Harvest is always a chance to look back on the year and start thinking about the seasons ahead.
Every year brings its own challenges, but the story of 2024 and 2025 on the Sharp Farm could not have been more different…until August anyway. In 2024, we were wishing for rain to come and struggling through harvest. This year, we were hoping the skies would clear long enough to even get seed in the ground.
The challenges we faced on our farm over the past two years are a familiar story to many farmers across Ohio. Last year’s drought left fields dry, yields down and little hay. This year, some farmers waited until June for the ground to dry enough to plant, then the rain shut off completely in August. These back-to-back extremes have been a true reminder of the resilience agriculture holds, but also a sign of how quickly weather patterns have begun to change.
Research in the Western Lake Erie Basin echoes the challenges Ohio farmers have faced, as the data shows a shift in rainfall. Instead of steady rain across the season, we are now seeing fewer events with far more intensity. Here in Fairfield County, I witnessed some of the heaviest rains of my life, three to six inches in a matter of hours, washing out culverts, flooding fields and towns.
Dramatic changes in our weather patterns make it harder to plan and harder to plant, but it also has highlighted the determination of our farmers and Ohio Farm Bureau members. When disaster struck last year, our members and staff did what they do best. They stepped up and shared their story. Thanks to the advocacy of Ohio Farm Bureau and American Farm Bureau, we helped secure both federal disaster relief and a $10 million state program, led by then Rep. Don Jones, to reach farmers who may not have been covered under the federal package.
In this issue of Our Ohio, you will read the story of resilience from many Ohio Farm Bureau members across the state, along with weather outlooks and updates from our partners around climate and water quality.
As we look ahead, we may not always know what the weather will bring, but one thing is certain: Ohio Farm Bureau will continue to work with researchers, our policymakers and the public to make sure our farms and communities are prepared for whatever comes next.
The network was established in fall 2015 on farms in Hardin and Hancock counties. Nearly 200 different tours and events took place on the three farms totaling nearly 4,000 visitors in its 10-year span.
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For more information or to sign up for weather alerts, farm policyholders should contact their Nationwide agent or visit ofb.ag/nationwideweatheralert.
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What if farmers could harness the moisture that falls during the winter season and use it when their crops are lacking water during the growing season — all with the touch of a button.
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The weather app that comes preloaded on every smart phone might offer weather predictions, but that impersonal data can’t match…
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The theme of this issue is weather, its impacts on agriculture, and how farmers can remain resilient.
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The recent findings from Stone Lab and the NOAA forecast are encouraging and reflect the years of efforts farmers have put into water quality and stewardship.
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Weather balloons take in information regarding the temperature and dew point within the column of the atmosphere to give forecasters a ‘snapshot’ of what the atmosphere looks like at a given time.
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Sharp swings between wet and dry conditions are becoming a defining feature of Ohio’s climate.
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A unique ‘rent-a-calf’ program allows Butler County 4-H and FFA kids who do not have the ability to take on a home dairy project to rent-a-calf from Mullen Dairy for the county fair.
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Is your property and pocketbook ready for what Mother Nature has in store?
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