Ohio Farm Bureau Health Plans: What’s next?
Specific enrollment details for the new Health Plans will be available this fall. In the meantime, add your name to the notification list for when the plans are ready.
Read MoreOhio Farm Bureau is continuing to work with state leaders on having broadband accessible for all Ohioans across the state. Entire Ohio communities continue to have no broadband connectivity or limited reliability, putting them at an economic disadvantage, said Jenna Beadle, OFBF director of state policy.
“The biggest thing we hear from our members about not having broadband is the economic impact for those in the workplace and how even students are affected because they increasingly have to do their homework online and can’t always run over to McDonald’s or their local library for Wi-Fi access,” she said.
Last year the state legislature failed to pass a bill establishing a residential broadband expansion program through the Ohio Department of Development Services. Ohio Farm Bureau has been meeting with state leaders to reintroduce the bill, which would provide grant money to help offset the high infrastructure cost for companies putting broadband into areas with few customers.
The 2018 Farm Bill addressed broadband, requiring the Trump administration to create a 20-agency task force to determine ways federal agencies can support expanded broadband access. The task force recently made recommendations for streamlining the permitting process, using federal assets to lower the cost for projects and using data from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to create more accurate maps to show where broadband is still limited or lacking. The 2018 Farm Bill also increased USDA’s authority to create grants and loans for middle-mile projects.
About 39 percent of rural Americans don’t have access to broadband, compared with just 4 percent of urban Americans. Source: Federal Communications Commission
Specific enrollment details for the new Health Plans will be available this fall. In the meantime, add your name to the notification list for when the plans are ready.
Read MoreKayla Scott of Mineral City serve Farm Bureau members in Carroll, Harrison, Jefferson and Tuscarawas counties.
Read MoreThe 2025 Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation Golf Invitational raised $115,000 for foundation scholarships, grants and programs that help enhance agricultural communities and support careers in agriculture.
Read MoreThe goal will be for members to have access to these new health plan options as early as January 2026.
Read MoreAny unlicensed handlers who use restricted use pesticides will need to have additional training. Farm Bureau will be working on legislation to give employers a choice on how to provide training.
Read MoreThe budget includes funding for: H2Ohio, animal health and animal disease response, the College of Veterinary Medicine at Ohio State, and the Brownfield Remediation Program.
Read MoreThe 2025 algal bloom for the Western Lake Erie Basin is expected to have a severity index of 3, according to the final forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Read MoreKyle and Samantha Daugherty of Coshocton County are the perfect example of next generation agriculturalists embracing the world of technology on their family farm.
Read MoreBefore deciding whether to organize your farm or business as an LLC, talk to an attorney, accountant or other trusted financial adviser who can help you determine if it’s the right move.
Read MoreOver 30 tour participants witnessed a variety of conservation strategies in action, including cover crops, no-till and strip-till systems, two-stage ditches, land buffers and advanced manure management.
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