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.”

Mark Berven
Mark Berven

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.”

Sen. Bob Peterson, center, presented a proclamation congratulating Ohio Farm Bureau on its 100th anniversary. Pictured are Adam Sharp (left) and Frank Burkett III.
Sen. Bob Peterson, center, presented a proclamation congratulating Ohio Farm Bureau on its 100th anniversary. Pictured are Adam Sharp (left) and Frank Burkett III.

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

Ohio Farm Bureau membership

 

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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Advocacy
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