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There is no such thing as a normal year in agriculture. From weather to markets to crop conditions, farmers have become accustomed to making adjustments on the fly to make the best of situations that are constantly changing. This year, our entire society has had to adjust in many ways. We have learned to work in our home offices, cook in our kitchens and, whether it is used for supper or schooling, the dining room table is getting more use than it ever has before.

Despite having to find “new normals” in many aspects of our lives, one thing will go on as planned — the November elections.

Politics have become a major part of our society, and between the news media and our personalized social media news feeds, there can be a lot of clutter and noise to cut through to decide how our views might line up with an important issue or candidate on our ballot.

Ohio Farm Bureau is constantly watching the actions elected officials take at the local, state and national levels of government and compiles those actions in a “Friend of Agriculture” scorecard, to determine how what they do positively or negatively impacts our industry and our members.

Major initiatives like Governor DeWine’s H2Ohio water quality program at the state level and the monumental USMCA trade deal with Mexico and Canada may not have happened if it weren’t for legislators who have a broad understanding of the impact these types of policies have on the farming community.

Continuously engaging with lawmakers and government officials helps our political action committee, AGGPAC, put together a comprehensive 2020 Election Guide, which you will find in the September/October edition of Our Ohio.

It is likely that you will be very familiar with those candidates at the top of your ticket Nov. 3, but those less recognizable names down the ticket are often equally important to agriculture.

I urge you to do your homework and take the time to review this guide to get a full understanding of the candidates you will be voting for as you head to the ballot box.

Two names that are noteworthy in this year’s election are Justices Judi French and Sharon Kennedy, who are both up for re-election to Ohio’s Supreme Court. There is a lot at stake in these two races. The results of the state’s Supreme Court decisions affect not just businesses and our legal climate, but they also affect each of us as consumers, landowners, taxpayers, employers and employees. That’s why Ohio Farm Bureau’s AGGPAC has designated Justices French and Kennedy as “Friends of Agriculture.”

I can’t think of a more noble civic duty than voting. As you head to the polls in November, take pride in the fact that your vote counts and that showing up and being heard is just one more way to support your community and this great industry of which you are a part. 

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