2026 Ashtabula County Farm Bureau Annual Meeting highlights
Ashtabula County Farm Bureau held its 2026 Annual Meeting on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, at South River Vineyard in Geneva.
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Ashtabula County Farm Bureau held its 2026 Annual Meeting on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, at South River Vineyard in Geneva. President Becca Waldo welcomed 52 members, local officials, and guests, presiding over the evening beginning at 6:00 p.m. Social hour began at 5:30 p.m., made possible by Mark Bruns Agency and Nationwide. The invocation was offered by Laddie Marous, followed by dinner catered by Smoke BBQ.
Board of Trustees were voted on and elected. Those elected to the board were Jim Buck, Jason Krulic, Jeff Magyar, Raegan Soltis, Tom Spencer, and Zach Ward. Rachel Kalas and Alexa Flack were elected to serve as delegates for the Ohio Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in 2027, with Bob Obhof as first alternate and Jason Krulic as second alternate.
Farm Bureau members voted on local policies that guide our county Farm Bureau and established policy positions for submission to the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. State delegates will vote on these proposals at the 2026 OFBF Annual Meeting in Columbus, Dec. 10–11. Adopted policies and discussion topics included:
- Land Use & Data Centers: Supporting responsible data center development prioritizing non-agricultural land or brownfields, opposing tax incentives or abatements for data centers, and requiring developers to protect rural water resources and bear all grid infrastructure costs.
- Energy & Solar: Prioritizing non-agricultural land for solar and wind projects and providing educational sessions for landowners considering energy contracts.
- Property Tax & CAUV Reform: Opposing the elimination of property taxes to protect local emergency services, schools, OSU Extension, and SWCDs, while supporting thoughtful property tax reform that protects CAUV.
- Agricultural Education & Veterinary Shortages: Supporting FFA and agricultural education in local schools, and adopting practical educational standards in veterinary schools to address the national shortage of large animal veterinarians.
- National Trade & Infrastructure: Supporting mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for retail meat and establishing contingency/mitigation funds for federal agricultural programs (such as biomass crops) to protect participating landowners.
Organization Director Mandy Orahood recognized lawmakers evaluated by our county Farm Bureaus and the Ohio Farm Bureau Agriculture for Good Government Political Action Committee (AGGPAC) for their strong support of farm families, honoring Representative Sarah Fowler Arthur (House District 99), Rep. David Thomas (House District 65), and Congressman David Joyce.
Pictured left to right: Mandy Orahood. Organization Director; Representative Sarah Fowler Arthur, House District 99; Becca Waldo, Farm Bureau President; and Representative David Thomas, House District 65.
Erin Smolinski presented scholarship awards to support local agricultural and higher education pursuits and recognized Alyssa Bullard, recipient of $900 attending The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI) majoring in agricultural communications; Ryan Waldo, recipient of $750 attending The Ohio State University majoring in agricultural systems management; and Alexa Flack, recipient of $350 attending Western Governors University majoring in elementary education.
Pictured left to right: Becca Waldo, Farm Bureau President and Chris Bullard, father of Alyssa.
Pictured left to right: Becca Waldo, Farm Bureau President and Ryan Waldo, father of Ryan.
Pictured left to right: Becca Waldo, Farm Bureau President and Alexa Flack.
Volunteers were recognized for signing new and renewal memberships. Those volunteers who signed 1 new or winback member were Alexa Flack, Emma Kosicek, Erin Smolinski, Jim Buck, Mark Muir, Kenzlee Orahood, Rachel Kalas, Becca Waldo, Bob Obhof, and Zach Ward. The following volunteers were recognized for signing 2 or more members and received a custom farm sign: Alexa Flack, Emma Kosicek, Erin Smolinski, George Kalas, Jeff Magyar, Kenzlee Orahood, Mark Muir, Rachel Kalas, Becca Waldo, Bob Obhof, Tom Spencer, and Zach Ward. Top signer honors went to Erin Smolinski, who received an OFBF gift card for signing 12 new and winback members. 
Pictured left to right: Mandy Orahood, Organization Director; Bob Obhof; Mark Muir; Alexa Flack; Emma Kosicek; Erin Smolinski;
Jeff Magyar; Becca Waldo; and Zach Ward.
Outgoing board member Lynn Frank was recognized and honored for her 20 years of dedicated service, leadership, and time spent serving the Ashtabula County Farm Bureau. Bogg Bag winners for completing survey cards were Roberta Uhrich and Rachel Kalas, and Casey Kozlowski won the free membership drawing. A Chinese auction was held, raising $290 to support county programming.
The annual meeting was also a celebration of the work our members, volunteers, and staff put into representing our Mission Statement: “Working together with Ohio farmers to advance agriculture and strengthen our communities.”
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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