Portage County Fair

Last month, Ohio Farm Bureau and other agriculture groups sent a letter to Gov. Mike DeWine asking for guidance so that county, independent and Ohio State fairs have adequate time to plan and prepare for the 2021 season. Those guidelines were laid out on Thursday.

“Based upon what we are seeing now it is our anticipation that we will be able to have full county fairs this year,“ DeWine said. “It certainly is possible that by the time we get to the second month of fairs or even possibly the first week of fairs we may be off of the health orders. The guidelines we are putting are based on if the fairs would start today and they could change in the future.”

The governor’s revised orders for fairs include compliance with the statewide mask order and social distancing, as well as guidelines for animal exhibitions. Additionally, there will be a 25% maximum for indoor grandstand capacity and a 30% maximum for outdoor grandstand capacity.

“We appreciate Governor DeWine’s response to our request for guidelines for our state, county and independent fairs to move forward with the planning process for the 2021 season,” said Adam Sharp, executive vice president of Ohio Farm Bureau. “These fairs bring great pride to Ohio communities, and the 4-H and FFA exhibitors at our fairs proudly represent what Ohio agriculture is all about. Putting these guidelines in place will help to keep fair attendees safe and we look forward to a successful, and much needed, fair season across Ohio.”

Note: The photo used with this story was taken in 2019.

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.
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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
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
I appreciate the benefit of having a strong voice in my corner. The extras that are included in membership are wonderful, but I'm a member because of the positive impact to my local and state agricultural communities.
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Ernie Welch

Van Wert County Farm Bureau

Strong communities
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
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.
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Chad Ruhl

Farm manager, CSI Insurance

Select Partner Program
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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Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Advocacy
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