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Membership
Crawford County Farm Bureau kicked off the volunteer membership campaign Jan. 16. The membership committee was provided training and materials to help talk to people about membership. Crawford County Farm Bureau met the goal of farmer member gain with 429 farmer members and 592 total members.

Farmers Share Breakfast
On Feb. 24, we hosted the Farmers Share Breakfast at Colonel Crawford schools. Thank you to the many volunteers who helped make omelets and serve breakfast to the community.

Young Ag Professionals Tubing at Snow Trails
Also, in February we had a fun evening tubing at Snow Trails. Farm Bureau members received a discount on tickets.

Storytime with a Farmer
Every other month, a guest reader would read an agricultural book to children and do an activity at the Bucyrus Public Library. 

Advocacy 
Ag Day at the Capital, held annually in February, provides a forum to meet with the state legislature. Eric Hanes, Alissa Cramer and Rose Hartschuh attended. Hanes also attended the Presidents’ Trip to D.C. in March to advocate for the needs of local farm families and rural residents.

Nationwide
Each month members received an e-blast about risk management topics and the Nationwide products and services offered for those specific issues.

Manure Pit Safety and Rescue Training
We hosted one of four manure pit safety and rescue training sessions on March 20 and 21. Area farmers, firefighters and other emergency personnel learned critical information about the hazards of working around manure pits, the importance of air quality monitoring, and how to use body harnesses, lifelines, and retrieval equipment. The training featured a one-of-a-kind manure pit rescue simulator. First responders make up over 60% of the fatalities related to manure pit accidents, highlighting the critical need for this training at our rural fire departments. The sponsors were Farm Credit Mid America, Centerra Co-op, Hord Family Farms, Farmer Boy Ag, The First Citizens National Bank, CSI Insurance, Douce Insurance, Gerber Insurance and Hempy Water. This program will be recognized as a County Activity of Excellence at the American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in January in San Antonio.

Policy Development
Our grassroots policy development process started in June with a meeting with members and public officials who provided feedback on important issues. This meeting was held at a local farm so participants could see a working farm firsthand. Board members and action team members worked through the suggestions after the meeting. The proposals were voted on at the Crawford County Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in September. The adopted policies, which guide program development, can be found here.

Scholarships – This year we awarded $500 scholarships to Sophia Beck and Addison Lust. Applications will open in early 2025.
We hosted the inaugural Scholarship Golf Scramble June 29 to support annual Crawford County Farm Bureau scholarships. Eight teams participated and over $2000 was raised for ensuring the future of Crawford County youth and our next generation of leaders.

County Fair
We supported the youth and promoted agriculture and Farm Bureau by donating the Reserve Champion Livestock award chairs and sponsoring the beverages for the buyers’ lunch during the Junior Fair Sale. In addition, we provided Farm Bureau families additional project money if they displayed a Farm Bureau sign on their fair pens the entire week. We also partnered with the Junior Fair board to host a square dance at the fair.

Carcass Show 
In partnership with Crawford County Cattlemen’s and Links Country Meats, we put on the Crawford County Carcass Show. Awards for the top cattle, hog, sheep and goat carcasses were announced, and Mark’s Homemade Ice Cream was served. Attendees learned how meat is graded and judged and could see the differences for themselves in the cooler.

Annual Meeting
The 2024 Crawford County Farm Bureau’s Annual Meeting was held Sept. 10. Ohio Farm Bureau Friend of Agriculture recipients were announced. Members voted on policies and elected trustees and delegates for the 2025 Ohio Farm Bureau Annual Meeting. Crawford County Ag Hall of Fame inductee Melinda Sellman was honored.

Crawford County Farm Bureau looks for ways to impact and improve the community. We strive to keep strong relationships with elected officials so that rural interests are not neglected when rules are made. Your 2024-2025 Farm Bureau Trustees are Eric Hanes, President; Brandie Finney, Vice-president;
Alissa Cramer; Adam McGinnis; Keith Ehmann; Doug Foreman; Lydia Feik; Kendra Hudson; Steve Reinhard and Kayle Roe. There are six trustee seats open.

If you’d like more information about Farm Bureau, or better still you’d like to serve as a trustee or help with some of our projects, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact one of the county trustees, or contact the county office at 419-747-7488 or [email protected].