Ohio Farm Bureau Podcast

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources was created by the Ohio legislature in 1949. Its mission today: to ensure a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. That balance can, at times, be challenging, when you’re considering ODNR’s vast portfolio of water resources, forests, state parks, energy development and much more. The person Governor DeWine a...

Regular listeners know Town Hall Ohio isn’t only about food and farming. We try to reflect a broad range of subjects that Farm Bureau members find interesting, and hope you do too. We’re lucky - we have about an hour each week to drill down on topics. But imagine trying to explore complex subjects inside a window of about 3 minutes. That’s the goal of Ohio Wesleyan University’s i-Cubed Lectures. O...

The Ohio Department of Agriculture is very familiar to most Ohio farmers, with its role in nearly every facet of Ohio's important food industry. Consumers should be familiar, too, because ODA is at the forefront of assuring food safety. Dorothy Pelanda is Ohio's 39th director of agriculture. She and Ohio Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Adam Sharp talk about water quality, food safety, farmer...

Mike DeWine is the 70th governor of the state of Ohio. With 11.5 million constituents, he’s the CEO of a state that’s as diverse as they come. From cornbelt flatlands to appalachian foothills, cities to rural crossroads, an electorate often described as purple, and a mix of economic and social opportunities and challenges. Today, he made time to visit with Ohio Farm Bureau’s Adam Sharp and all of...

Ohio is a big food state. Lots of farmers, processors and manufacturers. And, lots and lots of hungry consumers. A sizable share of Ohio’s very diverse food chain is made up by what’s identified as local foods. What is local? How do folks all along the food chain benefit from it? What do the economics look like? Can it grow? Today, we talk with an Ohio State economist and a local foods advocate an...

As far as resumes for public servants go, Rob Portman’s is pretty impressive. A member of the U.S. House, a cabinet level job as U.S. Trade Representative, another cabinet post as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and in 2010, elected to serve as a United States Senator. Senator Rob Portman joins Farm Bureau’s Adam Sharp to talk about the economy, the environment and many other issu...

One of our greatest privileges, and some would say responsibilities, is to vote. From local to national candidates or measures of local or state interest, a system that’s accessible, convenient, fair and secure helps us all exercise that basic right. The gentlemen who oversees Ohio’s elections is Secretary of State Frank LaRose. He joins Farm Bureau’s Adam Sharp to talk about elections and other r...

In 1902, Ohio State University formed the Department of Animal Husbandry, which later evolved into Animal Sciences. Farmers know the value the department provides to Ohio’s Livestock Industry, helping them efficiently produce animal protein. In reality, all of us are impacted by Animal Sciences, whether our interests are food safety, environmental quality or human health. The chairman of Ohio Stat...

In past episodes of Town Hall Ohio, we’ve talked about some of the inequalities that certain people experience. It might be in health care, workforce training, sources of quality food. Today, we focus on another unfortunate reality. Not everyone has equal access to justice. It’s a problem everywhere, but is some cases more so rural Ohio. Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith French, Angela Lloyd of th...

Ohioans spend a lot of money on health care. At the same time, the data says we’re not getting our money’s worth. What negative factors are affecting our health? How can the system be made more efficient, and effective? Amy Rohling McGee is the president of the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, and she’s in to help us see why Ohio ranks 46th among 50 states on health value, and what do we do about...

Since its inception as a feed mill in 1963, Kalmbach Feeds has grown into a multimillion dollar business serving customers across the Midwest. Kalmbach Feeds’ trucks are a familiar sight as they traverse up and down the highways in rural Ohio, delivering bulk feed to livestock farms in the region. Kalmbach Feeds pet and livestock food is also sold at retail outlets throughout the state. Learn abou...

Nearly a quarter-million Ohioans are covered by workers’ comp. The Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation is the largest state-run insurance program in the nation. Ohio workers, families, businesses and communities are all affected by how well and how efficiently the agency does its job. Today, the administrator of BWC, Stephanie McCloud, joins Ohio Farm Bureau’s Dan Rapp to give us a look into the i...

No one remembers it ever being like this. Too much rain, falling far too often, has created an unprecedented situation for farmers in Ohio and across much of the nation. There have been years when some of the crop didn’t get planted, but this year, many farmers will plant nothing and those that did get planted may not produce much at harvest. The social media hashtag has become #NoPlant19 and we e...

