The Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association is a collective membership organization, made up of nearly 2,000 Ohio farmers. Together, we advocate, promote, and enhance opportunities that help grain growers in our state farm as they know best how to do.
Why be a member of the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association?
Ohio farmers are stronger together, and a membership with the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association means you are connected to a passionate membership and leadership base that is dedicated to protecting your social license to farm and is focused on helping to make the future better for the next generation to take over.
The Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association is not funded with checkoff dollars. This organization is depends solely on the membership dollars of Ohio farmers like you, that want to help make things better for their operation and family.
By being a member of the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association, you have a chance to make a difference, let your voice be heard on important public policy issues, and help educate consumers and legislators about farming practices, products, and the benefits of agriculture.
We pride ourselves on being proactive and staying ahead of important issues that have the potential of impacting the way a farmer makes a living. We need your help when it comes to setting the record straight on important topics and helping to educate and advocate for Ohio’s corn and small grains industries on both a state and federal level. Together, we are making a difference, creating real change, and growing Ohio’s future.
Member Benefits
What does the association do for me?
We work directly with lawmakers and elected officials to propel legislation that supports you and your farm — at the state and federal level. We fight to preserve your freedom to farm and ensure that your operation is profitable for generations to come. We are the only Ohio organization dedicated to expanding the demand for ethanol, a valuable market for your corn.
In addition, members of the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association are eligible for the following members only benefits:
- $200 Seed Coupon: With a 3-year membership, you will receive a $200 seed coupon that is honored by more than 20 seed companies in Ohio.
- Grassroots Advocacy: Make your voice heard at the Statehouse and in the nation’s capital on important issues like market access and ethanol.
- Scholarships: College scholarship opportunities are available for you or your children.
- Commodity Classic: Attend the national member meeting and trade show, Commodity Classic, at a discounted rate and join farmers from across the U.S. to learn about the latest technology and innovations in the industry.
- Leadership Development: Develop your leadership skills and better serve your community through members-only programs.
- Communications: Get insightful and up-to-date communications, including emails with the latest news impacting your farm and community.
- Valuable Perks: Receive discounts at local seed companies, Cabela’s, Dell, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Office Depot and hotels across the country.
- National Corn Yield Contest: Compete in the National Corn Yield Contest to encourage the development of new, sustainable and innovative management practices for higher yields.
- Consumer Education: Support efforts to help the public understand and support modern agriculture.
- Invitations to Exclusive OCW Events: Membership allows you to be invited to events like the Celebration of Ohio Corn & Wheat and other events throughout the year that you don’t want to miss.
- Stewardship Education: Improve management practices to help achieve your goals to be good stewards of the land through sustainable farming initiatives.
Our Mission
Running a farm and raising a family is enough for one person, but yet there is so much more work to be done to keep your operation profitable and productive. That is where the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association comes in to help, because we are focused on the issues all growers need solutions to. As a member of the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association, you are part of a team of like-minded producers, who share your thoughts and needs. That’s why it is so important for you to become a member or renew your membership now.
We need your help in the fight for a new 5-year comprehensive farm bill. Let your voice be head in the nation’s capital, and demand that Congress pass a common sense solution to nationwide, year-round E15. Help us strengthen trade markets and create new opportunities around the globe for corn and wheat.
There is a lot of work to be done in Columbus and in Washington D.C., and together we are fighting for your farm, and the next generation.
Policy Priorities
For Ohio farms, for Ohio farmers, and for your success, that is what motivates the policy priorities for the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association. We are focused on peer generated policy priorities, that guide our state association and national partners when we advocate on your behalf in Washington D.C. and in Ohio.
We influence governmental and consumer audiences at a grassroots level to safeguard and advocate for legislation that ensures a climate for corn and wheat success.
We pride ourselves on staying ahead of and acting on issues that have the potential to impact producers social license to farm.
The grower association’s policy efforts are funded solely by membership dues. Each new member increases our manpower and resources to intensify our impact. Join now or renew now.
Public Policy Brochure
Tax Policy
Successful modern farming is as complex as any other industry. Sound tax policy helps us grow the rural economy. This year, we are focused on protecting tax policies that promote family farming in Ohio.
