A year of “returning to normal,” Ohio Soybean Association and its farmer leaders never stopped working:

January — New Year, New Faces
OSA started preparing for the year ahead of us, bringing with it a new Presidential administration and new faces to both the General Assembly and Congress.

February — Commodity Classic
Ten volunteer farmer leaders represented Ohio soybean farmers to help shape 2021’s national policy agenda at the virtual Commodity Classic. Delegates were: Jerry Bambauer (Auglaize County), Trish Cunningham (Union County), Bret Davis (Delaware County), Rusty Goebel (Williams County), Patrick Knouff (Shelby County), Ryan Rhoades (Marion County), Jeff McKanna (Hancock County), Scott Metzger (Ross County), Bob Suver (Clark County) and Jennifer Wilson-Oechsle (Van Wert County).

March — Advocacy
Legislative action started to heat up as OSA continued to meet with new legislators in the General Assembly and state budget talks started. OSA also began testifying on the beginning farmer income tax legislation sponsored by Representative Susan Manchester.

April & May — Growing Partnerships
As farmers started planting their fields, OSA worked with our members and corporate partners to grow our program.

June — Carbon Market Website
Jointly with the Ohio Soybean Council, the OSA launched a one-stop-shop website with information on carbon market opportunities. The website was created to act as a clearinghouse for all the available carbon market information and simplify the comparison process for Ohio farmers. The information is available by visiting www.soyohio.org and clicking on the “Carbon Markets” tab at the top.

July — Policy Wins
A month of policy wins for Ohio soybean farmers — the state’s budget included continued funding for H2Ohio, OACI shared successes with the Ohio House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and OSA applauded the Senate passage of the Growing Climate Solutions Act.

August — Airable Research Lab
Congressman Troy Balderson visited Airable Research Lab, a lab dedicated solely to developing innovative new uses for soybeans. Airable Chief Lab Officer Barry McGraw and Ohio Soybean Association President Ryan Rhoades explained the value of the lab to soybean farmers and the soybean value chain.

September — Harvest Classic
OSA held their annual golf outing fundraiser in Delaware, Ohio. This event helps support our lobbying and membership efforts. A portion also goes to our PAC. Thank you to everyone who supported or attended this event!

October — Midwest Soybean Collaborative
The OSA officially joined the Midwest Soybean Collaborative, a coalition of leading soybean-producing states committed to expanding agricultural solutions through innovative thinking and programming on issues identified as having the most significant impact on the success of soybean growers across the Midwest.

November — Meeting with Legislators
At their November board meeting, board members had the opportunity to meet with their legislators to advocate for OSA and soybean farmers in Ohio. Legislators included Senator Andy Brenner (R-Delaware), Representative Susan Manchester (R-Lakeview), Representative Jon Cross (R-Kenton), and Representative Mark Johnson (R-Chillicothe).

December — Grain Farmers Symposium
Returning to an in-person event, Ohio Grain Farmers Symposium was in Plain City, Ohio. The event featured Terry Cosby, Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service; Ben Brown from the University of Missouri; and Matt Herman from the National Biodiesel Board.