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.

Labor has always been an issue, mainly because we are a seasonal operation. So that's a challenge finding somebody who only wants to work three months out of a year, sometimes up to six months.
Mandy Way's avatar
Mandy Way

Way Farms

Farm Labor Resources
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
I see the value and need to be engaged in the community I live in, to be a part of the decision-making process and to volunteer with organizations that help make our community better.
Matt Aultman's avatar
Matt Aultman

Darke County Farm Bureau

Leadership development
Farm Bureau involvement has taught me how to grow my professional and leadership experience outside of the workforce and how to do that in a community-centric way.
Jaclyn De Candio's avatar
Jaclyn De Candio

Clark County Farm Bureau

Young Ag Professionals program
With not growing up on a farm, I’d say I was a late bloomer to agriculture. I feel so fortunate that I found the agriculture industry. There are so many opportunities for growth.
Jenna Gregorich's avatar
Jenna Gregorich

Coshocton County Farm Bureau

Growing our Generation
Knowing that horticulture is under the agriculture umbrella and having Farm Bureau supporting horticulture like it does the rest of ag is very important.
Jared Hughes's avatar
Jared Hughes

Groovy Plants Ranch

Groovy Plants Ranch
If it wasn't for Farm Bureau, I personally, along with many others, would not have had the opportunity to meet with our representatives face to face in Washington.
Austin Heil's avatar
Austin Heil

Hardin County Farm Bureau

Washington, D.C. Leadership Experience
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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