Town Hall Ohio

For most of the past two years, while most of the world was put on pause, farmers never stopped working and neither did their associations. Along with Ohio Farm Bureau, organizations like the Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association and Ohio Soybean Association continue to advocate for trade policies that work for Ohio farmers, as well as monitor water quality and biofuel legislation, engage legislators and regulators, and talk with our farmer members. On this Our Ohio Weekly, hear from leaders of Ohio’s corn, wheat and soybean groups. 00:00 - Tadd Nicholson and Kirk Merritt, Executive Directors of Ohio Corn and Wheat and Ohio Soybean, respectively, give a recap of 2021 and what their members can expect in 2022. 16:50 - Jay Truitt with Policy Matters talks about things happening in Washington D.C. that could have major implications for rural Ohio. 23:50 - On this week’s “To the Beat of Agriculture”, hear from a retired physician who found a passion for soil conservation and how his journey leg to him winnin

Ohio Farm Bureau members were “Together Again” as the organization held its 103rd annual meeting earlier this month in Columbus. Nearly 385 delegates from all 88 Ohio counties established the organization’s policy goals for the coming year, elected leaders, recognized county Farm Bureau and individual achievements and honored industry leaders. On this Our Ohio Weekly, get a recap of this year’s annual meeting and hear from the organization’s President and Executive Vice President. 00:00 - Ohio Farm Bureau President Bill Patterson addresses the organization’s members at the 103rd Annual Meeting. 16:50 - At the Ohio Farm Bureau Annual Meeting Kickoff Luncheon, Executive Vice President Adam Sharp gave remarks about the successes of 2021 and the goals for the coming year. 23:50 - On this “To the Beat of Agriculture'', we’ll hear from an ag lender who has also carried on the legacy of his family’s farm. Plus, learn more about Derek Snyder’s journey and what he is looking forward to at the upcoming Young Ag Prof

Farmers will be the first to tell you there is no better life than life on the farm. But it certainly isn’t for everybody. Early mornings, long days and dirt under the nails isn’t as appealing as most other jobs out there, but nonetheless those not-so-attractive jobs still need to be done. On this Our Ohio Weekly, find out how the big picture of Food and Ag Labor looks and what worker shortages mean for the farm sector and for consumers down the line. 00:00 - Ohio State Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics Assistant Professor Dr. Margaret Jodlowski gives an update on Ohio Food & Agricultural Labor 23:50 - To the Beat of Agriculture, Hannah Divencenzo shares the importance of networking at the upcoming YAP Winter Leadership Experience and how this conference has personally impacted her own life. 32:20 - Year end is quickly approaching and it is time to update and gather financial information. While some may avoid or procrastinate this step, Farm Credit Mid-America’s Regional

Farm life can be demanding and stressful and those stresses have reached a critical stage with pandemic impacts on top of natural disasters, extreme weather events, financial pressures due to fluctuating commodity prices, labor shortages, trade disruptions and other factors over the past several years. On this Our Ohio Weekly, find out if the issues of farm stress and mental health are getting as much attention as needed when it comes to helping those who need it. 00:00 - Highland County farmers Nathan Brown and Brandon Fullenkamp, along with mental health expert Adrienne DeSutter talk about the current status of farm stress and mental health and what is being done to bring the important issue to light across rural America. 23:50 - Hear from Ryan Matthews on “To the Beat of Agriculture”. He is a new member of the Young Ag Professional state committee and he shares how Farm Bureau played an important role in his life and gives some details about the upcoming YAP Winter Leadership Experience. 32:20 - The far

A different type of farm is coming to the Buckeye State. Soon, the town of Pioneer, Ohio will be home to a nearly 500,000 square feet facility that will be used to grow Atlantic Salmon. Science and technology breakthroughs from 30 years ago have spawned into a burgeoning industry where farms grow quality food to a booming world population and produce that food with their neighbors and the environment in mind. On this Our Ohio Weekly, learn more about AquaBounty, one of Ohio’s newest farmers. 00:00 - AquaBounty President and CEO, Sylvia Wulf gives insights into the Salmon industry and her company’s plans for growth to meet market demands. 23:50 - Young Ag Professionals State Committee member Sara Tallmadge tells her ag story “To the Beat of Agriculture” and has important information about the 2022 YAP Winter Leadership Experience 32:20 - Micah Mensing, Farm Credit Mid-America’s Growing Forward Specialist, shares how his organization supports the next generation of agriculture. 42:20 - The Thanksgiving Dinn

