Mike Videkovich

I am Mike Videkovich, trustee for District 15, and Jenny Cox is your regional trustee. Ohio Farm Bureau staff members have prepared this recap from the January 2023 meeting of the Ohio Farm Bureau Board of Trustees.

Guests of the board

As part of our overall work to advance our mission, we build relationships and key partnerships with many individuals, candidates, groups, companies and organizations. This month we welcomed:

From Nationwide:
Board Member Paul Wenger
Sponsor Relations: Devin Fuhrman and Shawnda Vega
Young Ag Professionals State Committee member Sarah Bolte
Erie County Farm Bureau President Joseph Trinter

On the road at Winter Leadership Experience

The board meeting was held in Sandusky at Kalahari Convention Center so we could be on hand for the 2023 Winter Leadership Experience. This is the signature event for our Young Ag Professionals program. More than 450 younger members and families participated in the two-day conference. What a great boost to see the next generation engaged in our organization. 

Ohio Agriculture and Rural Communities Action Plan

After policies our voting delegates passed at the annual meeting are finalized, the next step is for the board to prioritize our work for the coming year. The 2023 Ohio Agriculture and Rural Communities Action plan provides a blueprint for policymakers and Farm Bureau members to bolster the agriculture industry and rural communities. 

Membership makes it happen

County volunteers and staff will be reaching out to nonrenewed and prospective members over the next couple of months. They will be talking to them about all the work the organization does to bring value to members and how that work helps us achieve our mission: Working Together with Ohio Farmers to Advance Agriculture and Strengthen our Communities. If you would like to get involved with the membership campaign, contact your county Farm Bureau for more details. If you have questions about the value of your membership and the changes to membership dues, please visit OhioFarmBureau.org/dues.

Thank you for being a Farm Bureau member.

Farm Labor Resources
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
Strong communities
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
Leadership development
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
Young Ag Professionals program
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
Growing our Generation
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
Groovy Plants Ranch
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
Washington, D.C. Leadership Experience
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
Advocacy
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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