Ohio Farm Bureau’s farmer leaders including young agricultural professionals, AgriPOWER Class XIII members and county presidents and vice presidents visited Washington, D.C. last month. Over the three-day trip, participants heard from experts and in turn voiced their thoughts to help legislators make the connection between what is happening on Ohio farms and what is being debated in the halls of Congress and within federal agencies. We cover some of the highlights of the trip on this Our Ohio Weekly.

Our Ohio Weekly · The 2022 Washington D.C. Leadership Experience

00:00 – Sen. Rob Portman addressed attendees of the 2022 Washington, D.C. Leadership Experience and talked about his farm in southwest Ohio and some of the issues those within agriculture are facing today.

16:50 – Sen. Sherrod Brown, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, visited with Ohio Farm Bureau members about the process of learning what is important as the 2023 Farm Bill begins to take shape.

23:50 – On the latest To the Beat of Agriculture, meet John Hummel and hear about how his lifelong passion for agriculture resulted in him winning Ohio Farm Bureau’s 2022 Outstanding Young Farmer award.

32:20 – Senator Brown also heard from Ohio Farm Bureau members about input costs and other inflationary pressures they are dealing with at the farm level.

42:20 – JD Vance, candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, has been named a Friend of Farm Bureau by the organization’s Agriculture for Good Government Political Action Committee (AGGPAC). Vance talks about what he is learning from farmers as he travels the state to talk about how agriculture is impacted by decisions made at our nation’s capital.

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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