Ohio Farm Bureau Podcast

In a few short months, Ohioans will head to the polls to elect a new Governor, Auditor, Treasurer, Secretary of State and Attorney General. We’ll also elect a U.S. Senator, Supreme Court Justices and numerous state lawmakers. Between now and election day, Town Hall Ohio plans to host the candidates for statewide office. Today, our guests are seeking your vote to be State Auditor: Republican Keith...

For the past fifty years, many of Ohio’s best paying jobs have disappeared. Communities have suffered and state government appears to have been powerless to turn things around. Last week we talked about what happened and why, and today we’ll get into a bit more of that plus look at some potential solutions. We’ll also frame out some key questions that you should be asking Rich Cordray and Mike DeW...

Between 1969 and 2016, Ohio lost 700,000 of its 1.4 million manufacturing jobs. The state has experienced zero job growth since 2001. More and more of the jobs we do have are not high paying positions. Our last seven governors have seen the challenge, and have not solved the problems. Today’s guests have issued an extensive analysis of what’s happened to the Ohio economy, and some key questions fo...

Tourism is big business for the Buckeye State. Last year, 219 million folks visited Ohio. Most came from within 300 to 500 miles and they spent a lot of money here. Getting them here is the job of Tourism Ohio, part of the state’s development services agency. Tourism Ohio’s director Matt MacLaren joins us to talk about the business of tourism, what’s being done to boost it, and to tell us about so...

The Ohio State Fair is right around the corner. Starting Wednesday, Ohioans from all corners of the state will make the trek to Columbus to experience the sights, sounds and smells of the annual big event. This is the 165th edition of the state fair, and today we look ahead to all the fun with Fair Manager, Virgil Strickler and Fair Communications Director, Alica Shoultz. We’ll talk about the live...

Consider every product you use, every day--food, technology, vehicles, personal care. And beyond products, every social engagement, every political activity. Somewhere, at some time, a researcher was involved. Either in a pristine lab or maybe in a backyard garage, the knowledge that is the basis of most everything we have or do was developed by someone doing research. Guests Dr. Caroline Whitacre...

From the grill hash slinger to the executive chef, someone has to put the food on your plate when you’re eating out. Becoming the next Bobby Flay, Rachael Ray or Cameron Mitchell is no small feat but Columbus State Community College can be of some help. Their growing culinary arts and hospitality program aims to train folks for careers but also to be a contributor to Ohio’s economy and communities...

The vision of farming is often romanticized. Days outdoors instead of at a corporate desk. Staining your hands with soil instead of printer ink. Well, for a growing number of people, it’s not a romantic notion. It’s reality. And it’s not always idyllic. New and small farmers are dotting the landscape across Ohio, Today’s guests are part of an Ohio State program to give these burgeoning farmers a b...

Every day, mankind uses about 28 billion kilowatt hours of energy. For perspective, for the average American family to use that much, it would take roughly 2.5 million years. Add to that a growing world population and growing world economy, and you can see the challenges before us. Today on Town Hall Ohio, we’ll hear some industry experts’ thoughts on what it’s going to take to have the policies a...

One of Ohio’s greatest resources is Lake Erie. It’s the source of drinking water for millions of Ohioans. It’s an economic engine for much of the state. It’s also one of Ohio’s top recreational opportunities. It also faces some problems - one of the biggest challenges is annual toxic algal blooms. That’s a problem not just for the lake, but for Ohio’s agricultural industry. Today, two prominent La...

Chances are, you’re one of 68 million customers who visit a McDonald’s, every day. The company did 22.8 billion dollars in revenue last year. Today, we look beyond the golden arches to learn more about one of the biggest restaurant chains in the world. Their spokesman, and a store owner, are our guests today, on Town Hall Ohio.

Just saying the names brings sorrow, anger, and confusion. Columbine. Sandy Hook. Parkland High School. These are just three of the more infamous episodes where someone walked into an American school and started killing kids and teacher. What is going on? Why is this happening? What can be done to prevent the violence, or at least mitigate the damage? There is no single, or simple solution. But to...

