Farmer’s Guide to Trucking Regulations available to Ohio Farm Bureau members
The guide includes a farm driver checklist, overview of state and federal regulations and exemptions, CDL qualifications and more.
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Tim Johnson was born and raised in Shelby. He did not grow up on a farm, but became involved in agriculture when he began working on Dawson’s Dairy Farm. Tim was active in FFA during school, attended Pioneer Career Technical Center and took the meat processing course with Mr. Kucic, and graduated from Shelby High School. Besides Farm Bureau, Tim is active in the NRA and with the Shelby Knights of Columbus.
What and where do you work? I have been working as a butcher for Heffelfinger Meats in Jeromesville for 18 years and have continued with Dawson’s for the past 24 years.
What do you love about farming? I like to see the outcome of all my work…from planting to harvesting.
Why do you think it is important to know where your food comes from? I think it is important to realize all the effort and work farmers put into their crops and livestock and to know they are trying to ensure a healthy and safe product.
What is the biggest challenge facing agriculture? The biggest challenge I see is that the regulations on farming and food processing are always changing.
Why are you active (the biggest benefit) in Farm Bureau? I feel that the biggest benefit of Farm Bureau is our ability to help all farmers and agribusinesses be represented. One voice is hard for Columbus or Washington to hear, but Farm Bureau takes many voices together, and we get heard.
What is your favorite Farm Bureau event or activity? My favorite events are those where I get to meet a variety of people. The county fair, policy development meetings and our annual banquet top the list.
What Farm Bureau programs are you most active in? I am most involved in our policy process and at our county fair activities.
What are your hobbies besides farming? I enjoy wood working and riding my motorcycle in my spare time.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? I would go to Germany because there are a lot of historic buildings being restored. I want to visit places with real, street-front bakeries where I could enjoy fresh bread and pastries every day!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Knowing that horticulture is under the agriculture umbrella and having Farm Bureau supporting horticulture like it does the rest of ag is very important.
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.
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