tree

Spring is around the corner. After a cold, snowy and damp winter across most of the state, the warmth of the upcoming planting season is a welcome change. Trees will start to bloom, much like ag careers at places such as Davey Tree Co., which is the backdrop of a feature about pathways into agriculture in the March/April edition of Our Ohio magazine. 

Youth Pathways is a cornerstone initiative of the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation. The success of that initiative in 2021, as well as many others, is highlighted in the foundation’s annual report included in this issue. Another foundation cornerstone, ExploreAg, is also featured. We tell the story of three men who attended an ExploreAg experience and are now linemen apprentices for various utility companies.

Executive Vice President Adam Sharp’s Across the Table column addresses what members would like candidates who are running for office in 2022 to know about both the challenges and opportunities farming and living rural communities can present. To that end, Farm Bureau unveiled its Ohio Agriculture and Rural Communities Action Plan of 2022 priority issues in February. More about the action plan can be found in the March/April issue of Our Ohio.

Farmer mental health is a Farm Bureau priority issue, and in this issue we talk to two farmers at the center of a journey to better mental health. We feature a farmer who noticed the actions of a farming friend were warning signs that some intervention was needed. The farmer in need sought help from the encouragement and both are telling the story of the importance of looking out for your neighbor. 

Other items of interest in this issue include the latest OSU Impact from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and a story about a study that looks at the different types of rural Ohio that exist, as well as reader favorites — spring recipes and Grow and Know events

These are just some of what members will find in the latest issue of Our Ohio magazine, a benefit of Farm Bureau membership and Our Ohio Supporters. A digital edition is also available.

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.
Kevin Holy's avatar
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.
Jody Brown Boyd's avatar
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.
Ernie Welch's avatar
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.
David Thomas's avatar
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.
Hannah Kiser's avatar
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.
Chad Ruhl's avatar
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.
Mary Smallsreed's avatar
Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Advocacy
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