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Members of Mid-American Ag and Hort Services (MAAHS) combined educational sessions and their organization’s annual meeting recently in Findlay.

Educational sessions offered for agricultural employer members of MAAHS ranged from how temporary foreign employee programs work to cultural and social issues within the Hispanic community.

"The entire mission of MAAHS is to meet the human resource needs of our member employers," said John Wargowsky, MAAHS executive director. "We’ll be holding many of these types of educational programs throughout the year in different parts of the state so our organization can do just that."

MAAHS is a consortium of associations, organizations and employers organized to meet the educational, compliance assistance and labor recruiting needs of agricultural and other employers.

The inaugural board of trustees was elected during the annual meeting portion of the day-long program. Those board members are Tom Demaline, president, Willoway Nurseries, Avon; Michael Baise, vice president and secretary, Indiana Farm Bureau, Indianapolis; Mike Pullins, treasurer, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Columbus; Mike Adolph, K.W. Zellers & Son, Hartville; Richard Wander, Lynd Fruit Farm, Pataskala; Jack Schmidt, Timbuk Farms, Granville; Lawrence Schmidt, Schmidt Bros., Swanton; John Holmes, Ohio Florists' Association, Columbus; and Bill Stalter, Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association, Columbus.

The group contracts with Ohio Farm Bureau Federation for personnel, administrative services and office space.

Presenters during the educational portion of the program were Libby Whitley, general manager of Mid-Atlantic Resources Association, and Francisco Espinoza from Ohio State University’s Extension Farm Labor Relations program.

Wargowsky and Tom Sachs, executive director of Ohio Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, presented several checklists for employers to help them better meet labor requirements.

"We were pleased with the turn-out for this program and we’re looking forward to meeting more employers who will benefit from our services," Wargowsky said.

If you’d like more information about MAAHS, see the management services section of the OFBF Partnerships link on the OFBF Web site or contact Wargowsky at 614-677-4530.

Cutline: Members of MAAHS’ inaugural board were elected during the group’s annual meeting in February. They are, (Front row, l to r): Mike Adolph, Richard Wander, Jack Schmidt, and Tom Demaline (president); (Back row, l to r) : Lawrence Schmidt, Mike Pullins (treasurer), John Holmes and Michael Baise (vice president and secretary). Not pictured is Bill Stalter. Also in the back row at right is John Wargowsky, MAAHS executive director. (Photo by Susie Taylor)