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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At the three northwest Ohio farms involved in the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network, there is always something new and innovative happening to give all farmers in Ohio insights on agricultural practices that help reduce and prevent nutrient runoff. While most of the projects take place in the field, one of the latest improvements happened online with the unveiling of a new website.
“Over the first five years, we did a really good job of getting nonfarmers on the demo farms to showcase our research and convey some of the ways farmers are using best management practices for water quality and nutrient management,” said Jordan Hoewischer, director of water quality and research with Ohio Farm Bureau. “When we signed a new five-year agreement with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to continue work on our demo farms, we took that opportunity to put a major focus on farmer engagement and getting them to find out about some of the new practices they need to consider.”
One of the biggest enhancements to the new website is a resource section, where farmers can click which topic they would like to learn more about, and the results will be aggregated based on their search.
“If you want to understand more about cover crops, for example, click that button and any blogs, articles, podcasts and facts sheets on cover crops will pop up,” Hoewischer said. “Our new site organizes it all for you, and we will keep adding to it as new information becomes available.”
The “resource” tab also includes materials on soil sampling, nutrient management plans, no-till, tile drainage, climate and weather, just to name a few.
Along with the new website comes a new approach to social media interaction to help keep farmers in-the-know about current research athe demo farms.
“There is a growing group of farmers who are doing a really good job of interacting with each other on Twitter and Facebook, so we have made a concerted effort to have a bigger presence on those platforms,” said Aaron Heilers, Blanchard River Demonstration Farms project manager. “Peer to peer learning is something that has skyrocketed because they trust the results that their neighbors are getting with new equipment and practices. We want to continue to foster an online community for farmers to interact with not only the demo farms, but with each other.”
You can check out the new website at blancharddemofarms.org and follow the demo farms on facebook.com/OhioDemoFarms and Twitter (@OhioDemoFarms).
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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