According to the Farm Service Agency of the USDA, nearly 3 percent, or 35.2 million acres of U.S. farmland is foreign-owned as of December. 2019. Several states have enacted laws or introduced legislation to limit foreign ownership of farmland in the United States. The National Agricultural Law Center joins us on this Our Ohio Weekly to provide a status report on those laws and where Ohio stands on the issue of foreign-owned ag land. 00:00 - The National Agricultural Law Center’s Harrison Pittman explores the past, present, and future of federal and state laws as well as legislative proposals relating to foreign ownership of agricultural land. 23:50 - On this “To the Beat of Agriculture'', hear the story of Northwest Ohio farmer Austin Heil as he talks about his deep roots in Ohio agriculture dating back to the 1800’s. He is also the man behind a charity bike ride that spells “Ohio” in cursive, all to raise money for a great cause. 32:20 - More with Harrison Pittman of the National Ag Law Center discussing

The Collegiate Farm Bureau at The Ohio State University serves many purposes. The organization provides support to students who are engaged in the field of agriculture and is a connection between current industry professionals and students engaged in the field of agriculture. The organization also works to familiarize members with, and to maintain cooperative relationships with, OFB and AFBF and it creates a diverse student organization that is educated and passionate about the agriculture industry, farm policy, and innovation. 00:00 - Collegiate Farm Bureau at The Ohio State University President Tyler Zimpfer and Vice President Joel Shoup talk about their organization and why the chose to get involved in their leadership roles. 16:50 - Ohio’s Treasurer Robert Sprague talks about his proposed modifications to the state’s AgLink program to help more farmers get reduced interest operating loans. 23:50 - 2021 Ohio Youth Capital Challenge winners Emily Scaff and Cadence Richard share the details of their proje

The first electric vehicle was created in 1832. Needless to say the technology has come a long way since that time and now there are more than 10 million Electric Vehicles on the road. The vast majority of these EVs are on California, New York, Florida and Texas highways, but when will we start seeing EVs in rural areas and even put to use on farms? On this Our Ohio Weekly, we take a look into EVs and agriculture. 00:00 - Secretary of State Frank LaRose is looking for people to work the polls on November 2nd. He talks about the process and the benefits of volunteering on Election Day. 05:05 - Dale Arnold, Ohio Farm Bureau’s Director of Energy Policy and Dr. Scott Shearer, a professor and chair of the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Ohio State University talk about the future of EVs use in agriculture. 23:50 - On this week’s edition of To the Beat of Agriculture, meet the recipient of Ohio Farm Bureau’s 2021 Outstanding Young Farmer Award and learn how he is leading the next g

Farmers are used to getting paid for raising a quality product — soybeans, sweet corn, apples, peppers. But a farm’s value lies in its soils, too. What if farmers could get paid for building a quality soil? Just like markets for those soybeans, there’s now a small, but growing, commodity market for building and storing carbon in a farm’s soils. So how do farmers get paid for storing carbon? On this Our Ohio Weekly, learn more about carbon markets. 00:00 - Julia Brown, Communications and Media Relations Manager for the Ohio Soybean Association talks about the quickly emerging carbon market and what farmers need to do to prepare for carbon sequestration programs in their area. 16:50 - Amanda Bahn-Ziegler, Account Manager for Truterra, discusses their emergence in the carbon space and their TruCarbon program, which has been available for farmers to cash in carbon credits from their farming practices. 23:50 - Hear from the winner of Ohio Farm Bureau’s 2021 Discussion Meet, Stacie Anderson, on this week’s To th

Farmers are used to getting paid for raising a quality product — soybeans, sweet corn, apples, peppers. But a farm’s value lies in its soils, too. What if farmers could get paid for building a quality soil? Just like markets for those soybeans, there’s now a small, but growing, commodity market for building and storing carbon in a farm’s soils. So how do farmers get paid for storing carbon? On this Our Ohio Weekly, learn more about carbon markets from guests on Ohio Farm Bureau's Field Day podcast. 00:00 - Julia Brown, Communications and Media Relations Manager for the Ohio Soybean Association talks about the quickly emerging carbon market and what farmers need to do to prepare for carbon sequestration programs in their area. 16:50 - Amanda Bahn-Ziegler, Account Manager for Truterra, discusses their emergence in the carbon space and their TruCarbon program, which has been available for farmers to cash in carbon credits from their farming practices. 23:50 - Hear from the winner of Ohio Farm Bureau’s 2021 Di

