By CELESTE BAUMGARTNER
Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Steve Hirsch was elected president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation in a recent special election. Sparky Weilnau was then elected to first vice president, filling Hirsch’s just-vacated position.
Hirsch replaced Brent Porteus, who stepped down after three years as president in order to stand for election to the Nationwide board of trustees. Hirsch and Weilnau will be up for reelection at OFBF’s annual meeting in November.

Hirsch is a fourth-generation farmer on a fruit farm near Chillicothe which was started in 1872. He farms with his father, cousins and a brother.

“We raise tree fruit and small fruits – we have apples, peaches, pears, nectarines,” he said. “We also raise strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and grapes. We do some pumpkins, we also have asparagus and raise a few tomatoes and peppers in hoop houses, and we have some hay.

“Apples are our largest crop – we’ve made cider here for about 60 or 70 years.”
Speaking of his position in Farm Bureau, Hirsch said, “We feel Farm Bureau is the organization that allows us to participate in the discussion with our local, state and national leaders to make sure that agriculture remains a viable part of the economy and the fabric of rural life.”

Resource management – how to continue to do the important programs with the available resources, whether those resources are people or funding – is a primary concern for Farm Bureau, Hirsch said. Another is how to continue to expand agriculture’s influence on the economy in Ohio.
Hirsch has been OFBF’s first vice president for three years and served on the board for 10 years as the trustee for District 15, which includes Fairfield, Hocking, Pickaway and Ross counties. He will remain the district’s board representative.

Hirsch earned a degree in business administration from the University of Dayton. He and his wife, Kimberly, are the parents of three children.
Weilnau is primarily a grain farmer on the family farm in Milan. The family has been raising popcorn as a specialty crop for about 50 years. Weilnau farms with his brother – he also helps with his brother’s fresh market vegetables – and a couple of employees.

In his role with Farm Bureau, Weilnau said that organization needs to be involved with the farm bill debate and to make sure a good safety net is held in place. Continuing a strong relationship with Nationwide, Medical Mutual of Ohio and other organizations that help farmers do a better job and get reduced costs in the business they conduct is also important, he said.

“Another thing we do very well is try to communicate with the consumers what we’re doing, to assure them we’re producing a safe reliable food and while doing that, we’re protecting the environment,” Weilnau said. “I want to make sure that Ohio agriculture remains a strong and viable business in this state.”
He previously served as the organization’s first vice president from 2004-06 and as treasurer from 2001-03. He has served as District 3 trustee representing Farm Bureau members from Cuyahoga, Erie, Huron and Lorain counties since 1996. He maintains that role as vice president.

Weilnau has been a member of the Erie County Farm Bureau since 1976 and has served in numerous leadership roles. He and his wife, Catherine, are the parents of two sons.