The variety and selection of food today is phenomenal. We talk with farmers fairly often on this show. But what happens with that food once it leaves the farm? What about processing, packaging, marketing? Today, we spend time learning about the link in the food chain that largely begins after the crop is harvested or the animal is goes to market. What are the innovations that will make food tastie...

You and I spent just under 21 billion dollars last year eating out. That’s the estimated sales figure for Ohio’s more than 22,000 eating and drinking establishments. We enjoyed meals at little diners at country crossroads and at Wendy’s, Bob Evans’ and other major chains and we supported more than half-a-million people in who Ohio work in the industry. Today, John Barker of the Ohio Restaurant Ass...

Not everyone wants to graduate college with a PHD and that’s a good thing! Along with doctorates, doctors and lawyers, we need masons, mechanics, carpenters, electricians and thousands of other skilled professionals. Encouraging and preparing people to enter those necessary careers is our topic today. Our guests are Christine Gardner, Executive Director of the Ohio Association for Career and Techn...

Every year, millions of Americans travel to the nation's capital. Some are there to see the sights. Others are there to work. March 13-15, 2018 a group of around 100 Ohio Farm Bureau members were in Washington, D.C. and got a lot of work done. The big job was lobbying their lawmakers, but they also heard from the administrator of the US EPA, the Speaker of the House, both Ohio senators and more. O...

Americans would be well served to not forget the Dustbowl years of the 1930s. While that period is remembered for its disastrous impacts on nature and families, its legacy is a commitment to ensuring such calamity will never happen again. In Ohio and around the nation, soil and water conservation districts and their farmer cooperators are the boots on the ground in protecting natural resources. We...

Do any of these slogans sound familiar? Quality is our recipe. Fresh, never frozen. Where’s the beef? Of course, we’re talking about Wendy’s. Ohioan Dave Thomas’s vision, launched back in 1969, has grown to be the second largest purveyor of burgers and the 4th largest restaurant chain in America. So, their actions have great influence over how we eat - and how we grow what we eat. Today, Wendy’s C...

15 percent of Americans are 65 or older and in the next 12 years that will jump to 21 percent. That has implications for the elderly, their families and society. To help us walk through the challenges and solutions to aging issues, our guests today are Beverley L. Laubert, who was appointed interim director of the Ohio Department of Aging in December 2017. Director Laubert has been an ombudsman fo...

The economy performed pretty well last year, and most forecasts say 2018 should be a decent year, too. But we’ve already seen a brutal return of stock market volatility, growing fears of what interest rates and inflation will do and concerns over a variety of political issues at home and abroad. Today, Nationwide Sr. Vice President and Chief Economist David Berson is in to help us sort through wha...

Sadly, we’re in a time where far too many folks seem to be on their worst behavior when discussing important topics. Ranting and yelling and their online equivalents seems to have become the ways to share an opinion. In Ohio Farm Bureau, we believe there’s a better way to solve problems. Thoughtful, courteous discussion. Farm Bureau’s annual Discussion Meet competition is intended to develop young...

Agriculture is big in Ohio, and features a diversity of people and production practices for hundreds of different kinds of crops and livestock. Today we’re talking about a part of farming that is expanding rapidly – Organic agriculture. Here in the Buckeye state, organic farm numbers and economic output continue to grow. What’s the organic story in Ohio? How does it fit into the overall farm indus...

Ohio businesses and farms sell a lot of product to foreign countries. Some fifty-five percent of our state’s exports go to Canada and Mexico, who happen to be our partners in the North American Free Trade Agreement, best known as NAFTA. With that as a backdrop, you can understand why Ohio’s business and farm communities are more than a bit concerned when President Trump says he may want to back aw...

By this time next year, the Ohio political landscape will look a lot different, or at least will include a lot of new faces, or new faces in new places. Nine Ohioans have their hat in the ring to be our next governor. There are several potential ballot measures in the works, and the general assembly has plenty of business to attend to. We look ahead to policy and politics in 2018 with three member...

Pulitzer winners, educators, scientists, farmers and political leaders all were in the Town Hall Ohio studio in 2017. This week we hit a few highlights from the past year's broadcasts.