Ohio Farm Bureau’s farmer leaders, including young agricultural professionals, AgriPOWER Class XII members, along with county presidents and vice presidents, made their way to Washington, D.C. at the end of September. Over three days, participants heard from experts and, in turn, voiced their thoughts on topics as far reaching as tax policy to climate to broadband development. This week on Our Ohio Weekly, hear more about this opportunity for members to help legislators make the connection between what is happening on Ohio farms and what is being debated in the halls of Congress and within federal agencies. 00:00 - Senator Rob Portman visits with participants on the 2021 Washington D.C. Leaders Experience trip about legislation currently being considered by Congress. 16:50 - Senator Sherrod Brown talks with Ohio Farm Bureau members about the infrastructure legislation he had a hand in developing and what it would mean for Ohio. 23:50 - Colin Brown, a former sous chef who began growing ingredients in his ow

Twenty Ohio Farm Bureau leaders are serving on the organization's 2021 Policy Development Committee. The committee collects and organizes public policy recommendations from county Farm Bureaus and presents the final policy suggestions to be voted on by Ohio Farm Bureau’s delegates during the state annual meeting in December. In its initial session, the committee heard from government leaders, subject matter experts and Farm Bureau staff on a variety of topics. On this Our Ohio Weekly, hear from some of the members of this year’s Ohio Farm Bureau Policy Development Committee. 00:00 - Dr. Larry Antosch, Senior Director of Policy Development and Environmental Policy with Ohio Farm Bureau and OFBF Policy Development Committee members Danielle Burch and Jonathan Zucker talk about the issues Farm Bureau is looking at ahead of this year’s annual meeting. 23:50 - Nicole Gunderman works on a Cincinnati farm that was recently awarded an Action and Awareness Grant from Ohio Farm Bureau for their important work. Find o

According to Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, nearly 31% of Ohio or over 8 million acres of the state is under forest cover. Almost 6 million of those acres are held by some 336,000 nonindustrial private landowners. If you are one of those owners, you probably already know that properly managing your woodland improves forest health, aesthetics, and wildlife habitat. It also provides soil stabilization, clean water, self-satisfaction, and a potential source of income. On this week’s Our Ohio Weekly, we discover more about Ohio’s timber industry. 00:00 - John Kehn, Northern Service Forestry Coordinator, Division of Forestry at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources gives an overview of Ohio’s timber industry. 16:50 - Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ John Kehn talks about the education needed when it comes to timber and the efforts being made on that front. 23:50 - Wyandot County pig farmer Randy Brown has been farming for over 40 years and his efforts on his farm

Launched by Governor Mike DeWine in 2019, H2Ohio is a comprehensive water quality initiative that is addressing serious water issues that have been building in Ohio for decades. Areas of concern include harmful algal blooms on Lake Erie caused by phosphorus runoff from farm fertilizer, wastewater, and home sewage treatment systems due to aging infrastructure, and lead contamination from old water pipes and fixtures. H2Ohio was first funded by the Ohio General Assembly with an investment of $172 million in the 2020-2021 state budget, which allowed the program to rollout to 14 counties in the Maumee River Watershed. Additional funding in the latest budget means the program is expanding. On this Our Ohio Weekly, find out what H2Ohio means for the state’s agriculture sector. 00:00 - Clark Hudson, Program Coordinator for H2Ohio in the Western Lake Erie Basin, gives an update on the water quality initiative. 23:50 - After a series of life-changing events while serving as a U.S. soldier, Matt Schaar took his deter

Earlier this year, Governor DeWine signed House Bill 2 into law, creating the Ohio Broadband Expansion Program. Then, as part of the state’s new biennial budget, $250 million dollars was earmarked to allow internet service providers to apply for grants that will help fund the infrastructure needed to provide faster internet access to underserved rural Ohio communities. How soon will Ohioans see a difference in their broadband offerings and what does that process look like? On this week’s Our Ohio Weekly, we connect with experts to talk about rural broadband. 00:00 - Tom Reid, Broadband Consultant with Reid Consulting Group and Jenna Reese, Director of State Policy with Ohio Farm Bureau talk about the rural broadband challenges in Ohio and efforts to overcome them. 23:50 - "To the Beat of Agriculture", one of the newest inductees into the Ohio Agriculture Hall of Fame, Keith Stimpert, talks about his career that included 4 decades with Ohio Farm Bureau. 32:20 - Tom Reid and Jenna Reese continue the rural br

