What do Ohio EPA & the Ohio High School Athletic Association have to do with dairy?

I serve on the Ohio Dairy Producers Association (ODPA) and the American Dairy Association Mideast (ADA Mideast) Boards. The ODPA is a group of dairy producers who share an interest in sustaining Ohio’s dairy industry. This group focuses on dairy issues, policy, and research. The ADA Mideast is the state dairy check-off which is focused on nutrition research/education and promoting dairy. Both boards meet quarterly in Columbus, Ohio and last week I attended the spring meetings.

The ADA Mideast Office in Columbus

During the ODPA meeting, we hear updates to learn what’s happening in agriculture and the dairy industry in Ohio. Including reports from the Ohio Department of Ag Dairy Division, Ohio Farm Bureau, Ohio State University, Ohio Milk Haulers, and others organizations that impact dairy farmers. One of the highlights was speaker outside of the dairy industry, the director of Ohio EPA.

One important issue facing Ohio is water quality. Ohio Farm Bureau and many other agriculture groups have come together to work on policy and solutions that maintain clean water. A little over half of Ohio’s land is in farms. The other half is woods/forest/natural areas and urban/cities. We all play a role in water quality, but sometimes it feels as if agriculture is singled out as the “problem”, so I was curious to see what Scott Nally, Director of Ohio EPA, had to say.

My son, Jack, and I enjoying one of the wonderful lakes in our county

Director Nally explained that water quality issues are a three leg stool: 1) agriculture, 2) cities/towns, 3) manufactures/businesses. All of these groups are responsible for maintaining clean water in Ohio. He shared information about the many municipal waste water projects underway in Ohio. He said that one goal is trying to, “Drive technology to create products better for water quality.” For example, all phosphorous has been removed from lawn fertilizer sold in Ohio. He shared that embracing technology is good for the environment. I appreciated what Director Nally had to say and found him to be an intelligent person with common sense.

I’m glad to see Director Nally working with the Directors of the Department of Agriculture and the
Department of Natural Resources to focus on all “legs of the stool”, not singling out one.

Our group shared with Director Nally how the U.S. dairy industry has used technology to become
more efficient. Today U.S. dairy farmers use less land, feed and water and produce less manure to
make a gallon of milk. These efficiencies benefit the environment and water quality.

During the ADA Mideast meeting, we were fortunate to have a special guest, Dr. Dan Ross,
Commissioner of the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). We as dairy farmers are
connected with Dr. Ross because chocolate milk is the official beverage of the OHSAA. He
advised that the OHSAA is very selective about who they choose as partners. They are looking for wholesome organizations with integrity.

Dr. Ross is a genuine and inspirational person who shared several stories illustrating when perseverance, integrity and teamwork were displayed by high school athletes. I think the best thing he said was, “Our job is to prepare kids for the next level of life, not the next level of sports. I want the students to learn life lessons they will need in their lives and jobs.” He went on to say that sports are a great way to learn teamwork and allows students to learn by making mistakes. This humble man has visited 462 of the 600 high schools in Ohio. He regularly has lunch with student athletes to recognize the good they have done. He really seems to care about the students he serves.

The ADA Mideast partnership with OHSAA has allowed Ohio dairy producers a presence at numerous high school sports activities around the state to spread the word about how nutritional dairy products, including chocolate milk, are an important part of student athlete’s healthy and active lifestyle.

Smith Dairy's Fat-Free Cow

Another thing I want to share is a neat new dairy app. It’s called Herd of Heroes and it was produced by Smith Dairy. My oldest son had lots of fun testing it!

My Involvement in the Dairy Association and Farm Bureau

I love agriculture and enjoy being around others who share the same passion. Last week I had that opportunity. I traveled to Columbus, Ohio to participate in an American Dairy Association Mideast Board meeting and Ohio Farm Bureau Leadership Conference.

The American Dairy Association Mideast (ADA Mideast) is the local dairy checkoff program for dairy farmers in Ohio and West Virginia. ADA Mideast works on behalf of dairy farmers to increase sales and demand of U.S. dairy products and ingredients. The good work of the staff has earned them status as a trusted source for science-based nutrition information. ADA Mideast staff work with educators, school nutrition directors, health professionals, academia, industry, consumers and media who share a commitment to fostering a healthier society.

Dairy farmers invest $.10 per 100 pounds of milk to fund ADA Mideast. A Board of Directors, consisting of 15 dairy farmers, set policy, approves budgets and provides direction. I serve on this Board that meets quarterly. In addition to promoting dairy products, ADA Mideast strives to share the stories of dairy farm families. I like serving on this Board to learn about the latest dairy promotion efforts, be involved in the discussion and decision making process and oversee how check off funds are spent.

One of many projects of this group is the Meet Ohio Dairy Farmers website. The “Hear Our Stories” section features videos about popular topics such as antibiotics in milk, organic or regular milk, farm size, calf care and more. This site also features pictures and videos from dairy farm families all over Ohio. It’s a great source of information about dairy farming, milk questions, and animal care topics. I hope you’ll check it out!

After my ADA Mideast Board meeting, I participated in the 2-day Ohio Farm Bureau  Annual Leadership Conference.  The purpose of this event is to bring together leaders from county farm bureaus for training, fellowship and information sharing. I currently serve Geauga County Farm Bureau as President. 

The Ohio Farm Bureau Leadership Conference

The Farm Bureau represents all sectors of agriculture from livestock to grain to specialty crops and farms of all sizes. A focal point of the conference was encouraging farmers to engage people in conversations to share the story of their farm. We in agriculture recognize that people have questions about how their food is produced and we want to do a better job answering your questions. 

Dinner with friends (I'm in the middle)

Having fun at the evening activities - Picture by Roger Baker

I’m involved in Farm Bureau is because I’m passionate about sharing what we do on our farm. I support this organization that gives agriculture a voice in state and federal policy, which can have an impact on how we do things on our farm.

As I looked around at the 300+ attendees, I was reminded that agriculture is a family-based business. The room was filled with people of all ages from a variety of farms across Ohio. These are real people who love what they do; for many it’s been in their family for generations. I value that about agriculture.