In 2017, Hamilton County Farm Bureau was one of eight Ohio county Farm Bureaus that earned a County Activities of Excellence award from American Farm Bureau. On the surface, the activity—helping update state and national Farm Bureau policy as it relates to drones—doesn’t sound as though it would be related to farming.
However, a recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers states that the future of drone usage in agriculture could create an industry of $32 billion or more, and that estimate could be conservative.
What is the link between farmers and drones? Precision farming, by air and by land. Already on most farms, digital equipment with sensors can scan and record data from the field that farmers can use from planting to harvesting. Precision agriculture also includes the use of GPS, geomapping and satellite imagery to let farmers know exactly what work in what field was done on what day. It includes extensive details about crops in the field, including important items like nutrient management application.
Drones are an extension of that technology, with the ability to grab data quickly with a farm flyover. Now policies updated through the efforts initiated by the Hamilton County Farm Bureau make it so farmers have guidelines to follow so they can be on the cutting edge of this emerging technology.
Special thanks to Bob Beckman working as drone operator and Steve Knollman of Knollman Farms for showcasing their land.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The 2023 Ohio Agriculture and Rural Communities Action plan provides a blueprint for policymakers and Ohio Farm Bureau members to bolster Ohio’s agriculture industry and our rural communities.
Brad Weaver of Wyandot County is a sixth generation farmer from Upper Sandusky. His family raises wheat, corn, and soybeans as cash crops and uses a wide variety of cover crops on their farm.
The Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge is a national business competition that showcases U.S. startups developing innovative solutions that address challenges facing America’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities.
International Food Solutions is receiving a grant to help redevelop and expand a vacant building in Cleveland into a plant with the capacity to process 60 million pounds of poultry.