The Ohio State University’s Farm Science Review, which was held online last year because of the pandemic, will return this year to be live and in person for the 59th annual event. Farm Science Review attracts over 100,000 visitors from all over the United States and Canada, who come for three days to peruse 4,000 product lines from 600 commercial exhibitors, and learn the latest in agricultural production. On this week’s Our Ohio Weekly, learn more about this year’s Farm Science Review. 00:00 - Farm Science Review manager, Nick Zachrich, and OSU Extension Educator Brooke Beam give a preview of this year's event. 16:50 - A new infrastructure bill has passed the Senate and is on its way to the House. Ohio Farm Bureau's Brandon Kern discusses what this legislation would mean for agriculture in Ohio and across the country. 23:50 - "To the Beat of Agriculture", northeast Ohio's Lori Keener shares the story of the trust her family put into the Ohio Farm Bureau and Nationwide over many generations after he experi

If you were to visit 80 Acres Farms you might be looking for tractors, silos or acres and acres of soil, but those things typical to agriculture are nowhere in sight at the Hamilton, Ohio facility. Instead, the farm is located inside a huge controlled environment facility. This week, find out how vertical farming works and how it will fit into the future of American agriculture? 00:00 - Rebecca Haders, vice president of creative and marketing for 80 Acres Farms, talks about the world's first fully automated indoor farm, capable of producing an abundance of crop varieties year-round. 16:50 - Chieri Kubota, professor of controlled environment agriculture at Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences’ Department of Horticulture and Crop Science discusses the new Controlled Environment Food Production Research Complex being constructed on Waterman Farm in Columbus. 23:50 - "To the Beat of Agriculture", meet the "Punk Rock Farmer", Jonathan Lawler. 32:20 - Ohio Poultry A

The business of news - how it's generated, how it's distributed and how it's consumed has changed exponentially in what seems like a very short time and it keeps changing. What used to be local TV stations and hundreds of local newspapers has morphed into countless television networks and, sadly, very few newspapers covering small town America. That was the topic of conversation at a recent luncheon at the Columbus Metropolitan Club. On this Our Ohio Weekly, hear from industry experts from print and broadcast about the changing landscape of news in a digital world. 00:00 - Alan Miller, Executive Editor for The Columbus Dispatch, Walker Evans, Co-Founder & CEO of Columbus Underground and Denise Eck, News Director for WCMH NBC4 talk about how their industry has been changing as the world becomes fully digital. 23:50 - "To the Beat of Agriculture", hear from the President of Ohio State's Collegiate Farm Bureau, Tyler Zimpfer, and why he is passionate about getting involved in ag, and getting others involved, a

For generations it has been ingrained in our society that after you graduate high school, the next logical step is to continue your education at the college level. Although there is value in getting a degree in a specialty of your choice, many students are finding a different path to a successful career by foregoing 2 or 4 year universities and diving right into a career. Realizing the growth of that thought process, while the workforce is shrinking, Sunrise Cooperative created the RISE FFA Career Program, and from that, Sunrise University. On this Our Ohio Weekly, meet the CEO of Sunrise and two of his newest employees who decided to fill out a job application instead of a college application. 00:00 - George Secor, President and CEO of Sunrise, Jacob Walters, 2021 RISE FFA Career Recipient and Sunrise University participant Shaun Hall talk about the new career oriented programs they are involved in. 23:50 - The man behind The Ohio State Fair has strong agricultural roots here in the Buckeye State. Virgil S

The saying “necessity is the mother of innovation” has rarely been more true for modern society than it was during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. That is particularly true for the farm and food sector. Farmers found new ways to market their products, manufacturers changed how food was packaged and delivered and more made-at-home recipes were Googled by the American public than ever before. There is one Ohio organization that specializes in helping those that grow and process our food more successfully and, needless to say, they have been very busy over the past 18 months. Learn more about the Center for Innovative Food Technology, or CIFT, on this Our Ohio Weekly. 00:00 - Rebecca Singer, CIFT's President and CEO and Elizabeth Murawski, Business and Workforce Development Manager for CIFT talk about how their organization encourages economic development by providing technical innovations and solutions for the food processing and agricultural industries. 23:50 - Meet Young Ag Professionals Jonathan and A