Lawmakers are quickly coming up on their deadline for passing a new two year state budget. Virtually every Ohioan will be affected by the budget’s contents. Taxes, the environment, education and social issues are rolled up in the two year spending plan. Three folks who keep tabs on the budget and other state business are our guests - reporters who are members of the Ohio Legislative Correspondents...

The numbers are frightening. Every day, 115 Americans die from an overdose of opioids. In 2017, 5,000 of our fellow Ohioans died from the drug. In addition to the fatalities, thousands of others go to hospitals and treatment facilities. Today, we learn about the overall challenges, and in particular, about the prevention campaign called “Don’t live in Denial, Ohio,” which helps parents help their...

How many connections to the online world do you have? Phone, tablet, computer, smart TV, virtual assistant and on and on. All of these are very fun and very helpful… and potentially very dangerous. Hackers pose a risk to individuals, businesses and governments. While we know this, some of us still use the word “password” as our password. What are the risks, from whom, and most importantly, how do...

Animals are a part of most everyone’s daily life. We connect with some as companions, others for entertainment and still others for sustenance. Today, we’re going to explore those connections through the eyes of two folks who are part of the community we rely on to provide care to our animals. Dr. Carol McConnell of Nationwide and Dr. Rustin Moore of Ohio State University are members of the veteri...

As growth industries go, there’s nothing hotter in Ohio than craft brewing. Back in 2012, there were 47 Ohio craft brewers. Today, there are 299 with around 60 more in the planning stage. Not to miss out on the fun, late last year, Ohio Farm Bureau and North High Brewing introduced a craft beer to help celebrate Farm Bureau’s 100th Anniversary. A brewer, a blogger and Farm Bureau’s defacto beer gu...

Senator Sherrod Brown’s official biography lists a number of issues that he’s passionate about - social justice, economic justice, fair trade, veterans, American manufacturing, and American farmers. Today, Ohio’s senior senator serving since 2006, returns to Town Hall Ohio to talk to Ohio Farm Bureau's Executive Vice President Adam Sharp about these issues and others including Lake Erie, the Farm...

Every time OSU President Michael Drake or Provost Bruce McPheron are on the show, we squeeze in a little about Buckeye Football and athletics in general. Today, there’s no squeezing. Gene Smith is the director of athletics at the Ohio State University. Today, Farm Bureau’s Adam Sharp and I visit with Mr. Smith, not just about OSU sports, but on what it takes to develop and manage successful enterp...

Let me throw out a few familiar business names: J.M. Smucker, Nationwide, AEP, Marathon Petroleum, Procter and Gamble, BF Goodrich. All Ohio companies whose executives have helped lead the Ohio Business Roundtable. Its purpose: to improve the business climate for Ohio. About a year and a half ago, the roundtable brought on another familiar name. 17-year Congressman Pat Tiberi was named President a...

I’m always looking for new voices to join us on the show. In recent years, I’ve been reading a column that appears in the Columbus Dispatch by a gentleman named Jim Simon. Jim writes about big picture issues and the hot topics of the day. By my reading, his thoughts on what we need to pay attention to, and how we need to act, are worth thinking about. So, today, we’ll hear from communicator, marke...

Robert Sprague keeps an eye on your piece of Ohio’s twenty billion dollars in investments and 10 billion dollars in debt. About three months ago, he became the 49th Treasurer of the State of Ohio. He’s served in both city government and the statehouse is a native of next door to God's country, and has a picture of his last appearance on Town Hall Ohio on his Facebook page. Findlay native, Treasure...

A banner on the state attorney general’s website reads: “protecting the unprotected”. Dave Yost is Ohio’s Chief Law Officer and the department he runs touches the lives of families, communities, and governments across the state. On this episode of Town Hall Ohio, the 51st attorney general of the state of Ohio, Mr. Yost joins Ohio Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Adam Sharp to talk about rootin...

With an economic boom worth $1.4 Billion, horses are a big money maker for Ohio. On the latest Town Hall Ohio meet some of the organizations that have a hand in Ohio’s equine industry as Ty Higgins visits with Renee Mancino from the Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association, Dave Basler from the Ohio Horsemen's Benevolent and Protection Association and Karin Brennan from the upcoming Equine Affaire.