Editor’s Note: Due to ongoing health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the difficult decision has been made by Ohio Farm Bureau and OSU Extension to cancel all ExploreAg Camps this summer.
Ohio State University Extension, Franklin County and the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation are bringing four ExploreAg camps to high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors to explore various careers in agriculture. Ohio is projected to have 18,000 new jobs in agriculture through 2020.
Students will interact with and learn directly from teachers, scientists and researchers. Subject areas include food science, precision agriculture, animal sciences, natural resources, management skills, technology, and agricultural business. In addition to the classroom experience, scholars will participate in field experiences that highlight cutting-edge research and meet industry partners to provide a glimpse of various careers in related fields. There will also be sessions focused on soft skills such as interviewing, resume building and public speaking to prepare participants for the workforce. Schedule
Camp dates
Session 1: June 14-19 – Ohio State University, Columbus Campus
Session 2: June 21-26 – Ohio State University, Columbus Campus
Session 3: July 5-10 – Central State University
Session 4: July 12-17 – Ohio State University – ATI campus, Wooster
The ExploreAg camps are free to attend. Program costs covered include on-campus accommodations, meals, staffing, course supplies, program materials, and transportation. Supervision is provided at all times by faculty, staff, and program counselors who are current college students in related majors.
Application deadline
The deadline to apply is March 6, 2020, and applicants will be notified of admittance by March 20, 2020. Applicants will be asked to submit an application with one reference and a 1-3 minute video with the prompt: “Please tell us about one agricultural career and why that interests you.”
Questions about ExploreAg Camps should be directed to OSU Extension Educator Marissa Mulligan.
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.