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"Following the Roadmap" through land-use conflicts and neighborhood disputes is the theme of Ohio Farm Bureau Federation’s July NeighborConnections bus tour.

The tour is designed to help Farm Bureau members understand land-use planning and zoning processes, communication strategies to help resolve public conflicts surrounding urban sprawl issues, and ways to get involved in the decision making process.

The three-day bus tour with begin in Columbus, follow the I-71 corridor to the Akron-Canton area, and travel back through Ohio Amish Country stopping in Knox County before returning to Columbus where the tour will end with a mock town meeting and neighborhood dispute.

"These are complex issues," explained Constance Cullman Jackson, OFBF vice president of Agriculture Ecology. "We’ll take a look at growth trends in Ohio and the planning and zoning processes. Then we’ll examine what rural interests are, what land-use management tools are available, and how members can customize their own methods of getting involved in the public decision-making process."

Participants will work with experts in local and regional planning, zoning, rural law, and conflict resolution. They will tour brownfield areas in Columbus and find out how urban redevelopment has positive impacts on the rural community. Tour participants will visit with several farmers who will share how they successfully worked with neighbors to develop creative solutions to common nuisance complaint problems; and, they will tour Park Farms hatchery, growing barns and processing plant in Canton.

"We’re going to present a lot of information, pose a lot of questions and examine a lot of ways we can influence the design of our businesses, our neighborhoods and our communities," according to Marilyn Baker, OFBF director of community alliances and lead organizer of this inaugural bus tour.

"We’ll have many hands-on learning experiences, presentations and panel discussions with strong debates on land-use options and methods," Baker added. "We’ll also conduct role-playing and other exercises to help people understand the issues and solutions."

The cost of the tour will be partially supported by the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, and cost to participants will be about $200. Participants should expect to walk at some of the stop-off points, and plan to have an action-packed and fun-filled learning tour.

Deadline for registration is June 10. Space is limited. For more details contact Baker at 614-249-2610 or mbaker@ofbf.org. Detailed agendas, a more definite fee and updates on speakers and visits will be posted on OFBF’s Web site as they become available.