Ohio Farm Bureau Podcast

Farm Bureau members had some great accomplishments in the past year. Members of the the organization's public policy team look back at the wins, plus, Extension Educator Jenny Lobb shares some great tips on saving money at the grocery store.

Most days you can’t pick up a newspaper or turn on the radio or TV without reading or hearing about the opioid crisis. Ohio leads the nation in opioid related overdose deaths. The opioid crisis is found in adults and young people and teenagers. What’s being done to prevent the epidemic from becoming even worse? Hope for Ohio, an opioid forum today, on Town Hall Ohio.

Those of us of a certain age can remember hearing Walter Cronkite close the CBS evening news with his famous sign-off – “and that’s the way it is” and, we believed him. We have a president prone to proclaiming news stories as fake. His charges aside, there’s plenty of evidence that some, maybe a lot of what we consider news, isn’t. Fake news. Real news. How do we know the difference? And the ramif...

There is no shortage of people who want to tell us how to eat, or to tell farmers how to farm. The food movement is growing in size, and in influence, and is already having an impact on public policy. What are the consequences of disagreements between members of the food movement and the traditional farm community, and can they find common ground? Well known food and ag economist Dr. Jayson Lusk h...

Since the early 80’s, Jo Ann Davidson has been a fixture in state and national politics. In a recent story in the Columbus Dispatch, Joe Hallet referred to her as a sentry for tradition and a protector of honor, decorum, conciliation, hard work and progress. He also referenced another moniker – “the velvet hammer.” Today we get to hear from one of Ohio’s most influential political leaders, as Ms....

This probably won’t “shock” you, but Ohio is big in electricity. We produce a lot, and consume a lot. It’s also in our best interests to do both efficiently. Today’s guests can help us out. Eric Romich is with Ohio State University and Jim Miller is with AEP as well as Farm Bureau’s Dale Arnold are in today to talk about what’s going on in electric generation and usage and how we all might be able...

This Tuesday, Ohioans will have the chance to vote on State Issue 2, the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act. On this week's Town Hall Ohio, we hear the arguments of proponents and opponents. Matt Borges is the former chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. He now represents the Ohio Taxpayers for Lower Drug Prices campaign, which is the vote yes side. Dale Butland was press secretary and Ohio chief of staf...

The Farm and Food sector is a huge part of the Ohio economy. And at Central State University, they’re interested in preparing Ohioans to be part of that industry. Central state is an 1890 land grant institution, and as such, is charged with teaching, research and outreach activities while providing students with a quality, affordable education. How they’re carrying out the mission is our topic tod...

How do we have a food secure world? How do we do it without a harmful environmental impact? What are the relationships between the environment, animals and people? And what are the implications of 11.5 million Ohioans smack in the middle of 15 million acres of farmland? Cathann Kress would like to find some answers to these questions, and as Ohio State’s new ag college dean, she’s in position to m...

How’s the economy doing? Depends who you ask. A small business owner looking for labor to expand might have one answer. A retiree living off her 401k returns might have another. You would also get other views by asking farmers, politicians, salesmen or heads of households. Today, we get some broad thoughts on the state of the economy, plus hear some thoughts on long term economic trends. Economist...

After a summer where the budget took up much of the state legislature’s time, lawmakers are turning their attention to other issues. Meanwhile, Democrats and Republicans are starting to shake out their candidates for next year’s statewide races. Keeping an eye on all of the above are Julie Carr Smyth of the Associated Press and Jim Siegel of the Columbus Dispatch. They’re in to help us all get a h...

It’s hard to not be constantly reminded that the world is a risky place. But as Americans, how much attention do we really pay to foreign affairs and to what extent do we support military action abroad. A leading political scientist who studies our views on global conflict is our guest today and, his analysis of the current Korean situation is something we all need to hear. OSU’s Dr. John Mueller...

Call it climate change, global warming or any other term and you’re likely to stir up some emotions. Regardless of your opinions, there is one fact that is hard to argue with - our weather and weather patterns are changing. Today, we talk with two members of the state climate office of Ohio about the science of measuring and predicting climatic occurrences, and what we can do with the facts that s...

