Menu

Kim Davis of Carrollton in Carroll County won this year’s OFBF Young Farmer Discussion Meet held during the organization’s annual meeting in Columbus on Dec. 1. Davis competed against John Buck of New Bloomington in Marion County, Julie Crozier of Felicity in Clermont County, and Jason Feldner of Caldwell in Noble County.

The four young farmers discussed the question: "What effect will country-of-origin labeling (COOL) have on American agriculture?"

The Young Farmer Discussion Meet is a contest that examines participants’ subject knowledge, problem solving abilities and personal and small group communications skills.

During the discussion, Davis said the true costs of implementing COOL have yet to be determined and that "it’s hard to measure consumer confidence" as one benefit that could come from COOL.

She said education of lawmakers deciding the fate of the plan is paramount to getting rules that producers can work with and that will instill confidence of consumers.

In her closing statement, Davis said producers, consumers and regulators need to discuss COOL’s implications and that Farm Bureau could do a lot to facilitate that discussion. "We cannot tackle this task alone," she said.

As Ohio’s winner, Davis receives an expense-paid trip to the American Farm Bureau annual meeting in Charlotte, N.C., in January to represent the Buckeye State in the national contest. She also receives $1,000 from Nationwide Insurance, $500 from Dodge Trucks and a commemorative chime clock from Ohio Farm Bureau.

Davis also was elected to represent members in Carroll, Harrison, Jefferson and Tuscarawas counties on the state board of trustees. Readers will find more information about her in another article about that election on this page.