees at Ohio Farm Bureau’s annual meeting.
![[160x120]_Dan_Toland_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_Dan_Toland_320x240.jpg)
Social media has benefited agriculture in many ways, according to Ohio Farm Bureau Communications Specialist Dan Toland.
![[160x120]_Rasmussen_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_Rasmussen_320x240.jpg)
Nationwide Insurance was started to help farmers and it wants to continue to be in the marketplace to do just that, according to CEO Steve Rasmussen.
![[160x120]_medical_mutual2.gif](/uploads/[160x120]_medical_mutual2.gif)
Representatives from Medical Mutual of Ohio provided farmers at Ohio Farm Bureau's annual meeting with an overview of a number of new provisions in the nation’s new health care law and an outlook on the politics surrounding it.
![[160x120]_Bolender_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_Bolender_320x240.jpg)
Adam and Aubrey Bolender of Russelville have been recognized as the 2010 Outstanding Young Farmers. Jenifer Weaver of North Jackson was recognized as the recipient of the Excellence in Agriculture Award
![[160x120]_Gordon_Coy_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_Gordon_Coy_320x240.jpg)
Nichole Gordon-Coy of Carrollton is the winner of OFBF’s 2010 Discussion Meet.
![[160x120]_ServiceAward_web1.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_ServiceAward_web1.jpg)
Lois Boyer, Sen. George Voinovich, Wade Leaman and Ruth McLaughlin were recognized for their many years of service to agriculture.
![[160x120]_counties_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_counties_320x240.jpg)
The exceptional work of county Farm Bureau volunteers was recognized during the County Achievement Awards program at OFBF’s annual meeting.
![[160x120]_goat_owner_Butler_blog_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_goat_owner_Butler_blog_320x240.jpg)
A quick look at what’s happening in county Farm Bureaus throughout the state.
2010 brought new challenges and new opportunities.
![[160x120]_youth_camps_320x2402.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_youth_camps_320x2402.jpg)
Ohio Farm Bureau offered conferences for Farm Bureau youth during the summer months.
![[160x120]_AgriPOWER_2010_class3_320x2401.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_AgriPOWER_2010_class3_320x2401.jpg)
Since 2008, Ohio Farm Bureau’s AgriPOWER Institute training program has been developing future advocates for agriculture.
![[160x120]_THO_Batchelder_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_THO_Batchelder_320x240.jpg)
![[160x120]_Kvamme_DOD_THO_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_Kvamme_DOD_THO_320x240.jpg)
![[160x120]_estate_tax_rally_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_estate_tax_rally_320x240.jpg)
![[160x120]_DaleArnold_gas_oil_screenshot_320x240.jpg](/uploads/[160x120]_DaleArnold_gas_oil_screenshot_320x240.jpg)