While the Midwest is often called the world’s breadbasket, Ukraine is often called the breadbasket of Europe. But as a relatively newly independent nation, there’s a desire to learn more about the important task of producing food. To that end, a group of economists from Ukraine are in the U.S. to do some learning. They recently spent the better part of a day here at the Ohio Farm Bureau, and sever...

If you work for a company or organization, you want to believe you have a pretty good idea of what the company or organization does. While you have a firm understanding of your area, there may be other areas that aren’t familiar at all. Ohio Farm Bureau employees had an opportunity to learn more about food at an employee event. Today we will talk food safety, food insecurity, and food trends.

The horticulture industry is big business, nationally and in Ohio. The organizations that represents the many facets of the industry from growers to retailers, suppliers to innovators, students to researchers, calls Columbus home. Today we’re going to learn more about AmericanHort when we talk with the President and CEO Ken Fisher. Going green, on this episode of Town Hall Ohio.

You’d be hard pressed to find a community, industry or social cause in Ohio that does not have some sort of connection to the Ohio State University. One of the gentlemen charged with helping the university meet its mission to serve Ohio is Dr. Bruce McPheron, Executive Vice President and Provost. On this episode of Town Hall Ohio, he’s in to chat with Ohio Farm Bureau’s Chief Exec, Adam Sharp, abo...

What do the following cities have in common? Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton, Newark, Cincinnati, Sandusky, Zanesville, Toledo, Springfield and Mansfield. Those are the ten towns that at one time or another since 1850 have played host to the great Ohio State Fair. To help us look ahead to this year, Fair General Manager Virgil Strickler, and Marketing and PR director Alicia Shoults join us to talk abo...

The United States is the second largest consumer of seafood, yet we import 85% of the seafood we consume. So what are the opportunities? What are the challenges? To help us answer those questions, and more we have representatives of the Soy Aquaculture Alliance on this episode of Town Hall Ohio.

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to ask folks if they knew which state is our nation’s biggest farming state. Common guesses I got were Iowa or Texas. Most folks are surprised to learn that the nation’s biggest farming state is better known for Hollywood or the Golden Gate Bridge. Yes, California. Today, the presidents of California and Ohio’s state Farm Bureaus are in to compare and contrast f...

Summer time is dairy time! We’re just coming out of national dairy month and just starting national ice cream month. Here in Ohio, dairy is big: billions of dollars of economic activity that is driven by dairy farmers, milk processors, and dairy food manufacturers. Today, we’re going to talk all things dairy, including learning what it takes to run a modern dairy farm, and have lots of information...

Our world’s capacity to feed itself is dependent on science and technology, which is true whether we’re talking billions of calories for a growing population or organic produce from our own back yards. But the simple act of talking about food and science can be challenging for scientists, communicators and consumers. Ohio State University addressed those challenges in a recent forum, and three of...

Regular listeners know that we often dig into the politics, economics and social issues centered along Ohio’s back roads. I mean, we’re Farm Bureau, so it’s no surprise that we talk a lot about rural issues. Today though, we get into some of those same topics with representatives of Ohio’s biggest cities. Mayors Lydia Mihalik, Findlay and Nan Whaley, Dayton are members of a new coalition of Ohio’s...

Whether we’re posting pet photos on Facebook, streaming a new movie, shopping, banking or working, most of us enjoy the benefits of high speed internet. A new study from Ohio State says more than a million Ohioans don’t have adequate internet access, at a cost to the economy of billions of dollars. What are the consequences of life in the online slow lane, and how do we correct that shortcoming fo...

To say the first few months of the Trump presidency have been “unique” would be considered by most to be an understatement. The politics, policies and personality of the nation’s 45th president have given his supporters and detractors a mountain of material to debate and discuss. Two Washington journalists who write for Ohio audiences join us by phone to share their insights and dissect Donald Tru...