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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It was in Ohio State’s Botany and Zoology building on Neil Avenue, now Jennings Hall, where Farm Bureau members representing 76 counties along with many Ohio State University county Extension agents convened for the very first meeting of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation 100 years ago. Now in that same location, a new historical marker commemorating that meeting is being displayed.
“The fact that the meeting took place on the campus of The Ohio State University was appropriate,” said Ohio Farm Bureau President Frank Burkett III during the plaque unveiling Jan. 28. “At that first annual meeting, Ohio Farm Bureau pledged its support to its friends at Ohio State and as you can see, Ohio State University, its Extension service and Ohio Farm Bureau are lifelong partners.”
The marker displays OFBF logos, past and present, and highlights how Farm Bureau adopted its first resolutions, pledging to support farm legislation, pressing for organization of a national Farm Bureau, supporting expansion of county Extension agent work and cooperating with Ohio State’s College of Agriculture and Experiment Station.
“The work of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is crucial to the success of farmers and to every link in the food chain across Ohio, the nation and the world,” said Adam Sharp, OFBF executive vice president. “Today, just like 100 years ago, Farm Bureau knows the value of Ohio State’s teaching, research and extension efforts and we are proud to support those efforts by communicating with lawmakers, the public and others about the importance of that work.”
Other representatives celebrating the organization’s founding included Mark Berven, Nationwide president and chief operating officer, and Brent Porteus, former OFBF president, who now serves on both the Nationwide Board of Directors and OSU Board of Trustees. Berven noted that Nationwide’s beginnings in 1926 all started as what was then known as the Ohio Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company.
Sharp and Dr. Cathann Kress, vice president of agricultural administration and dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State, highlighted the ability to work collaboratively for the betterment of both organizations and their communities.
“You can’t easily accomplish something so ambitious as harnessing the only energy source for our planet, the sun, and converting it to use for the collective human species, who want it cheaply, fast, sustainable, delicious and high in value,” Kress said. “We have our own set of challenges today but we also have resources, technology and communications that our predecessors would have envied. That is why our partnership with Ohio Farm Bureau is so important. It was 100 years ago, it was 50 years ago and it is today.”
Also on hand was Ohio Senator and past OFBF President Bob Peterson. He presented a proclamation from the Ohio Senate recognizing the achievements of Ohio’s largest farm organization over the past century. Proclamations also were given by the Ohio House of Representatives and on behalf of U.S. Congressman Steve Stivers and the Ohio delegation of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Online extras
Learn more about Ohio Farm Bureau’s centennial events, projects
Coverage from Ohio Farm Bureau’s 100th annual meeting
Town Hall Ohio centennial episode
Photos by Dave Gore
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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