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Highland County Farm Bureau held its 2025 Annual Meeting June 2 at the Lake View Loft in Hillsboro. Even with a rainy planting season, many farmers still made time to attend, which was greatly appreciated.

The evening began with opening remarks and dinner. Several public officials joined members for the meeting, including Rep. Bob Peterson, Sheriff Randy Sanders, County Commissioner Brad Roades, County Commissioner David Daniels, Kelly Faas from Congressman David Taylor’s office and Bryn Stepp from U.S. Sen. Husted’s office.

During the business meeting, members approved last year’s minutes and the financial report. Evan Davis, Andrew Davis, Brandon Fullenkamp and Tom Oglesby were re-elected to serve on the board through 2028. Delegates chosen for the 2026 Ohio Farm Bureau Annual Meeting were Evan Davis, Brandon Fullenkamp and Ronnie Hall. Members also voted on policy proposals and a code change, all of which passed.

The group heard from several guest speakers during the evening. Whittney Bowers, director of state policy and grassroots engagement for Ohio Farm Bureau, shared updates on statewide efforts to improve access to affordable health care in rural areas. She explained how this issue impacts the future of agriculture and noted a key goal is to have “more people able to farm the way they want to farm.”

Nathan Brown, District 20 state trustee representing Highland County, spoke about programs available to members such as AgriPOWER, ExploreAg, and the Growing Tomorrow Grant. He also announced he will not seek re-election this year and thanked members for their support.

All five scholarship winners were recognized and the two present came forward to be acknowledged. New Action Team leaders were introduced, and upcoming events like Sow, Grow, Bestow, the Farm to Table Breakfast, and Junior Fair activities were highlighted. The meeting closed with the announcement of election results and prize drawings.