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The successful launch of the Our Ohio television show, record membership and the release of the Ohio Agricultural Roadmap helped make 2005 one of Ohio Farm Bureau's best years, according to OFBF President Bob Peterson. Ohio's crop year, on the other hand, was extremely challenging, he said.

"The success of crops was based solely on rain. If you got rain in July and August, you got decent crops. Unfortunately, both big and small areas did not get that," Peterson said as he described how part of his fields brought in 180 bushels of corn per acre while others had none. Peterson joined OFBF Executive Vice President Jack Fisher in discussing Ohio Farm Bureau, Our Ohio, the state's crops, the Ohio Agricultural Roadmap and other subjects at a news conference held during annual meeting.

Peterson said he was proud that Our Ohio is now on public broadcasting stations across the state, calling the show a "great polished product."

"It was our dream to explain and tell the story of agriculture. It's hard to imagine that we went from a dream to this wonderful product," he said. "We're reaching our target audience very well."

Fisher noted that this year marked the unveiling of the roadmap, which details the agriculture industry’s direction for the next 25 years. He said talk about developing the roadmap started in 2003 when state officials appeared to exclude agriculture from Third Frontier planning.

"We were perceived as a non-entity," he said. "Rather than pout, we did something about it. We are no longer just steak and pork chops – we have a whole array of products."

Fisher emphasized the importance of livestock in Ohio, saying it is the "original value- added industry." Ohio has responsible livestock production and one of the most progressive regulatory permitting processes in the nation, he said. A challenge has been addressing residents' misperceptions that large livestock operations pose water and health threats.

Ohio Farm Bureau was very involved in state politics this year, helping promote a comprehensive state tax and Medicaid reform package, which was accepted by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Bob Taft.

"I feel we had a successful year. Ohio passed the lowest growth budget in 40 years and is encouraging fiscal responsibility," Peterson said.

With the gubernatorial race just a year away, OFBF has been meeting with candidates to emphasize the importance of agriculture in Ohio.

"We've had an extended dialogue in our industry with gubernatorial candidates," Fisher said. "We're very proud of our industry. Our goal is to have every candidate talk about agriculture."

During the news conference, the two Farm Bureau leaders answered a wide range of questions from the media dealing with eminent domain, energy, ethanol and animal identification. Reporters from the newspaper, broadcast and wire service industries attended the news conference.

Caption: OFBF President Bob Peterson, left, and OFBF Executive Vice President Jack Fisher answer a question from a reporter.