The Ohio Soybean Council and soybean checkoff started Future Eats in 2018 to help young adults not only learn where their food comes from but also show the versatility of that food.

Future Eats is a program created to connect Ohio college students to Ohio farmers. The program also introduces students to soybeans and how important this versatile crop is to the food supply and economy.

 “Gen Z is curious about their food and how farmers grow it,” said Nathan Eckel, a Wood County soybean farmer and OSC board member. “There are a lot of programs out there that focus on teaching agriculture topics to young kids, but not as many that reach out to college students.”

 Future Eats aims to fill that age gap.

 “College and university students are in the process of forming their own independent views and perceptions of the world,” Eckel said. “In a few short years they will be working in their community as teachers, political leaders, writers, parents and more. The farmer leaders of the Ohio Soybean Council want these future community influencers to hear their story.”

Visitors to the Future Eats website can learn about the initiative and meet the Ohio farmers who share their story with consumers. Their bios showcase not only themselves and their farm, but their commitment to a safe and affordable food supply.

Farmers are passionate about what they do, and young consumers are passionate about what they eat. Bringing the two together to learn more about each other is one of the goals of the program.

 “We really value peer-to-peer outreach and have worked with many agriculture students as spokespeople,” Eckel said. “Future Eats will continue to build understanding between these two groups by creating opportunities for connection. This is a grassroots program and we plan to build on successes year after year.” 

 Visit FutureEats.org  for more information and student-created content. 

Featured Image: College students get to know farmers and learn more about not only where their food comes from, but who is responsible for growing it, via the Future Eats initiative through the Ohio Soybean Council. Students also learn how to work with food and create recipes. 

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.
Matt Aultman's avatar
Matt Aultman

Darke County Farm Bureau

Giving farmers a voice
The plan we are on is great. It’s comparable to my previous job's plan, and we are a sole proprietor.
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Kevin Holy

Geauga County Farm Bureau

Ohio Farm Bureau Health Benefits Plan
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
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Gretchan Francis

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Bringing the farm back to life
We really appreciate what Farm Bureau has done to get people interested in this line of work and workforce development and getting people interested in this industry.
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Jody Brown Boyd

Brown's Family Farm Market

Finding farm labor
We work terrifically with the Ashtabula County Farm Bureau, hosting at least one to two outreach town hall events every year to educate new farmers and existing farmers on traditional CAUV and woodlands.
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David Thomas

Ashtabula County Auditor

CAUV: Past, present and future
Because we are younger farmers just starting out, Farm Bureau has a lot of good opportunities and resources to help us grow in the future.
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Hannah Kiser

Sandusky County Farm Bureau

Farm Bureau involvement
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Chad Ruhl

Farm manager, CSI Insurance

Select Partner Program
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Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Advocacy
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