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by Kurt Ely, OFBF vice president, information, education and community services

In a free and democratic society the right to associate is held in high regard. In fact, it is a fundamental human and civil right outlined in Amendment I of The Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution. It reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Since the earliest of times, the act of association is an affirmation of commonality of interest. By associating, by pooling our resources and expertise together, we network. By so doing, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts, and added value is generated in a variety of ways.

In the last edition of Buckeye Farm News I asked the question, what makes your organization worthwhile or valuable? Three responses were provided for consideration. First, an organization has the obligation to convene its members and gather their input. Secondly, it must communicate with and on behalf of its members through public information and education campaigns. And finally it must represent member policy through professional and grassroots lobbying.

In this opinion piece, I wish to expand upon what I consider to be the first obligation of your organization, and that is to convene our membership in order to establish where commonality of interest exists. Just how does the Ohio Farm Bureau accomplish this essential obligation? To answer this, it is necessary to consider how our organization is structured and what opportunities members are afforded to define guiding policies and principles.

Locally, county Farm Bureaus encourage involvement in advisory councils who meet regularly to discuss and respond to issues that have relevance to changes occurring within the industry. There are currently more than 720 of these groups within the Ohio Farm Bureau, a network of more than 8,000 members. In today’s society, this mechanism of gathering member input is almost unheard of and unmatched by other associations. In any given month, the voice and opinions of thousands of members are communicated, tabulated and taken into consideration as they pertain to established objectives. Comments from council minutes are reviewed and responded to by staff and then distributed back to respective counties for additional analysis and action.

Counties regularly convene members at monthly board and committee meetings where elected leaders conduct the business of the organization that includes evaluating and setting direction based on local priorities. The development of guiding policy begins at the county level through advisory council input, meetings with local officials and stakeholders and by gathering commodity specific recommendations through partnerships and affiliations with those having common interests and expertise. Here, recommendations are developed that get voted upon by members at county annual meetings and are established as local policy or forwarded on to both the Ohio and American farm bureaus where members are again provided the opportunity to convene and decide where agreement on cause can best be served through the pooling of efforts.

Farm Bureau also provides numerous other opportunities for members to associate and use strategic networks for the good of the whole. These include but are not limited to Ag Day at the Capitol, statewide Leadership Conference, regional cabinet meetings, risk management training and regulatory compliance initiatives. All are designed to add value to your membership and to provide opportunities for input into decision-making processes.

I believe the Ohio Farm Bureau is a federation of common and similar interests that provides members with an opportunity to convene and have their opinions not only heard, but also incorporated into value-added initiatives. Providing opportunities to identify where commonality of interest exists is a fundamental basis of an association. The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation takes seriously the obligation to convene our membership and will continue to provide members with constructive avenues in which to join with others of similar interest.