Local farmer was one of 10 selected for Ohio Corn & Wheat leadership summit

DRESDEN − Local corn and soybean farmer Jared Cox was recently one of 10 Ohio farmers selected to attend the recent Corn & Wheat Emerging Leader Summit in Columbus.

“(They) reached out to me and asked me to be involved in it,” said Cox. “I enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to be involved in the summit and one day part of the board as well.”

The Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association is a membership organization under the umbrella of the main Ohio Corn & Wheat organization. The Growers Association advocates for public policy on behalf of its farmer members and hosted the two-day summit that focused on growing skills in leadership, communication, and advocacy.

Cox, who owns his farming operations with wife, Jenny, said today’s farmer has to be diverse, fluent in business, and overall, well rounded.

“In the past six years, Jenny and I have expanded our operations. We also have an agriculture business called Cox Seed Sales, and we’ve been doing that for 23 years,” said Cox. “We work with operators across multiple counties to help them, and we pride our business on service and helping others by providing resources to make them better.”

That investment into his community and surrounding businesses is what primed him for selection to the summit.

“The folks that we recruit and who participate in this program are often nominated by someone who knows them,” said Marlene Eick, director of marketing and communications at Ohio Corn & Wheat. “So, they come to the program as someone who is considered by their peers to be a leader in the area. The program is about how they can continue to expand their input.

“Jared was one of those participants we were glad to (host),” said Eick.

The other summit participants included Jana Caudill (DeGraff), Nolan Chamberlain (Bowling Green), Karyn Forman (Goshen), Liza Musselman (Orient), Jason Oman (Findlay), Nate Schroeder (Columbus Grove), Kip Shoemaker (Leesburg), Ken Swartz (Perrysburg), and Roger Wright (Springfield).

“It was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the Ohio association and how they can help give us a voice.”

Cox said they did exercises on building confidence and credibility, networking, improving business and professional skills, and learning how to speak with and advocate with legislators.

“We went to the statehouse and took a tour, which was great to see,” said Cox. “We met with (Republican Senator Tim Schaffer). For me it was learning more about the legislative process and how our story needed to be shared and how that can create change.”

Cox said the role play scenario following the meet-and-greet was “humbling,” and taught the group how to go through the proper channels to get through to legislators.

“It helped us realize how we had to communicate with them,” said Cox of learning the lingo. “Because it’s a very short amount of time you get with them, you have to be careful and descriptive.

“It allowed me to understand the process of how change can be made, which lets me be open to listening to the needs of my customers and colleagues,” said Cox. “I know I can reach out (to the Ohio Corn and Wheat Board) and share any concerns at any time, freely, and know they care and can try to help us. It also inspired me to reach out and get involved with the board more. It gives us a constant reliable voice while myself and others are in the field and unable to do that.”

Eick said farmers being involved in their advocacy is critical to the success of Ohio Corn & Wheat and the subsequent policies that affect their membership.

“Today’s farmer is operating at a high level,” said Eick. “They’re showing up to the statehouse well informed on their issues.”

That’s due in part to the level at which farmer’s operate in today’s world and in part to efforts like the leadership summit that teaches farmers a model that can be used for planning an effective advocacy meeting.

“It encourages farmers to think through the issues and then how to plan the conversation they want to have,” said Eick. “The real keystone of this program is that not only are we getting everyone up to speed but also walking through the process of planning those meetings.”

Eick said the two biggest issues for farmers now are getting the next farm bill passed and working on legislation for corn farmers that protects consumer access to higher blends of ethanol as a fuel source.

“If you’re a corn farmer, you’re thinking about both of those things,” she said.

Cox agreed, adding that the summit helped him understand how he can impact legislation and share that with others.

“It was a great experience,” said Cox.

Farmers interested in next year’s Emerging Leader Summit may contact Marlene Eick at meick@ohiocornandwheat.org.

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Dresden farmer selected for Ohio Corn & Wheat leadership summit