Applications for Ohio Farm Bureau Health Plans now available
Members have three ways to apply: contacting a certified agent, calling 833-468-4280 or visiting ohiofarmbureauhealthplans.org.
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Empowering 4-H and FFA youth to talk to their peers about combating the opioid epidemic was the catalyst behind Hope for Ohio: A Teen Forum on the Opioid Crisis in December.
Ohio Farm Bureau, OSU Extension, Ohio FFA and Prevention Action Alliance partnered to host the event, along with support by event sponsors Nationwide and Monsanto.
Hope for Ohio brought youth and their parents from across the state to the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center to discuss the epidemic, which has made a significant impact in rural communities across Ohio and is a priority issue for Farm Bureau.
At the forum, youth and their parents heard from experts in the trenches of the epidemic, including keynote speaker Wayne Campbell, president and co-founder of Tyler’s Light, named after his son who he lost to an overdose in 2011.
He presented some grim statistics to the crowd, including that one out of five high school students have tried to use prescription drugs to get high. He also noted that in 2015, eight people died every day in Ohio due to accidental overdose. That number increased to 12 per day in 2016.
Teens at the event were asked to submit questions to Town Hall speakers Pastor Greg Delaney, outreach coordinator at Woodhaven; agent Scott Duff of the Ohio Attorney General’s office and LeeAnne Cornyn, director of children’s initiatives for the attorney general’s office. Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office unveiled a plan called “Recovery Ohio” in October detailing 12 initiatives to help fight the opioid epidemic. Visit ohioattorneygeneral.gov for information.
Two main topics of conversation revolved around the negative stigma attached to drug addiction and the question of where people can go to get help and start treatment.
“People think that addicts can just quit,” Delaney said. “They don’t understand the control that the drug takes over a user’s life.”
Several breakout sessions addressed peer-to-peer prevention, warning signs for parents and teens and how to address the opioid epidemic within the community, all with the aim of stemming the tide of drug addiction before it starts.
“It is easier to build boys and girls than to rebuild men and women,” noted David Kohout, of Talk is Cheap, an organization dedicated to “building character, establishing confidence, providing hope and inspiring greatness in the lives of young people.”
Hope for Ohio is one of several initiatives Ohio Farm Bureau and county Farm Bureaus are participating in to help combat the opioid epidemic in Ohio.
Caption: Wayne Campbell, president and co-founder of Tyler’s Light, speaks at the event which was a teen forum held in December to discuss how to give youth the tools they need to help combat the opioid epidemic.
My first recommendation in your journey is to start out with a local farming friend or mentor along with joining an organization like Ohio Farm Bureau.
We’re just so thankful for the Farm Bureau and the foundation for helping put this together. And of course, the Boyert family for the vision they had with this grant. It’s jumping us forward 10 years. It’s unbelievable.
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
It wasn’t until I joined the Wilmington College Collegiate Farm Bureau that I truly saw how my passion could translate into leadership, advocacy and a career.
The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
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.
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