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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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Mental Health Awareness Month: Resources for Farmers
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, making it a good time to center our farmers and recognize all they go through to feed our communities and steward our land. Farmers carry a lot on their shoulders—climate unpredictability, market fluctuations, stress, isolation, and uncertainty. This is a heavy load to bear alone. That’s why we’ve prepared some mental health resources for farmers. If you are experiencing a crisis, call 988 to talk to a caring counselor. You are not alone. Breaking the Stigma Agriculture is Ohio’s top industry. Farmers give their all to keep the industry strong and our communities fed. Many factors are out of farmers’ control, and that can…
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Member Spotlight: OEFFA Authors
Originally published in the Winter 2025 edition of the OEFFA newsletter. As rich as the lands we grow on, the OEFFA community is also an abundant source of education and inspiration. We are fortunate to have members who share their expertise in myriad ways, including through the written word. For this member spotlight, we connected with three OEFFA authors. Deborah Fleming, Ashland County Deborah Fleming is an important voice for Ohio agriculture and our environment. The first essay she wrote was inspired by an interaction that many of us could likely relate to. After telling someone she was from Ohio, she was met with their grimacing face. Ohio has a…
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TOPP Mentorship Spotlight: Nanda Kishore Methuku
By Lindsey Marshall, Midwest Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) Intern Originally published in the Winter 2025 edition of the OEFFA newsletter. How does one become a farmer? Many farmers in the United States inherit their farms through generations, continuing the family legacy. Others acquire their farms through succession, a process where farms are passed down to new families or individuals. However, a small percentage are first-generation farmers. Beginning farmers account for only 30 percent of producers in America, and an even smaller fraction are beginning organic farmers. Starting a farm is challenging, with financial hurdles and market volatility posing significant barriers. Nanda Kishore Methuku started his career as a…
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OEFFA Announces 2025 Award Recipients: Dave Shively, Amalie Lipstreu, Molly Sowash, CJ Morgan
The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) has named the 2025 recipients of its Stewardship, Service, and Beginning Farmer awards. Dave Shively of Henry County received the Stewardship Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the cultivation of sustainable agriculture; Amalie Lipstreu of Licking County received the Service Award, which recognizes extraordinary service in support of sustainable agriculture; and Molly Sowash and CJ Morgan of Athens County received the Beginning Farmer Award, which recognizes innovation and commitment to overcome systemic barriers faced by new farmers. “This year’s awards winners are a testament to OEFFA’s strong, enduring community. Not only do they find ways to break through barriers, they share their…
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Member Spotlight: Yellowbird Foodshed
Originally published in the Autumn 2024 edition of the OEFFA newsletter. In many ways, Yellowbird Foodshed is a model for how our food system should work. Local, sustainable farmers are fairly paid and have stable access to the market, and eaters can access healthy food that connects them to home. A foodshed, after all, is the region that produces food for its population. For Yellowbird Foodshed, that population is Ohioans. As I toured their Mount Vernon, Ohio facility, Yellowbird Foodshed (YBFS) co-founder Benji Ballmer pointed out that it had once housed antiques. When Ballmer first arrived, he brought a dry-erase board to his new office and wrote: “Mission: to decentralize…
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46th Annual Ohio Food and Farm Conference Opens Registration
Registration is now open for Ohio’s largest sustainable agriculture conference. Now in its 46th year, this three-day event brings together hundreds of farm and food advocates from across the nation. The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) annual conference, Boldly Grow, will take place Thursday, February 13 through Saturday, February 15, 2025, at Cherry Valley Hotel and Ohio Event Center in Newark, Ohio. “The OEFFA conference has a long history of providing high-quality programming in support of sustainable and organic farming in Ohio and beyond,” said OEFFA Executive Director Khara Strum. “We are looking forward to creating community with farmers, consumers, and advocates through workshops and curated social activities.”…
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First Annual Ohio Soil Health Week to Take Place November 10-16
From November 10-16, 2024, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA), members of its Ohio Soil Health Initiative (OSHI), and partners will celebrate the inaugural Ohio Soil Health Week. The weeklong, statewide celebration honors and raises awareness about the importance of Ohio’s soils and those who steward them. It will include outreach, education opportunities, and events to elevate this valuable natural resource. The official designation of Ohio Soil Health Week has been introduced as an amendment to House Bill 162 and is sponsored by Ohio Sen. Tim Schaffer (OH-20). This follows years of advocacy by OEFFA and OSHI to advance soil health legislation in the Ohio General Assembly, drawing…
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2024 Drought Relief Resources
From early harvests to closed pumpkin patches to increased risk of combine fires, Ohio’s prolonged drought is impacting all facets of agriculture. As of October 18, 2024, 49 Ohio counties have been declared primary disaster counties, based on the U.S. Drought Monitor. With conditions unlike any we’ve seen in recent decades, many Ohio counties have been declared primary natural disaster areas. There are resources to support farmers through these trying times. We will regularly update this post as resources become available. If you know of another type of available support that should be included on this list, please email heather@oeffa.org. On Thursday, October 17, OEFFA hosted a virtual Drought Community…
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