Amanda Orahood of Canfield and Melinda Lee of Cardington have been named Ohio Farm Bureau Federation organization directors. Orahood will represent Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Mahoning and Trumbull counties, while Lee will have Clark, Darke, Greene and Miami counties.

As organization directors, Orahood and Lee will act as liaisond between the county Farm Bureaus and OFBF. They will assist the county groups as they develop and implement programs to strengthen their organizations and enhance their ability to serve members and affect positive change in their communities.

New organization directors on board at Ohio Farm Bureau

Before accepting the position with OFBF, Orahood spent more than three years as a meat inspector for the Ohio Department of Agriculture. She grew up on a small farm in Caldwell and is a member of the Columbiana-Mahoning-Trumbull Cattlemen's Association.

Orahood is an advisory member for the association’s beef ambassador program. She is a graduate of both the OSU Agricultural Technical Institute, with a associate’s degree in livestock science and Ohio State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in animal sciences. She and her husband, Lee, live in Canfield with their son, Colter.

Lee is a 2013 graduate of Ohio State University where she majored in animal sciences and agribusiness. She received her American FFA degree in 2010. Previously she worked at Aldermere Farm in Maine helping plan and facilitate agricultural education programs and at the Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center. She also was an agricultural ambassador for Ohio Farm Bureau during the 2012 Ohio State Fair. Lee continues to help out on the family’s beef, sheep and grain farm in Cardington.

Ohio Farm Bureau is the state’s largest and most inclusive farm organization. Its mission is to forge a partnership between farmers and consumers.