Merry Christmas,

I am Lynne Schultz, president of the Fairfield County Farm Bureau. I’m writing to wish you a safe and happy holiday season, and to thank you for being a member of the Fairfield County Farm Bureau.

As a member of Ohio Farm Bureau you stand with 961 Fairfield County Farm Bureau members and 83,293 members statewide who work together to advance agriculture and strengthen communities.

2020 was a challenging year, but the work of Fairfield County Farm Bureau didn’t stop. Your membership enabled us to have a positive impact in our community:

• Awarded two college scholarships to local students
• Served as judges for Bloom Carroll FFA and Amanda FFA student activities
• Hosted the Germinate Film Festival at Pickerington Local School District
• Sponsored youth activities at the Fairfield County Fair
• Purchased 13 livestock projects as the Fairfield County Farm Bureau Buyers Club
• Sponsored Saturday Cinema and family farm movie nights with the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Canal Winchester Joint Recreation District
• Delivered Nationwide Financial Essentials education webinars to members
• Provided Foodpreneur Business Coaching to local food and farm business owners
• Offered Food Preservation Grow and Know online education

The Fairfield County Farm Bureau invited members to contribute to the policy development process. We met with local candidates during elections to understand their value alignment with Farm Bureau members. We invited politicians to visit local farms to build their awareness of agriculture. Four delegates represented Fairfield County at the 2020 Ohio Farm Bureau Annual Meeting to advance policy initiatives that support our county.

The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation worked hard on your behalf at the state level. When the pandemic hit, Farm Bureau made sure agriculture and the entire food system was included as ‘critical infrastructure’ and ‘essential.’ Ohio Farm Bureau advocated for farm support resulting in billions of dollars in USDA direct payments to assist farmers and business owners through the CARES Act. We ensured farm markets were treated as grocery stores, allowing direct farm sales to continue as a source of income for farmers. Ohio Farm Bureau worked to minimize food chain disruptions including dairy and meat processing.

Members like you make it happen.

Thank you for your continued support, and warm wishes this holiday season from the Ohio Farm Bureau Family.

Sincerely,

Lynne Schultz