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Jenny Cox of Dresden is president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation board of directors in 2023. She also currently serves as southeast regional trustee for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and is a long-time board member of both boards.

Cox is the communications director at Bickle Farm Solutions, and she and her husband, Jared, own Cox Seed Sales. They also own and operate a family farm, where they raise corn, soybeans and wheat in Muskingum and Coshocton counties.

Our Ohio caught up with Cox to ask how the foundation carrying out its mission subsequently impacts agriculture.

Q: What are the pillars that make up the essence of the foundation, and why is each one critical to the mission of supporting future ag careers?

The foundation has a three-pronged approach to inspiring interest in and commitment to agriculture – innovative programming, such as our signature science program, ExploreAg, for high school students, as well as numerous scholarships for students entering into agriculture or related fields, and grants to nonprofit organizations, county Farm Bureaus and programs advancing agricultural education.

Participation in any of these aspects of the foundation serves as great exposure to agriculture but also serves as a gateway into Ohio Farm Bureau as a whole. One in eight jobs in Ohio are related to food and agriculture. As the demands for employees to fill these roles increase, we want to do our part to cultivate the next generation of workers to grow their careers in agriculture.

Q: How do you track success?

The simple answer would be to track quantitative metrics such as dollars raised by the foundation, participants at our annual golf outing, increased sponsorships, or attendance at our ExploreAg camps. However, the most rewarding measures of success are the stories of the lives that have been impacted by the foundation. For example:

• Haven Hileman of Scioto County has received multiple foundation scholarships and recently participated in the 2022 Ohio Farm Bureau Annual Meeting as a delegate. Haven is currently attending The Ohio State University, where she is studying animal sciences.
• Jayden Porter of Franklin County participated in an ExploreAg camp on a whim because he was interested in being a food scientist. At the close of camp, during the networking portion of the camp ceremony, he met Dan Durheim, AVP of Sponsor Relations at Nationwide. Jayden and Dan exchanged information and through this interaction, Jayden became an ambassador at the Land and Living Building at the Ohio State Fair and is currently applying to be on the Ohio State Fair Junior Fair Board. Jayden will be graduating from high school in May and has plans to attend The Ohio State University to major in food science.

Q: What does the next chapter in the development of the foundation look like?
It is such an exciting time to be a part of the foundation board. First and foremost, the opportunity to work with and get to know some of these young students – whether it is through networking at an ExploreAg camp or reading about all of their accomplishments and activities through reviewing scholarship applications – is incredibly rewarding. The stories and successes of these young people confirm to me that the future of agriculture is bright.

However, I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the opportunity to work alongside this amazing board. The foundation board is made up of 16 members who are all connected to agriculture and youth development but in very different ways. At every single meeting, committee event, foundation program, or chance encounter – I learn something new from every single foundation board member. Of course none of this would happen without our amazing donors who make the work of the foundation possible through their annual contributions.