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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According to the Farm, Food and Agribusiness COVID-19 Impact Survey created by Ohio Farm Bureau, 65% of those involved in Ohio’s food supply system have been negatively or very negatively impacted by the global pandemic. The survey also shows that 5% of those surveyed have been positively impacted.
Dustin and Casey Jo Converse own and operate Crimson Knoll Cattle in Union County. They have been selling freezer beef from their farm for over 10 years, but this year has been a banner one so far as more and more consumers are reaching out to them for their beef needs.
“We are having a lot more conversations with folks who have never purchased freezer beef, and we are selling more this time of year than we normally do,” Casey Jo said. “Our biggest challenge is getting scheduled with the processor, but they have taken really great care of us and we are thankful for that.”
That is a good problem to have and the uptick in business has changed their business model. Crimson Knoll Cattle doubled in herd size in order to meet the increased local demand. Those types of on-the-fly adjustments are not easy and take some creativity and some foresight. The Converses almost took most of their cattle to the packing plant earlier this year, but decided to hold some of them back when the phone started to ring.
“Early on some customers that had just purchased a good amount of beef were inquiring about buying even more and then we started to hear from more and more people,” Dustin said. “At that point I knew that I had to schedule more dates with the butcher and if we didn’t do that we would have had to wait a couple more months for our beef to be processed.”
The Converses work with a few local processors, including Glenville Packing in Bucyrus, a small custom facility that also works in retail and wholesale markets.
“Normally this time of year we do about four beef a week and a couple of hogs,” said Glenville Packing’s Andrew Keets. “We are now up to 10 cattle and 10 hogs every week. We have hired a couple of new employees and we are all working twice as long just to keep up with demand.”
That pace of production will last quite a while, as the processing plant is at full capacity until the end of July.
“We know there are a lot of farmers worried about where their animals are going to go as their options begin to narrow,” Keets said. “Local plants like ours are working to try to accommodate farmers in our area to make sure those animals and the farmers’ hard work doesn’t go to waste.”
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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