Annaliese Wegner is a passionate dairy farmer hailing from Wisconsin, where she tends to her farm alongside her husband and two children in Ettrick. Beyond the daily responsibilities of caring for her family and her beloved calves, Annaliese is a dedicated advocate for agriculture. With over 11 years of experience, she has become a seasoned voice in the online realm, using social media as a platform to share her farm's story.

Annaliese firmly believes that it takes the collective effort of everyone in the agricultural community to bridge the gap between farm and table. However, she emphasizes that each individual has a unique story to tell, and there's no one-size-fits-all approach to sharing it. Through her speaking engagements, Annaliese inspires others to embrace their own narratives and contribute to the rich tapestry of agriculture communication. She exemplifies the spirit of resilience, innovation, and community that defines modern farming in America.

Stop Being Busy and Start Being Awesome

With one boot in the barn and one stiletto in the city, Melanie founded Shift•ology Communication to specialize in providing science based communication for bioscience industries. She has built an award-winning team of communication professionals who work to help organizations and individuals in food and agriculture; energy and the environment; and health and wellness speak with their authentic voice. 

She started her career in communication at an international horticulture association. Since then, she has served as the communication director and chief of markets for the Ohio Department of Agriculture, was named “40 Under 40” by the Dayton Business Journal and received the Young Professional Achievement Award from the Ohio State University’s College of Food, Ag and Environmental Sciences. Shift•ology has been named Small Business of the Year by the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and has won numerous awards for its work by the Public Relations Society of America and the National Agri-Marketing Association. 

Melanie carries the APR distinction, the highest degree of certification available in public relations. Shift•ology is a team of 10 that works with about 40 clients in agriculture, healthcare and education nationwide. The company has innovated Virtual Farm Trips®, which has reached more than 1 million students in all 50 states and several countries. 

She lives on a small farm with her husband Gabe,and kids CJ, Joshua and Addie and loves every minute of sharing her passion for agriculture and communication with them.

Piper Temple is a Swine Finishing Supervisor with Kalmbach Feeds in Upper Sandusky, Ohio – a leading swine producer in the state. Piper’s responsibilities include: collecting and coordinating disease testing, and supervising gilt developer units and terminal wean-to-finish barns. She also does gilt selection for internal replacement animals within the Kalmbach system as well as  external sales. Piper joined Kalmbach in 2016 as an intern. She was hired in 2018 as the company’s first Swine Production Specialist, leading into the gilt supervisor role. “Something I love about my job is that I get to select the replacement females for the sow farms within our system. I send these gilts in hopes that they become successful females for all of the sow farms. It is a fulfilling role hearing feedback from the  managers on how the gilts are doing or how I can help improve the system myself.” Piper was also selected in 2016 by the National Pork Board to participate in its #RealPigFarming Social Media Forces team. Piper shared her story of pig farming through various social  media outlets and a blog. 

Education: Piper is a 2018 graduate of The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, focusing in pork production.

Dr. Sarah Ison is a rancher, entrepreneur, animal scientist, wife & mom. Alongside her husband, Josh, and three children they own and operate Flourish & Roam - shipping their pasture raised meats direct to consumers nationwide. Dr. Ison has a doctorate in animal science from TexasTech University and also works off the farm as an independent food safety and research consultant. She can be found sharing their life on the ranch, @flourishandroam & @beefdrsarah, where she connects consumers with knowing where their food comes from and sharing the science behind agriculture. Her passion for agriculture and entrepreneurship has
allowed her to build a successful farm business and work with other farmers and ranchers to accomplish their goals by identifying new and emerging market channels.

Megan Burgess, Ada, OH is a wife, mother, farmer, and conservationist. She is originally from Wayne County, OH and attended The Ohio State University studying animal science and forage ecology. Megan and her husband, Don, raise dual-purpose natural colored sheep on their farm for the artisan fiber market, meat, and breeding stock. The primary breeds on their farm are Romeldale (an endangered breed) and Romney, but they’ve also included Merino in the past and are starting to incorporate some Bluefaced Leicester. They also grow and harvest hay to feed their livestock. Megan is an organizational advisor in 4-H and is active in other music and youth activities in her community.

