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Campers who attended this year’s ExploreAg camps got out of them as much as they put into them, and the give and take made an impression on hosts and campers alike.

“The engagement I saw from the ExploreAg students asking questions to understand and learn more about different aspects of agriculture was very impressive,” said Mark Sunderman, CEO of Legacy Farmers Cooperative, which hosted students at their facility from the University of Findlay camp. “I see great value in the immense exposure the ExploreAg agenda created for the students to get a very well-rounded look at careers that are in or touch the agriculture industry.”

ExploreAg is Ohio Farm Bureau’s signature ag literacy and workforce development program. Funded through the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation, ExploreAg offers free week, multiday and daylong immersion programs for high school students. In ExploreAg, teens learn about agriculture and related STEM fields from industry experts, scientists and educators. It made an impression on rising sophomore Liam Joyce of Hamilton County.

“Unlike most of my peers I was not born into agriculture. So, when my college counselor brought forward an agricultural camp, I was intrigued,” he said. “Looking back at my week I have learned lots of valuable information, but only scratching the surface of the ideas we covered. My favorite part of the week was the agricultural engineering facility where we got to run equipment I had never run before.”

The weeklong camps this summer at The Ohio State University Columbus Campus, Wilmington College, the University of Findlay and Ohio State Wooster-ATI enabled the high school students to develop their leadership and collaboration skills and prepare for college and future careers.

“I would definitely recommend this camp,” said Jacob Schwendeman, a rising sophomore from Ashland County. “I really enjoyed this. I got to learn a lot about leadership, got to learn a lot about agriculture and really expand my leadership styles.”

Sunderman, who also is chairman of the board for the Ohio AgriBusiness Association Educational Trust, which annually supports the ExploreAg camps, commended the initiative.

“The Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation has provided a great pathway for high school students to explore agriculture, and we are excited to be part of the program,” he said.

KEY POINTS

• High school students get an immersive experience about future careers in agriculture through ExploreAg.
• Hosts and supporters of ExploreAg witness the value of the initiative.
• The program’s one-day, multiday and weeklong camps are free and open to high school students throughout Ohio.
• Sign up to receive emails about upcoming one-day and multiday ExploreAg Camp opportunities, including weeklong camps in summer 2026.

WHAT’S NEXT
ExploreAg is offering three one-day camps in October. Apply by Sept. 30 or Oct. 10, depending on the session. See the fall program flyer.

To learn more about ExploreAg or to support the program, please visit ofbf.org/foundation.

Photo caption: ExploreAg campers, including Liam Joyce, left, and Jacob Schwendeman, second from left, participate in a drone demonstration at Burns Beef.

Online Extra

Heidelberg Distributing Company once again had a summer Busch Light promotional campaign in Champaign, Clark, Fayette, Greene, Madison, Miami and Montgomery counties, benefiting the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation. Matt Pohlman, general marketing manager, presented Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation Executive Director Kelly Burns with a $10,000 donation from this year’s campaign.