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by Joe Cornely

"The best of the best" is how the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) describes its President’s Awards, and by that measurement, Ohio stands alone at the top. Ohio Farm Bureau received four out of a possible five President's Awards during the AFBF annual meeting; no other state received more than three.

The President’s Award is the highest honor given in recognition of outstanding programming at the state level. OFBF was honored in the areas of education and agricultural promotion, member services, policy implementation and public relations and information.

Only states that earn the Award for Excellence can receive the President’s Award. OFBF received the Award for Excellence, which also judges state programming, for the above four areas as well as for leadership development, making the Buckeye state five for five in that competition.

AFBF also recognized OFBF’s membership efforts, which resulted in Ohio attaining growth for the 39^th consecutive year.

"This is two years in a row that Ohio has won four out of five," OFBF Executive Vice President Jack Fisher said of the President’s Award. "It speaks pretty well of how our board, volunteer leaders and staff work to give our members the quality of programming they deserve."

Also during the meeting OFBF President Bob Peterson of Sabina was re-elected to the AFBF board of directors. He originally joined the AFBF board in 2004.

He will represent the Midwest Region, which includes Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. He will continue his duties as president of the Ohio Farm Bureau and as the state trustee for Clinton, Greene, Fayette and Warren counties.

A new initiative Peterson implemented this year was to add nearly 20 Ohio county Farm Bureau presidents to the state's official delegation to the AFBF meeting.

We all gain when counties have a better understanding of what American Farm Bureau does and have a hand in directing the national organization, Peterson explained.

Columbiana County President Phil Greenisen said this was his first time to attend an AFBF convention, calling it a good experience. I think I've been able to identify at least two improvements we can use in our own local programming, he said, adding, there's been a lot of opportunity for personal growth here."

Ohio’s participants in the Young Farmer contests excelled as well. John Buck was in the top four in the Excellence in Agriculture contest, and Alan and Sarah Wuebker were runners-up in the Young Farmer and Rancher Achievement Award competition. (Read more about Ohio’s young farmer contestants on page 7.)

Along with state and individual honors, the Warren County Farm Bureau was one of only 15 county organizations selected to participate in the AFBF showcase tradeshow. Warren County’s exhibit featured its farm rescue and safety seminar. The county carried out a program consisting of training in various areas of safety concerns that are special to agriculture. The program especially encouraged suburban residents of the county to understand the safety challenges involved in agriculture.

Ohio was also prominent in the AFBF "Meet the Researchers" program, where selected university researchers exhibited their efforts to make America’s farmers and ranchers more productive, while enhancing food safety and environmental soundness. Ohio State University projects on display at the convention were Stephen Boyles’ student livestock environmental assurance program, Gary Wilson’s study to evaluate cool season grasses for intensive grazing success and Troy Cooper’s study about the evolution of a local food system in Knox County.

Caption: The Warren County Farm Bureau was one of 15 winners of AFBF's Counties of Excellence awards. The county Farm Bureau's training program on the farm for first responders caught the eye of judges. Warren County also displayed information about its safety program at AFBF's annual meeting.