With a passion and love for the outside, Samantha Steiner has been involved in the agricultural community all her life. Growing up, she spent most of her time as the fourth generation on her family’s dairy farm and was heavily involved in her county 4-H program. In 2010, Samantha started her own business, Dogwood Farm, where she raises grass-fed beef cattle and pastured poultry including laying hens, meat chickens, and Thanksgiving turkeys. Her products are available directly to consumers through the on-site farm store. This allows customers to build a bridge between their food source and the farmer producing it, which in turn, builds trust. To show proper stewardship to our natural resources and keep true to her philosophy of leaving things better than she found them, Samantha uses regenative practices on her farm such as rotational and multi-species grazing, a practice that promotes soil health and pasture regrowth. Samantha was elected to the Warren Co Soil and Water Conservation Board in 2014 where she serves alongside an incredible, dedicated staff and four other board members to help put conservation practices on the ground in her community. She is currently serving as first vice president for the Ohio Federation of Soil & Water Conservation Districts.

Mary Wilhelm grew up on her family’s dairy farm and orchard in Henry County. She's an OSU Grad in Dairy Science & Ag Business. Now working with Putnam Soil and Water Conservation District, she gets to combine her passion for cows and agriculture by helping livestock facilities maintain compliance and in turn, helping animal agriculture do their part in helping improve water quality, soil health, and becoming even better stewards of the land. Mary loves Ag-vocating for the industry that has given her so much. She is a board member for Henry County Dairy Producers, a Co-Chair for the Women’s Agri-Intelligence Conference Committee, and a member of AgriPOWER Class XIV. 

Back To Our Roots

In 1987 Black’s Shady Knoll Orchard was closed after almost 60 years and four generations of serving Hardin County and the surrounding communities. Twenty five years later and lots of conversations Father, Jim Black along with daughters Kati and Amanda decided to restart the orchard. Jim proposed to his daughters "If I grow the apples, you sell them." and a deal was struck.  This is the story of sisters continuing the family legacy by providing quality products at affordable prices by using responsible agriculture practices to build a better community and promote agriculture education.

Kati and Amanda grew up on the family farm in Mt. Victory, Ohio. The farm produces Apples, Pears and grain. They both keep busy not with just the farm, but volunteer their time to the industry and community youth. Both enjoy the business but especially building relationships with their customers and other farm marketers, educating the community about their product and their agriculture practices

KATI received a BS in Fashion Merchandising from The Ohio State University. While in  college she worked at a clothing store, eventually working her way up to management. A few years after graduating she left the retail industry and city and moved closer to the farm that she missed. Since moving back has held positions in Sales, Marketing and for the last 20 years, Accounting. Shortly after planting the first apple trees Kati married her husband Brian, gained 3 children and they now have 6 grandchildren. In January Kati was elected to the Board of Directors for Ohio Produce Growers & Marketing Association (OPGMA).

AMANDA received her BS degree in Fashion Retail Merchandising from Ohio University. After graduation she worked in retail merchandising, management and buying from Charlotte, NC to Columbus, OH, eventually becoming a stay-at-home mom. After planting began in the new orchard, Amanda, husband Brad, along with their two sons moved back to the family farm in Hardin County to hold up her end of the bargain, sell the apples. Amanda is currently President of the Kenton Choral Boosters, 4-H Advisor and attends Hardin County 4-H Camp as adult staff. 

Check Your Engine 

The Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation recognized Dr. Jerry and Rita Lahmers of Newcomerstown with the 2023 Yvonne Lesicko Perseverance Prize, known as the Y Prize, for their innovative work on farmer mental health initiatives.The Lahmers, who have been leaders in their community for decades, spearheaded the creation of the Check Your Engine – Mental Health Project, which serves to better connect rural communities when addressing mental health concerns. The program was developed by Carroll, Harrison, Jefferson and Tuscarawas County Farm Bureaus, in collaboration with local organizations that focus specifically on mental wellness.

