County Farm Bureau Achievement Awards 2017

Twenty county Farm Bureaus were honored for outstanding programming over the past year. Their recognition as Achievement Award winners came during the 99th annual meeting of Ohio Farm Bureau, Dec. 6 – 8 in Columbus.

The winning counties represent excellence in local activities that support Farm Bureau’s strategic efforts. Those include programs to strengthen the organization and build membership, affect public policy, promote agriculture and enhance the organization’s relationship with long-standing partner Nationwide.

Additionally, Collaboration Awards were presented to groups of counties that worked together to create unique and effective programming.

The award applications were judged by volunteer Farm Bureau members and counties were placed in four divisions based on the size of their membership.

During the awards ceremony, Ohio Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Adam Sharp said, “Every member in the county plays an important part in these programs’ success, from volunteering to serve on action teams and committees, to the planning of the various activities, to talking with neighbors about the issues that impact agriculture and how important it is for all of us to keep Farm Bureau and agriculture strong.”

The top counties:

Carroll:  Substance Abuse Prevention/Got Your Back program

Crawford: Focus of Your Future program

Fayette: Farm to Fork Charity Event and War on Drugs

Fulton: Ag Adventures

Greene: Celebrating Ohio’s Apple Harvest

Hamilton:  Fall Ag Day

Hancock: Kids Dream Day

Harrison: Farm Bureau/FFA Career Day and Family Chicken BBQ

Henry: STEM Teacher Presentation program

Holmes: Harvest for Hunger program

Jackson-Vinton: Agriculture Experience Day

Lake: Comprehensive Membership Campaign

Logan:  Farm to Fork event

Medina: Agriculture Acres project

Mercer:  Agriculture in Your Backyard program

Putnam: Shaping the Future Ag Tour

Richland: Farm to Plate event

Stark:  County Fair Display

Tuscarawas: Weeding Out Substance Abuse in Rural Ohio program

Washington: Farm City Day

Collaboration awards were presented to:

Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Trumbull and Mahoning counties: Livestock Transit Member Benefit

Carroll and Tuscarawas counties: Weeding Out Substance Abuse in Rural Ohio/Farm Bureau’s Got Your Back Campaign

Crawford and Wyandot  counties: Focus on the Future event.

Note to editors:  Please contact Joe Cornely if you would like specific information on any of the county programs.

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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