CAMPAIGNING — John Grafton, president of the Jefferson County Farm Bureau, presented on the organization’s 2025 membership campaign during a meeting in the Crossroads Ministry Building on Jan. 2. -- Contributed

RICHMOND — Only two days into the new year, Jefferson County Farm Bureau members discussed how to reach new individuals though the organization’s 2025 membership campaign.

Members met at the Crossroads Ministry Building on Jan. 2 to kick off the Jefferson County Farm Bureau’s membership drive, which it organizes every year from January through March. Membership committee constituents received blank applications and were assigned a portion of Jefferson County’s 14 townships to cover.

“We’ll be going out, trying to meet people who are involved in agricultural or who have an interest in agriculture — that type of lifestyle — and try to talk them into joining up with us,” said John Grafton, president of the Jefferson County Farm Bureau.

The farm bureau seeks to increase its membership by 5 percent to 10 percent annually, Grafton said on Monday. This year, anyone involved or interested in agriculture is encouraged to be part of this year’s increase, furthering an organization that advocates for farmers’ interests.

A nonprofit, the bureau is a “grassroots organization” that sources its ideas from the bottom up, Grafton said. County-level bureaus are affiliated with and are supported by the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, which is part of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Those who join a county-level farm bureau are automatically enrolled in the state and national farm bureau tiers, gaining access to their benefits and resources.

Advocacy is the primary goal of all farm bureaus, which serve as a collective voice for farmers and ranchers across the U.S. Issues like water quality or the Current Use Agricultural Valuation tax program are critical for farmers, Grafton said, and farm bureaus provide “strength in numbers” for lobbying efforts at the local, state and national level.

“We work with a lot of policymakers to ensure that regulations and legislative actions are beneficial to agriculture and don’t deter them in any way,” Grafton said.

On Feb. 19, the Jefferson County Farm Bureau will send several of its members to meet with legislators in Columbus on behalf of the agriculture community — addressing “favorable and non-favorable” legislative actions.

Members will host a township trustee and municipal leader meeting on Feb. 22. That event will have closed doors but invite local leaders to discuss issues their citizens face.

The Jefferson County Farm Bureau offers programs covering various agricultural disciplines — livestock, produce, grain farming and forestry among them.

An Ag Resource Expo will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Jan 22 at the Jefferson County Joint Vocational School, 1509 county Highway 22A, Bloomingdale. The event is open to the public and will feature 17 different exhibitors that can aid agricultural producers in their operations, such as financial instructors, insurance providers and equipment suppliers.

The Jefferson County Farm Bureau has a 15-member board of trustees that meets monthly. Annual meetings occur once a year in September, inviting all of the county farm bureau members. Meetings also occur on the state and national level in December and January, respectively.

Grafton said the Jefferson County Farm Bureau has 667 members. Of those, more than half are family memberships, including a primary member, spouse and any children under the age of 18.

Individuals need not be farmers to join, Grafton said. They can work in the fields of forestry, natural resources or landscaping — so long as they want to support the agriculture industry.

Those interested in joining or learning more should contact the district office in New Philadelphia by calling (330) 339-7211. The office covers Carroll, Harrison, Jefferson and Tuscarawas counties.

The cost for an individual or family membership is $120 per year, though individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 can join for $40 per year. Dues cover the local, state and national membership, Grafton said.

A number of different organizations offer discounts for members, such as automobile or home and garden businesses, Grafton added.

The first three months of 2025 will see the Jefferson County Farm Bureau seeking new membership while continuing its mission, in the words of its president: “To strengthen the agricultural community and its ties with the non-agricultural community.”