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47th Annual Ohio Food and Farm Conference Opens Registration
Registration is now open for Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) annual conference! This educational event is now in its 47th year, bringing together farm and food advocates from across the region with educational workshops and community building. The 2026 OEFFA Conference, Finding Common Ground, will take place Friday, February 13 through Saturday, February 15, 2026, at Cherry Valley Hotel in Newark, Ohio. “We are excited to gather in community around sustainable and organic farming in February,” said OEFFA Executive Director Khara Strum. “The last year has been difficult for many and we know how uplifting gathering together can be. Our format this year will allow for greater connection…
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Member Spotlight: The Local Butcher
Originally published in the Autumn 2025 edition of the OEFFA newsletter. Agriculture is an integral part of the Meeks Family. Jenna Meeks has always aspired to educate others about agricultural practices and now teaches on the subject in Meigs County in Southeast Ohio. Her younger brother, Chase, “was born showing animals” and grew up participating in Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H, contributing to his dream of one day owning a butcher shop. Rhonda comes from a family of farmers, and after her husband, Kenny, was encouraged to raise cattle himself, the parents were in a position to help turn Chase’s dreams of a butcher shop into reality. In…
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Important Changes to the 2026 OEFFA Conference
In 1979, a group of 130 farmers and consumers came together around the shared values of keeping family farms healthy and improving access to locally grown organic food. They founded a new organization to further these goals: Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA). This action marked the start of the annual OEFFA conference, bringing together farmers, eaters, and advocates in community and learning. In many ways, the conference is synonymous with OEFFA. The conference has changed greatly in the past 46 years, just as OEFFA as an organization has grown and evolved. Whether taking place in a barn, high school, or convention center, this beloved event is known for…
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Farm Aid Packages Fail to Benefit All Farmers
On Monday, December 8, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the long-awaited farm aid package. The Farmer Bridge Assistance Program will provide $11 billion in one-time payments for major commodity crops, like corn, soybeans, cotton, rice, and barley, and $1 billion will be dedicated to other crops, including specialty crops like vegetables, fruits, and tree nuts. Commodity producers who go through the filing process should know commodity-specific payment rates by the end of the calendar year. There is no timeline or eligibility information available for specialty crop payments. The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) maintains that farm aid packages should benefit all farmers, especially those who…
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OEFFA Farmers Face Impact of Government Shutdown, Other Federal Issues
The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) is a community of sustainable and organic farmers, handlers, producers, and consumers across the U.S. The challenges faced by those in our network are unique to diversified and usually small- or mid-scale farms that provide healthy food to their communities. The government shutdown, tariff negotiations, staffing changes at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other recent events have specific implications for these farms and the local communities that benefit from their products. We have been actively connecting with individuals who want to share their stories to uplift some of the experiences of those in our community. “I do not know…
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Member Spotlight: Dan Halterman
Originally published in the Summer 2025 edition of the OEFFA newsletter. Dan Halterman considers himself a “global accumulator of wealth.” He’s dubbed his backyard a “nutrient funnel,” where he composts banana peels from Central America, coffee waste collected from a local Starbucks, bags of leaves sourced from neighbors, and produce from California and beyond. All of this nutrition concentrates in Halterman’s backyard garden at his home in the North Linden neighborhood of Columbus. And then he eats it. Before retiring from more than three decades with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, he would have a desktop compost collector at work and tell colleagues as they dropped off apple cores or…
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Ohio Legislature Passes HB 65, Officially Recognizing Ohio Soil Health Week
House Bill 65, the Agriculture Appreciation Act, passed the Ohio legislature on June 24, 2025, and was signed into law by Governor DeWine yesterday, on July 1. The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) and members of its Ohio Soil Health Initiative (OSHI) celebrate the passage of this bill and the opportunities that come with it. The bill makes several specified day and week designations relating to agriculture, including recognizing the second full week of November as “Ohio Soil Health Week.” OEFFA thanks Sen. Tim Shaffer for his 2024 amendment recognizing Ohio Soil Health Week and applauds Reps. Klopfenstein and Peterson for reintroducing the bill this session. Ohio Soil Health Week celebrates…
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Statement: Budget Reconciliation Bill Threatens Passage of Much-Needed Farm Bill
On May 22, 2025, House Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This budget reconciliation legislation would slash critical support systems for families, increase funding for agricultural subsidies inaccessible to most farmers, and imperil the likelihood of farm bill reauthorization. As the bill moves through Congress, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) urges the Senate to reject it and its potential to devastate the farm bill coalition and threaten the passage of a desperately needed new farm bill. Since the reauthorization of the 2018 Farm Bill, the cost of living has increased, requiring more families and communities to stretch resources and make difficult decisions when purchasing food.…
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Farmers, Organizations Impacted by Funding Freeze Ask USDA to Honor Farmer Contracts
Since January, billions in lawfully signed federal funding contracts have been frozen for review or cancelled. As the situation unfolded, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) surveyed our community to assess the impact. We interviewed three respondents, briefly capturing their experiences in the short video below [transcript here]. As farmers prepare for each growing season, they must make decisions with a large degree of uncertainty in the outcomes. How the weather, market, seeds, and soil respond is out of their hands. Despite their experience and planning, every year is a gamble that their yields will be what they need. Farmers must always tolerate uncertainty; however, this growing season…
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OEFFA Launches 2025 Farm Tour and Workshop Series
The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) announces its annual Farm Tour and Workshop Series. The 2025 series of public tours and workshops includes a number of events showcasing organic and ecological farms in Ohio and one in West Virginia, plus educational and social opportunities. This programming opens the door for farmers, gardeners, educators, and conscious consumers to learn about local foods and farming firsthand. “OEFFA is excited about this year’s farm tour series and grateful to our farmer members and partners who are sharing their experience and expertise with anyone interested in learning more about farming, where our food comes from, and why healthy soil is so important…
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