“If a check engine light comes on the dash of a tractor or farm vehicle, it’s time to get it to the shop to diagnose the issue, whether it be a common solution that will take minutes to fix, or the machine could be on the brink of a total engine failure,” Jerry said. “Either way, the check engine light lets us know something is wrong and it needs to be addressed.”  The Check Your Engine – Mental Health Project highlights some of the signs that a farmer needs the same kind of tune-up, how severe the issues might be and how to properly address an individual who needs additional support.

“This wouldn’t be possible without the help of the professionals that work in the mental health space everyday,” Jerry said. “They stepped forward and were more than willing to work with us. We need to realize they are in every community in Ohio, and we need to get involved with them. There is a lot we in agriculture don’t know and we need to lean on them to learn the best ways to talk about mental health with our neighbors.”

Lahmers spent his career serving farmers as a large animal veterinarian in Tuscarawas and surrounding counties and has been involved in Ohio Farm Bureau at all levels, including as a state trustee for the organization until 2022. Rita Lahmers is a retired teacher, who saw the impacts of stress through her students and was instrumental in getting various businesses and members of the community involved in the Check Engine – Mental Health Project. “The overall goal is to get farmers comfortable in reaching out for help,” Rita said. “One way that will happen is to get more counselors to have a better understanding of the community. Our problems are more complex and with fewer people involved in agriculture, it can be difficult to find someone who can relate to what you are dealing with as a farmer.”

Conservation Practices & Programs

Megan Burgess, Ada, OH is a wife, mother, farmer, and conservationist. She is originally from Wayne County, OH and attended The Ohio State University studying animal science and forage ecology. She has been with Ohio’s USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for 20 years, including being the District Conservationist in Hardin County for almost 17 years and is currently the State Grazing Specialist. Megan is one of the original creators of the successful women’s Lunch & Learn series in Hardin & Wyandot Counties and in 2019 she was awarded the National Association of Conservation Districts’ Hugh Hammond Bennett Excellence in Conservation Award for her work with producers.

Farming Across Generations

Carmella & craig are the owners of the suns flower in Lindsey, ohio. Craig grew up on the farm helping his grandfathers and his dad. Currently, Craig is working as a construction electrician, which allows him time off as needed to help in the fields. Carmella has been a nurse for 23 years and is currently working part time. During her days off, she’s planning the farm’s upcoming sunflower events. whether it’s a 4H group, gardening group, or Wedding, there is always something exciting happening. Carmella & Craig have 3 children that also help out during sunflower season. They can’t wait for this year’s bloom.

In this session, learn how Carmella and Craig Turnow have grown their family’s farm alongside his parents, Steve and Nancy turnow from a past of conventional farming practices to a well known and respected organic farm operation. as a “jack and jill of all things”, craig & carmella share their story of how they manage raising children, working off farm jobs, volunteering, and now hosting community members at the suns flower, one of northwest ohio’s “hottest” ag tourism stops.

Insurance Insights-Diving Deeper into Farm Insurance

Join Deirdre to learn more about the coverages of farm insurance and how to utilize them to ensure your assets are protected correctly.  She will go over the importance of liability insurance and some other niche coverages to consider for your farm operation.

Deirdre Christy graduated from Carey High School and Ohio State University with a bachelor’s in Agriculture. She joined Farm Accounts, Computer, Tax Service Inc dba Christy Insurance Agency in September 2014 and ran the Carey location until August 2023. She is now located in Findlay. Deirdre is licensed to sell Property, Casualty, Life, Federal Crop, and Flood Insurance. She has been selling insurance for 9 years. Deirdre prepares personal, farm and estate tax returns. She has been a tax preparer for 5 years and has completed the Annual Filing Season Program. She is a board member for Hancock County Farm Bureau, a Co-Chair for the Women’s Agri-Intelligence Conference Committee, and a member of AgriPOWER Class XIV.