Winter Leadership Experience scholarships available
Join us at the 2027 Ohio Farm Bureau Winter Leadership Experience at the Greater Columbus Convention Center on Jan. 22 and 23, 2027!
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On March 10, 2026 the Morrow County Farm Bureau Board of Trustees voted to release the following public statement and provide it as a written comment to ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation):
While we acknowledge the traffic and congestion issues on US 23, especially south of the city of Delaware, we strongly oppose any construction of a freeway between US 23 and I-71 as a result of the US 23/I-71 Connector Feasibility Study. This project has the potential to destroy approximately 900 acres of some of the most productive farm ground in the area. Much of this land may look vacant but it is not unimproved.
- Generations of farmers have spent their lives improving and maintaining these properties. The soil is a vital natural resource and once it’s paved over, it is gone forever.
- Even if the new right of way doesn’t take an entire farm, the remaining pieces can often become “orphaned parcels” where access is cut off or severely limited making them impossible to farm.
- Many of these farms have complex subsurface drainage systems. New infrastructure can easily damage or disrupt these systems. Repairs and redesigns can be extremely difficult because many systems are not well documented. The effects of a failed drainage system can be felt by neighboring farms for miles.
- Most farms rely on a specific number of acres to support investments in equipment, grain handling facilities and livestock. Seizing a portion of a farm’s land can have a dramatic impact on their bottom line, especially during a time of high input costs and low crop prices.
For these reasons and more, the proposals put forward by ODOT run the risk of causing several multi-generational farms in the area to become uneconomical, leading to failure.
The project will also devastate the local community by dividing it in two and placing undue burdens on our first responders and other community resources. The residents in this area will have to bear the costs of this project with little to no benefits.
We urge ODOT and the State Legislature to return to the findings of the 2022 “23 Connect” project, which focused on improving the existing US 23 corridor. Upgrading existing infrastructure is a common sense solution that addresses safety without destroying the agricultural heart of Morrow County.
Take Action Now!
We are encouraging our members to submit public comments to ODOT through our Action Alert or on their website by April 14. Be sure to tell your story and how this project affects you. Submitting comments is the best way to achieve our desired outcome. ODOT’s study will be finalized October 1 of this year, and there will be more opportunities to provide feedback as the study progresses. Ohio Farm Bureau also submitted comments.
My first recommendation in your journey is to start out with a local farming friend or mentor along with joining an organization like Ohio Farm Bureau.
We’re just so thankful for the Farm Bureau and the foundation for helping put this together. And of course, the Boyert family for the vision they had with this grant. It’s jumping us forward 10 years. It’s unbelievable.
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
It wasn’t until I joined the Wilmington College Collegiate Farm Bureau that I truly saw how my passion could translate into leadership, advocacy and a career.
The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
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