COLUMBUS, Ohio – Fourteen farmers and agribusiness professionals have graduated from the 15th AgriPOWER Institute.

This year-long program, sponsored by Ohio Farm Bureau, is designed for those who want to become effective leaders and advocates for agriculture in the state. The eight-month program focuses on public policy issues that are relevant to the food industry such as consumer relations, regulations, energy and trade policies. The individuals who were selected learned from experts in ag-related fields and developed the skills necessary to become effective leaders and advocates for agriculture.

“These individuals have already made their mark on Ohio agriculture, and I’m excited that they will take their leadership skills to the next level,” said Brian Baldridge, director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. “This program not only gave participants a deeper understanding of the farm and food sector here in Ohio and across the country, it gave them the tools they need to become even stronger advocates for an industry they are already passionate about.”

The group visited Washington, D.C., where they learned about national and global issues, and they visited diverse agricultural operations to better understand the differences and similarities in agriculture from state to state.

AgriPOWER has made an impact in the lives of many previous graduates of the program.

“AgriPOWER gave me the confidence to apply for a township trustee position when it came open and then run for the position a year later,” said Christen Clemson, who graduated from the 2014-2015 class. “It has given me connections with government officials at all levels and created a lasting professional and friendship network that spans all of Ohio and a variety of professions.”

Cristen Cramer, of Woodville, Ohio, is a grain branch manager for Legacy Farmers Cooperative. She is a 2023-2024 graduate of AgriPOWER.

“I came into the program with limited farm bureau experience or farm policy knowledge,” Cramer said. “Through this process, I learned about how my local, as well as the state and national, farm bureau organizations assist with problems across the state. I had no idea the amount of similarities I would also share with the diverse group of peers in the class.”

The graduates in AgriPOWER Class of XV were Grace Baxter (Wooster), Rudi Pitzer Perry (New Vienna), Taylor Mensing (Westerville), Kelly Warner (Harrod), Johnathon Cottingim (Delaware), Zachary Jones (Huron), Hannah DiVencenzo (Grafton), Olivia Lang (Wooster), Amanda Barndt (Bowling Green), Lucy Pullins Green (Bowling Green), Emily Stevens (Tiffin), Kelsey Bezdek (Leroy), William Ray (Zanesville) and Alec Truckor (Metamora).

Graduates of the Class of XV brought a wide range of backgrounds to this class. Baxter grew up on an Angus sow-calf operation in eastern Kansas and Texas, and also showed her family’s cattle in 4-H and FFA. She is now an account marketing manager at Certified Angus Beef. Pitzer Perry works for Farm Credit Mid-America and serves as the regional vice president of agricultural lending in southern Ohio, while Mensing is currently an account executive at Curious Plot, a marketing agency, working to launch and promote crop protection products for UPL NA, Inc.

Warner is the director of donor engagement and giving for the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation, responsible for the enhancement of the foundation’s scholarship program. Cottingim is a farm succession and legacy preservation attorney. He develops estate and succession plans that help protect the future of family farms.

Jones is a specialty crop grower, producing vegetables, fruits, meats and small grains for his family’s direct-to-consumer farm, The Chef’s Garden.

DiVencenzo is the owner of Health Harvest Organics, where she operates a small family farm focused on regenerative agriculture. She also serves as the northeast regional trustee on Ohio Farm Bureau’s board of trustees, representing the interests of members from 20 counties in northeast Ohio.

Lang is an agricultural risk adviser at Hummel Group Insurance, where she works with farmers to reduce risk on their farms and helps them protect the longevity of their farms through insurance planning. Barndt serves on the 2025 Ohio Farm Bureau Federation Policy Development Committee. She also works for Truland Equipment, a John Deere dealership, selling turf construction and ag equipment.

Pullins Green is a risk management associate at StoneX Group Inc., where she helps grain farmers, livestock producers, and elevators manage risk within the commodities futures markets, with a primary focus on corn, soybeans and wheat.

Stevens is an organization director and leveraging trends specialist for Ohio Farm Bureau, serving members in four Ohio counties, where she focuses on providing the latest trends and issues to members to prepare them for what’s next for the industry.

Bezdek manages two rural sales offices for Howard Hanna Real Estate Services and is a licensed and practicing realtor. She also serves as vice president for the Lake County Farm Bureau.

Ray is the Ohio Forestry Association’s director of forestry programs, where he tracks, assesses, assists and awards educational credits for the Ohio Master Logger Program. He also assists forestry professionals and landowners in safety training.

Truckor serves as a Fulton County Farm Bureau Board of Trustees member. He and his father operate a grain farm in Metamora.