60 Members Attend Lake County Farm Bureau 2026 Annual Meeting

60 Members Attend Lake County Farm Bureau 2026 Annual Meeting

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Less than 15 months stand between Ohio livestock producers and a mandatory RFID species tagging rule that takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, and Lake County Farm Bureau made that deadline the centerpiece of its 2026 Annual Meeting on Monday, Sept. 14, at the Lake County Fair Community Building in Painesville, OFBF.org reported. Representatives from the Ohio Department of Agriculture Division of Animal Health joined the gathering virtually to walk through how the rule change will hit local operations, and to explain ODA’s RFID reader loan program for county fairs, markets, and slaughter facilities before opening the floor to a live Q&A.

Sixty members, local officials, and guests heard President Steve Ohmes preside over the evening, with dinner provided by Ang’s Smoke BBQ. The meeting doubled as a working session: members voted on the local policies that guide the county Farm Bureau and set the positions the county will carry to the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.

The policy slate adopted that night reads like a wish list for rural Ohio’s next two years. On land use and energy, members backed responsible land use alongside regulations for data center development and wind and solar projects. On farmer resources, they pushed for a comprehensive agriculture database to help new, beginning, and experienced farmers find funding and support. On trade, they voted to reinstate Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). And on community issues, they took up property tax relief, emergency response concerns, and expanded healthcare and insurance coverage in rural areas.

60 Members Attend Lake County Farm Bureau 2026 Annual Meeting

Those proposals now head to Columbus, where state delegates will vote on them at the 2026 OFBF Annual Meeting on Dec. 10–11.

Leadership for the next two-year term went to Donald Jacobson Jr., Steve Ohmes, Kevin Rowan, and Don Jacobson on the Board of Trustees. Chip Brown and Charlie Brown were elected as delegates to the Ohio Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in 2027, with Don Jacobson and Anne Poorman as alternates.

Organization Director Mandy Orahood singled out for recognition lawmakers reviewed by our county Farm Bureaus and the Ohio Farm Bureau Agriculture for Good Government Political Action Committee, commending their strong support of farm families and naming Representative Dan Troy, Jesse Styles, and Rick Walker—candidates for House District 57—as well as Congressman David Joyce.

The scholarship check was the night’s biggest single number: Sam Bly presented $3,000 in total awards. Kylie Ohmes and Paige Lucic each received $1,000, Marc Ball and Audrey Pealer each received $500, and Emma Feckanin and Macie Wrachford each received $250. For scale, the Chinese Auction held during the meeting raised just $300 — a tenth of the scholarship total — and that money also goes to Lake County Farm Bureau scholarships.

Recruitment muscle got its own round of applause. Donald Jacobson, Sam Bly, Michael Rought, and Steve Ohmes were each recognized for signing one new or winback member. A second tier earned custom farm signs for signing two members: Steve Ohmes (one new, one renewal), Chip Brown (three renewals), Eric Cotton (four renewals), Anne Poorman (nine renewals), and Samantha Bly (three new, six renewals).

Ohmes closed by framing the whole evening around the organization’s mission statement: “Working together for Ohio farmers to advance agriculture and strengthen our communities.” With the RFID mandate clock running toward Jan. 1, 2027 and the state policy vote set for Dec. 10–11 in Columbus, the county’s 60 attendees left Painesville with their marching orders already in motion.

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