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Cora Willeke of Marengo, Ohio, is one of 14 farmers and agribusiness professionals selected to participate in Ohio Farm Bureau’s 2023-2024 AgriPOWER Institute.

AgriPOWER is a program of Ohio Farm Bureau and designed for farmers and agribusiness professionals. It focuses on public issues that are relevant to the food industry such as consumer relations, regulations, energy and trade policies. In AgriPOWER, individuals develop the skills necessary to become effective leaders and advocates for agriculture by learning from experts in these fields. 

Willeke is an account officer at AgCredit, ACA in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, delivering customer-focused financial solutions tailored to specific member-borrowers’ needs. She is a member of the Young, Beginning, Small Farmer committee at AgCredit. Willeke has a long list of accomplishments in agriculture, including heavy involvement in 4-H and FFA. She also won the 2022 Distinguished Senior Award as an agribusiness & applied economics student at Ohio State University.

“AgriPOWER XIV is poised to provide these budding leaders with a remarkable chance to delve into the intricate challenges that Ohio agriculture faces, all while fine-tuning their abilities as powerful advocates for the industry,” said Melinda Witten, director of AgriPOWER. “We eagerly look forward to witnessing the transformative journey these participants will embark upon as they engage with the AgriPOWER program.”

One of the sessions will take place in Washington, D.C. to give participants a better understanding of national and global issues, and an out-of-state session will help them learn about the differences and similarities in agriculture outside of Ohio.

Partnering with Ohio Farm Bureau on AgriPOWER Class XIV are Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation, Ohio Soybean Council, FarmCredit Mid-America, Ag Credit, Legacy Farmers Cooperative, Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association, Certified Angus Beef, Stark County Farm Bureau, PBS Animal Health and United Producers Inc. 

For additional information about AgriPOWER, visit ofb.ag/agripower.

This is a news release for use by journalists. Questions should be directed to Ty Higgins, 614-246-8231 or [email protected].

Editors: A high-resolution photo of Cora Willeke is available for download.