OEFFA News

Originally published in the Winter 2026 edition of the OEFFA newsletter. In 1999, the Countryside Initiative began the important work of re-establishing working farms within Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP). Its mission was to manage and enhance the natural and cultural resources of this unique landscape along the Cuyahoga River corridor between Akron and Cleveland. These farms would demonstrate that agriculture—when done thoughtfully—can be a meaningful tool for ecological restoration, education, and community connection. In response to a request for proposals, Sasha and James Miller submitted an ambitious business plan rooted in permaculture and organic production. In 2016, they were awarded the opportunity to bring their vision to life: to…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Originally published in the Summer 2024 edition of the OEFFA newsletter. “It’s been great. It’s been a lot of momentum. We’re doubling and tripling each year,” shared Cory Stratton during my first visit to Truest Farms in May 2023. The Champaign County farm is co-owned by Cory and his father, Mark, but it’s truly a family-run operation. Cory’s high school sweetheart and wife Kirsten uses her background as a veterinary technician to support the pasture-raised livestock, and their five-year-old daughter Claire enjoys playing with the chicks and pushing the chicken tractor. Spanning 21 acres, the regenerative farm is unrecognizable from its previous life planted in conventional corn and soy. All…

Originally published in the Spring 2024 edition of the OEFFA newsletter. Years ago, Pam Mack began a heartfelt mission to pay tribute to her late daughter: to grow and provide healthy, organic vegetables for everyone. L Marie Ltd is an organic farming company that prioritizes promoting the well-being of the current generation while ensuring sustainability for future generations. Located in Richland County, the farm covers five acres, with approximately half of the land dedicated to cultivating an extensive variety of vegetables. This includes collard greens, kale, Swiss chard, onions, leeks, tomatoes, peppers, squash, beets, zucchini, okra, cucumbers, bush beans, and more. The farm features 40 100-foot rows and 19 raised…

Originally published in the Winter 2024 edition of the OEFFA newsletter. Ed Snavely’s warm greeting was matched by a warmer-than-usual December day. There were few clouds in the sky as we made our way down the long driveway to Curly Tail Organic Farm. Ed pointed out features in the surrounding landscape as we stood chatting in the late fall sunshine. The white barn far in the distance was where he grew up and later worked with his father, a conventional corn and soy farmer. Pioneering a Purer Way of Farming Farming wasn’t always in the cards for Ed. He enjoyed it but didn’t envision a career as a farmer. But…