Water Quality
Clean water is everyone’s business and ensuring that it is safe for all to use is an important priority for Ohio Farmers. We know that the practice of using fertilizers remain the target of frustrations for some because of continued algae growth in Northwest Ohio, particularly connected to Grand Lake St. Mary’s, the Lake Erie region, and in waterways across the state.
For over a decade, the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association has helped to spearhead efforts to ensure that the voice of the farmer is heard when it comes to water quality issues. We have worked closely with growers across the state to develop better growing practices to mitigate runoff and create a sustainable future.
The Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association challenges farmers to take part in the ongoing and vital water quality discussion, with neighbors, consumers, and decision makers by considering these questions:
- How are conservation practices a part of your business plan?
- How can you use technology to lessen your impact on water quality?
- How can you use less phosphorus today than in past years?
- How can you change some of your farming practices to improve water quality?
- What is the economic penalty to your farm if you are not using fertilizer in a sustainable manner?
Trade
We value buyers of U.S. grown corn and small grains around the world.
As the global population and economic well-being increase, we seek opportunities to meet the world’s growing demand for food, fiber and fuel.
Ethanol
Did you know that over 95% of all fuel sold in the U.S. today is blended with 10% ethanol? Couple that with the fact that there are more ethanol-blended fuel choices than ever — ranging from 10% to 85% ethanol blend — ethanol is one of the fastest-growing uses for corn. Ohio is home to seven ethanol production plants, which use 217 million bushels of corn to produce nearly 600 million gallons of ethanol each year.
Ethanol offers an abundance of benefits that include:
- ethanol burns cooler and cleaner than conventional gasoline
- reduces tailpipe emissions
- improves air quality
The use of ethanol in fuel helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55.1 million metric tons. That is the equivalent of removing nearly 11.7 million cars from the road for an entire year!
The undeniable truth is that ethanol is the cleanest, most affordable fuel additive on the market today. Using ethanol reduces polluting substances from tailpipe emissions such as: carbon monoxide, exhaust hydrocarbons, benzene, toxics, and fine particulate matter.
Increasing the availability and demand for corn ethanol is one of our top priorities.
Infrastructure
We value the infrastructure assets that provide a pathway for our goods to make it to market. The development of, and maintenance of, state and national infrastructure assets such as roads, bridges, rail, intermodal and the inland waterways system is essential for the growth of agricultural commerce both domestically and abroad.
Farm Bill
One of our top priorities is the passage of a new 5-year Farm Bill, which includes protecting crop insurance. This critical risk management tool helps our farmers invest in their operations over the long term, while protecting themselves from what is out of their control, like the weather. To better reflect our farmers’ current cost of production, we support updating Price Loss Coverage (PLC) reference prices without instituting a floor price for corn.
Risk Management Programs
Managing risk is a part of every business. Farmers are no stranger to risk. Farmers face many inherent uncertainties including weather, yields, prices, government policies and global markets — all of which can cause wide swings in farm income.
Recognizing the vital role of the American farmer, the federal government provides insurance-like programs to preserve food security and to protect against market volatility and other operational challenges.
Farm programs ensure the long-term viability of the American farming system by promoting, supporting and regulating solutions to preserve and strengthen the economic stability of America’s agricultural sector.
Why should farmers get subsidized insurance?
Since people in this country and around the world depend on America’s crops, it is critically important farmers can stay viable. Crop insurance allows more farmers to stay in business after a bad year, and that means that food price fluctuations are minimized over time as the industry recovers more quickly from large scale disasters like the 2024 drought.
When a farmer receives an insurance payment, it’s because that farmer experienced a significant loss. It’s just like automobile insurance. You only receive an indemnity when a loss is incurred, and your coverage was in force.
Why is crop insurance subsidized?
The federal government pays a portion of crop insurance premiums and farmers pay another portion. Subsidizing crop insurance premiums means that the insurance will be available for farmers. Without government backing, it’s unlikely that any insurance company would offer the coverage because the risk is too high.
Also, farmers themselves do not receive the subsidy. It is paid to crop insurance companies. Most farmers in the Midwest have paid far more in crop insurance premiums than they have received in claims. Although the premium subsidy directly accrues to crop insurance companies, all taxpayers benefit from the system as it helps to maintain a consistent supply of food and commodity production for the marketplace.
As is the case with farm programs in general, the government’s role in supporting the U.S. farm economy is important because it enhances food security, and all taxpayers benefit from that situation.
