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by Susie Taylor

If you’ve ever built a house you know a lot happens before the first shovel full of dirt is turned.

Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) has been in a "house-building" frame of mind for about the past four years trying to meet members’ expectations when it comes to providing more legislative and regulatory representation, expanded member programming and enhancing promotion and communications.

When you design your dream house, funding it is usually at the forefront of your decisions. When OFBF delegates at last year’s annual meeting approved a $10 per member annual dues increase, the state board and staff were able to look at the members’ dream organization and finalize plans.

During several rounds of listening sessions and Presidents’ Roundtables during the past four years, members told OFBF staff that they wanted more representation in Washington, that the organization’s communications efforts needed to be enhanced, and that certain program areas need to be expanded.

Some activities have been implemented – like upgrading member publications with the new Buckeye Farm News and Our Ohio magazine. Others will be ready to kick off with the start of the organization’s new fiscal year in September, and others will wait until funds from the 2005 membership campaign start coming in.

Following is a synopsis of where some of those enhancements stand and how they will better serve members:

A national affairs director is expected to be on board by mid to late August, according to Keith Stimpert, vice president of government affairs, who added the staff member will enhance members’ representation with congressional staffers in Washington and at the district offices within Ohio.

Another activity is to take members to Washington D.C. to see how AFBF works and to experience Farm Bureau’s influence. This third leader trip is being planned for June 2005, and will add to the county presidents’ lobbying trip every March and the young leaders tour every September. The June trip will be designed for agricultural leaders who wield local influence.

OFBF’s state board OK’d continued funding for COSI’s Agriculture Adventures program through the end of the 2005 school year. And the board has approved a larger presence of the organization in the Disney World/Epcot Center interactive display called The Land. The Orlando, Fla., exhibit has been operating more than a year. OFBF will continue to support The Land in an effort to connect farmers to consumers in a way that’s fun for children and adults.

At the Ohio State Fair, the Land and Living … Your Link to Life exhibit will be expanded to include tours of the fairgrounds’ animal exhibits. Farm Bureau is also looking for other avenues throughout the year to participate in larger consumer events, according to Mike Pullins, vice president, OFB Development Corporation.

"We’re looking at participating in four or five other events throughout the year in addition to the Ohio State Fair," he said.

Throughout the past few months, members have been promised an enhanced communications effort, which garners the largest focus of the organization’s new initiatives and spans many program areas and activities.

The enhanced communications includes development of a 30-minute lifestyles television program that would be geared toward consumers, Ely explained.

"It has long been the desire of producers to be better understood by non-farm neighbors and the public," Ely said. "So we’re looking at mass communication media to reach larger numbers of people in a way so we can control our own messages."

The consumer focused television program will be joined by a larger radio and TV advertising presence, an enhanced promotion and education effort, and the development of a Web site specifically geared to consumers.

"We want consumers to see not only the uniqueness and diversity in Ohio agriculture but also understand the people behind the industry," Ely said.

There has been a flurry of activity in the agricultural ecology department in recent weeks. Not only was a director of agricultural ecology programs hired, but commodity and labor programs were moved from business services to OFBF’s newest department, according to Constance Cullman Jackson, vice president of agricultural ecology.

New programs are being implemented, including an equine environmental assurance program that is being developed by Ohio’s Soil and Water Conservation districts and the Natural Resource Conservation Service. The equine program will join Farm Bureau’s Livestock Environmental Assurance Program and the Ohio Agricultural Environmental Assurance Alliance as programs helping producers conserve natural resources on their farms.

An upgraded member database will help the organization target programs and communications to members, according to David Rule, director of technology and staff development.

"We’ll be able to take the information provided by members in profiles that they’ve shared with us to provide better representation, to open the doors for online membership renewals and to the possibility of developing online communities while still maintaining our members’ privacy," Rule said.

Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation activities also are planned for expansion to a level where grants can be offered to county Farm Bureaus to support local programs.

And OFBF has already sent an extra 50 cents per member -- for a total of $4 per member – to the American Farm Bureau to support continued programs and representation on a national level.

Plans are in the works for expanded field staff training to better serve each county organization. And the popular Junior High Quest, for youths 11 to 13, will be expanded next year.

Sometimes it can feel like it takes forever for that final walk-through when you take possession of your brand-new house, but you can see progress daily. Such is the case with the organization’s refinements, according to Jack Fisher, OFBF executive vice president.

"This is an exciting time for our industry," Fishe said. "And an exciting time for our organization. The roof is on, the drywall is up. I’m sure our memebrs are anxious about seeing what this ‘house’ will look like. We’ll do our best to keep them informed about the progress."

Cutline: Visitors line up to play the "Great American Pizza Game," an exhibit at Epcot Center in Orlando, Fla., that American Farm Bureau hopes will help the public appreciate the role that agriculture plays in everyday life. Ohio Farm Bureau also contributed to development of the Epcot facility and plans a more significant role in the future. Photo by Lynne Finnerty, American Farm Bureau Federation