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State Representative Buchy
The Future of
Ohio Agriculture
Last month, thousands of Ohioans from across the state flocked to their
annual county fairs and the Ohio State Fair to showcase the best in
agriculture. These events provide a wonderful opportunity for our youth
to be involved in Ohio’s strongest industry, and to gain valuable
experience for their futures. From our county fairs all the way to
Columbus, the youth of House District 84 have shown great promise and
represented our home outstandingly.
Ohio is a very unique state, in that it has an extremely diverse
economy. Manufacturing, commerce, small business, and, yes,
agriculture, have all thrived under Republican leadership in recent
years. Agriculture, in particular, has even been touted as “Ohio’s
strongest industry” by Governor Kasich, and, he’s quite right. When
taking into account every facet of the industry, from farm to table, it
contributes over $98 billion to Ohio’s economy each year, employing 1
out of every 7 Ohioans. As a state legislator, I am proud to represent
communities that make this a reality through hard work and dedication
to the trade each and every day.
However, we must not forget in our successes the importance of
continuing this trend and training up the next generation to take the
reins. It is for this reason that it is vital for our youth to be
involved in agriculture, through clubs like 4-H and FFA, and events
like the county and state fair. In a world where college is considered
necessary for success, and more and more students pursue white-collar
careers, we must not miss the opportunity to pass agriculture, as a
trade, on to our children from a young age. Without these kids, who
will farm for the next generation?
As I mentioned earlier in this article, House District 84 is home to
many boys and girls who have set a wonderful example of this “passing
of the torch”. Our own Mary Buehler of Anna was announced as President
of the Ohio FFA earlier this year. Dozens of kids of all ages competed
at the state fair last month, bringing home numerous honors and proudly
representing our home and five students from around the region were
Grand Champions in this year’s Sale of Champions. Our county fairs each
year are host to even more competitors who have embraced agriculture
and dedicated themselves to learning these valuable skills.
These students represent the best of House District 84, and they and
their parents should be very proud of all of their accomplishments. As
their Representative, I know I am proud of all of the contributions
they make to our communities, and the potential they have to continue
making those contributions for years to come. As they shape the future
of agriculture in our state, they both need and deserve our utmost
support.
Please give me your opinion on this topic and others in the news this
month by completing an online survey at tinyurl.com/buchyAugust2016.
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