By Matt Hartong
As president, I have made it one of my priorities to engage in as many programs and events the Farm Bureau has to offer. Earlier in March I had the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. on behalf of the Ohio Farm Bureau to engage congressmen and women on issues that are affecting Ohio farmers.
As representatives of the Ohio Farm Bureau, 55 county presidents from all over the state made the trip to D.C. We arrived on Tuesday morning and were greeted by OFB President Bill Patterson, Executive Vice President Adam Sharp, and other Ohio Farm Bureau representatives. We spent most of Tuesday making plans on what to talk to our congressperson about in the following days’ congressional meetings.
Later, we went to the U.S. Capital’s Visitor Center where we spoke to a number of Ohio congressmen and women. They took time out of their busy schedules to speak with us on a variety of issues and even allowed us to ask questions about the current state of the federal government. Tariffs and taxes being two popular topics.
We started Wednesday with meetings with both Ohio Senators, Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted. They both covered a wide range of goals and plans they had for their terms and also addressed concerns about tariffs and immigration.
Summit County is in district 13. Emilia Sykes is our congresswomen and I had the pleasure of speaking with her aid. We asked for support by passing a new Farm Bill and addressing tax concerns as well as helping spread the word about Summit County’s Surface Water Management District.
Once our congressional meetings concluded we went over to the offices of the United States Department of Agriculture. There, we listened to three very informative speakers on how the government affects agriculture.
Thursday we spoke with the President of The American Farm Bureau, Zippy Duval and listened to two presentations from the Spanish Embassy and the Mexican Embassy. Zippy Duval is one of the biggest supporters of AG I’ve met. His enthusiasm is contagious and if you ever get the opportunity to meet him, I recommend you take it. As for the presenters, both the Mexican and Spanish Embassies had wonderful information to offer. They highlighted the value of world economics and trade, as well as how each country depends on the United States for certain products and vice-versa.
Overall the trip to Washington D.C. was an incredible learning experience. Allowing me the opportunity to speak with congressmen and women who are actively running the federal government is something I’ll always remember. More so, making connections with my fellow county presidents was one of my favorite parts of the trip.