Ohio Farm Bureau’s Young Agricultural Professionals program has awarded $500 grants to eight local YAP groups and two Collegiate Farm Bureau groups.

The grants are courtesy of Farm Credit Mid-America and fund YAP-focused educational programming or events. Winning groups will be acknowledged at the upcoming Young Agricultural Professionals Winter Leadership Experience Jan. 31-Feb. 1.

The recipients and their programming are:

Ashland and Wayne counties. The Ashland/Wayne Young Ag Professionals are planning their fourth annual Ag Toy Drive, which is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 3. New goals for 2020 include an online outreach video, increasing attendance, and improving relationships with Ag Toy Drive sponsors and strategic partners.

Clinton, Greene, Fayette, Warren counties. Plans are underway for the Crop to Cup Bus Tour. This multicounty YAP event is intended to increase Farm Bureau membership while also providing educational tours of a brewery, cider house, winery and distillery. This educational bus trip will provide attendees information about the process of production, safety requirements, regulations and the current issues of this industry.

Coshocton County. To celebrate and bring awareness to its Young Ag Professionals program, Coshocton County YAP is hosting an ATV Tour. The stops will be hosted by Coshocton County board of trustees members who are also Young Ag Professionals. The final stop will feature a social gathering and dinner.

Fayette County. Young Ag Professionals have developed a “Meet, Greet, Grow” series of events that will be hosted by area agribusinesses. At the first event, attendees will visit Ag-Pro to learn about the future of ag technology. The second event will be hosted by Valero-Cargill, where tours will be offered. The final event will feature leaders of Farm Credit Mid-America in Washington Court House, who will discuss the cooperative structure and the resources co-ops offer.

Montgomery County. The 2020 Montgomery County Fair will host Young Ag Professionals July 18 for an Ag Safety at the Fair event. To educate fairgoers, YAP members will have multiple ag safety stations, including grain bin safety, livestock safety, basic tractor safety, on-the-road equipment safety and ATV/UTV safety.

Pike County. FFA Agriculture Career Day will provide valuable information to FFA students in grades seven to 12 in Pike County. Partnering with Ohio State University Extension and Pike Soil and Water Conservation District, this YAP event will not only focus on agriculture careers, but also on YAP opportunities available to older students, once they graduate from high school.

Scioto County. Offering an opportunity to provide older FFA and 4-H students from Scioto and surrounding counties information about agricultural careers will be the goal of the YAP-FFA Retreat, hosted by Scioto County YAP leaders. Students will be provided with details on the YAP program and career opportunities available at the next level, along with leadership development training.

Stark County. Clardale Farms will host Milk and Cookies With Santa on the farm. YAP members offer the opportunity for families and community members to meet and take photos with Santa, and enjoy free sugar cookies and milk donated by the Superior Dairy, a milk processor. Sophie’s Magic Mailbox will provide a Santa letter-writing station, and Santa will write back to the child. Donations will also be collected to support families with members struggling with congenital heart defects.

Ohio State University Collegiate Farm Bureau. OSU’s Collegiate Farm Bureau Networking Hour will provide an opportunity for students to practice and apply their networking skills with industry professionals at a social event. There also will be a panel discussion, where students can have a robust conversation about their social hour performance, what can be improved upon, and how they can build upon their skill set to become effective, confident networkers.

Wilmington Collegiate Farm Bureau. Mission Dis(CO₂)very is a Wilmington College campuswide event held in conjunction with Earth Day each spring. The purpose is to offer educational lessons and experiences in conservation to help the campus and surrounding community learn more about topics like natural resource management, food production, food waste and climate change.

Ohio Farm Bureau’s Young Agricultural Professionals are singles and married couples, ages 18 to 35, who are interested in improving the business of agriculture, learning new ideas and developing leadership skills. To learn more visit experienceyap.com.

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