Welcome to Morrow County Farm Bureau’s first trustee spotlight! Every month, we will feature spotlight blogs on board members so you can get to know them a little better.

Our first spotlight blog features Morrow County Farm Bureau’s board president, Heather Goodman. Heather was born and raised in Cardington, Ohio and graduated from Cardington-Lincoln High School. She has an associate’s degrees from Ohio State University ATI in crop science and floral design. To learn more about Heather, read her interview below.

Besides Farm Bureau, how are you active in the community (church/civic groups/school/etc.)? I also serve as secretary on our Cardington FFA Farm Association Board.

What and where do you farm? I am a corn, soybean, and wheat farmer from Morrow County mostly in the Cardington area.

How long have you been a farmer and was your family in farming? I am a third-generation farmer on my family farm and I have been around it my entire life.

Why did you decide to be a farmer? I farm because since I was a little girl I have been riding in tractors and combines watching and helping my family take care of the land and provide a living. Farming is a way of life; it’s not just a job, it’s a passion and it’s something I have seen my family do for many years.

What do you love about farming? It’s not easy and every year is different, it takes hard work and determination, and you never know what lies around the corner when you go to work each day. I still get to “play” in the dirt as an adult and make a living out of it and provide food for not only my family but others. Have you ever driven by a field when you can just start to row the corn, or see a bean plant push up a dirt clod determined to make it out of the ground, and all that happened because of something you did?…what’s not to love?!?

Why do you think it’s important to know where your food comes from? I believe knowing where your food comes from and the work that goes into putting it on your table should make you feel better about what you are eating and feeding your family. Knowing that the same food we grow, we eat.

Farm Labor Resources
Labor has always been an issue, mainly because we are a seasonal operation. So that's a challenge finding somebody who only wants to work three months out of a year, sometimes up to six months.
Mandy Way's avatar
Mandy Way

Way Farms

Farm Labor Resources
Strong communities
I appreciate the benefit of having a strong voice in my corner. The extras that are included in membership are wonderful, but I'm a member because of the positive impact to my local and state agricultural communities.
Ernie Welch's avatar
Ernie Welch

Van Wert County Farm Bureau

Strong communities
Leadership development
I see the value and need to be engaged in the community I live in, to be a part of the decision-making process and to volunteer with organizations that help make our community better.
Matt Aultman's avatar
Matt Aultman

Darke County Farm Bureau

Leadership development
Young Ag Professionals program
Farm Bureau involvement has taught me how to grow my professional and leadership experience outside of the workforce and how to do that in a community-centric way.
Jaclyn De Candio's avatar
Jaclyn De Candio

Clark County Farm Bureau

Young Ag Professionals program
Growing our Generation
With not growing up on a farm, I’d say I was a late bloomer to agriculture. I feel so fortunate that I found the agriculture industry. There are so many opportunities for growth.
Jenna Gregorich's avatar
Jenna Gregorich

Coshocton County Farm Bureau

Growing our Generation
Groovy Plants Ranch
Knowing that horticulture is under the agriculture umbrella and having Farm Bureau supporting horticulture like it does the rest of ag is very important.
Jared Hughes's avatar
Jared Hughes

Groovy Plants Ranch

Groovy Plants Ranch
Washington, D.C. Leadership Experience
If it wasn't for Farm Bureau, I personally, along with many others, would not have had the opportunity to meet with our representatives face to face in Washington.
Austin Heil's avatar
Austin Heil

Hardin County Farm Bureau

Washington, D.C. Leadership Experience
Advocacy
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
Mary Smallsreed's avatar
Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Advocacy
Suggested Tags: