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The 2023 American Farm Bureau Annual Convention took place Jan. 5-10. Carroll, Harrison, Jefferson, and Tuscarawas County Farm Bureaus were able to share their award-winning project, Check YOUR Engine, by setting up a booth at the trade show in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Jerry Lahmers, recently retired Ohio Farm Bureau state trustee, represented the county Farm Bureaus at the event.

“We had a very attractive display that drew a lot of interest and good conversation on agriculturalist mental wellness thanks to the work of Natalie Bollon, Mackenzie Deetz, Shelby Rhodes and Trevor Kirkpatrick,” Lahmers said. “Two things stood out from the conversations: One: mental wellness and the need to support it is pervasive in the agriculture community. Two: the program ‘Check Your Engine’ will work very well towards addressing the situation. I am confident as the program grows and matures it will be of immense value for our farmers, farm families, and farm workers.”

Newly elected Ohio Farm Bureau State Trustee Mackenzie Deetz, said, “The trade show brought forward a lot of creative ideas and the conversations are always a ‘cup filler’ for me personally.”

The conversations from the trade show booth seemed to be a highlight of the trip.

“I was surprised by the shift in people during our discussions,” said Natalie Bollon, executive director of the Alcohol Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Carroll and Tuscarawas counties who also made the trip. “Many stopped to learn about the program but then would engage in discussions that lasted 20 minutes. There was a shift in their understanding of what ‘mental health’ is. It exists on a continuum of struggling to get out of bed and feeling hopeless or overwhelmed, to the more serious symptoms of suicidal thoughts.”

Farmer mental health is becoming a more common topic of discussion for many in the industry.

“The AFBF (trade show) had no shortage of counties that were focused on farmer and farm family mental health, especially from Ohio. We were able to learn from other booths and programs and came back with some tremendous ideas to add to Check Your Engine,” Bollon added.

Shelby Rhodes of Carroll County also reflected on her trip to Puerto Rico.

“I think I could fill a book with the things I learned. One of the biggest things I learned is how much properly advocating for agriculture is needed. This trip also taught me how valuable the Farm Bureau organization is and how much it cares for it’s members.”

Attendees also brought back some lessons from outside the convention. 

“I learned, from a culture born and raised to serve the tourists that visit the island, that I should adopt that practice in my own life. We all need to reach out a helping hand more often without the expectation of getting something in return. The people of Puerto Rico were so kind and welcoming. and I won’t ever forget the experience of traveling there,” Deetz said.

The Check Your Engine project was one of 24 County Activities of Excellence award winners that were invited to set up a booth at the American Farm Bureau convention. Of those 24 projects, 11 were from Ohio encompassing 14 total counties.