Town Hall Ohio

It’s hard to not be constantly reminded that the world is a risky place. But as Americans, how much attention do we really pay to foreign affairs and to what extent do we support military action abroad. A leading political scientist who studies our views on global conflict is our guest today and, his analysis of the current Korean situation is something we all need to hear. OSU’s Dr. John Mueller is our guest, on this episode of Town Hall Ohio.

Call it climate change, global warming or any other term and you’re likely to stir up some emotions. Regardless of your opinions, there is one fact that is hard to argue with - our weather and weather patterns are changing. Today, we talk with two members of the state climate office of Ohio about the science of measuring and predicting climatic occurrences, and what we can do with the facts that science delivers. The science of climatology and adapting to change, is our subject today, on Town Hall Ohio.

While the Midwest is often called the world’s breadbasket, Ukraine is often called the breadbasket of Europe. But as a relatively newly independent nation, there’s a desire to learn more about the important task of producing food. To that end, a group of economists from Ukraine are in the U.S. to do some learning. They recently spent the better part of a day here at the Ohio Farm Bureau, and several graciously agreed to sit with us for a taping of Town Hall Ohio.

If you work for a company or organization, you want to believe you have a pretty good idea of what the company or organization does. While you have a firm understanding of your area, there may be other areas that aren’t familiar at all. Ohio Farm Bureau employees had an opportunity to learn more about food at an employee event. Today we will talk food safety, food insecurity, and food trends.

The horticulture industry is big business, nationally and in Ohio. The organizations that represents the many facets of the industry from growers to retailers, suppliers to innovators, students to researchers, calls Columbus home. Today we’re going to learn more about AmericanHort when we talk with the President and CEO Ken Fisher. Going green, on this episode of Town Hall Ohio.

You’d be hard pressed to find a community, industry or social cause in Ohio that does not have some sort of connection to the Ohio State University. One of the gentlemen charged with helping the university meet its mission to serve Ohio is Dr. Bruce McPheron, Executive Vice President and Provost. On this episode of Town Hall Ohio, he’s in to chat with Ohio Farm Bureau’s Chief Exec, Adam Sharp, about a wide range of issues that impact us all.

What do the following cities have in common? Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton, Newark, Cincinnati, Sandusky, Zanesville, Toledo, Springfield and Mansfield. Those are the ten towns that at one time or another since 1850 have played host to the great Ohio State Fair. To help us look ahead to this year, Fair General Manager Virgil Strickler, and Marketing and PR director Alicia Shoults join us to talk about the exhibits, the entertainment, rides, education and family fun for this year’s state fair.

The United States is the second largest consumer of seafood, yet we import 85% of the seafood we consume. So what are the opportunities? What are the challenges? To help us answer those questions, and more we have representatives of the Soy Aquaculture Alliance on this episode of Town Hall Ohio.

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to ask folks if they knew which state is our nation’s biggest farming state. Common guesses I got were Iowa or Texas. Most folks are surprised to learn that the nation’s biggest farming state is better known for Hollywood or the Golden Gate Bridge. Yes, California. Today, the presidents of California and Ohio’s state Farm Bureaus are in to compare and contrast food production on the west coast and in the midwest, on Town Hall Ohio.

Summer time is dairy time! We’re just coming out of national dairy month and just starting national ice cream month. Here in Ohio, dairy is big: billions of dollars of economic activity that is driven by dairy farmers, milk processors, and dairy food manufacturers. Today, we’re going to talk all things dairy, including learning what it takes to run a modern dairy farm, and have lots of information for those of you who enjoy milk, cheese and ice cream. It’s dairy day, on Town Hall Ohio.

Our world’s capacity to feed itself is dependent on science and technology, which is true whether we’re talking billions of calories for a growing population or organic produce from our own back yards. But the simple act of talking about food and science can be challenging for scientists, communicators and consumers. Ohio State University addressed those challenges in a recent forum, and three of the meeting’s principals made time to share their thoughts with you, on this episode of Town Hall Ohio.

Regular listeners know that we often dig into the politics, economics and social issues centered along Ohio’s back roads. I mean, we’re Farm Bureau, so it’s no surprise that we talk a lot about rural issues. Today though, we get into some of those same topics with representatives of Ohio’s biggest cities. Mayors Lydia Mihalik, Findlay and Nan Whaley, Dayton are members of a new coalition of Ohio’s 30 biggest cities. On this episode of Town Hall Ohio, we hear about and from the Ohio Mayors Alliance.

Whether we’re posting pet photos on Facebook, streaming a new movie, shopping, banking or working, most of us enjoy the benefits of high speed internet. A new study from Ohio State says more than a million Ohioans don’t have adequate internet access, at a cost to the economy of billions of dollars. What are the consequences of life in the online slow lane, and how do we correct that shortcoming for our state? We’ll talk broadly about broadband, on this episode of Town Hall Ohio.

To say the first few months of the Trump presidency have been “unique” would be considered by most to be an understatement. The politics, policies and personality of the nation’s 45th president have given his supporters and detractors a mountain of material to debate and discuss. Two Washington journalists who write for Ohio audiences join us by phone to share their insights and dissect Donald Trump’s still new presidency, on this episode of Town Hall Ohio.

One of Columbus’ great attractions is its Center of Science and Industry, which most of us know as COSI. COSI, is rated as one of the nation’s top science museums. The first of this year, it welcomed a new leader. Dr. Frederic Bertley is a nationally known scientist, educator, and maybe most importantly, communicator. On this episode of Town Hall Ohio, he joins Farm Bureau’s executive vice president Adam Sharp to talk about science and helping more of us understand and be comfortable with it.

In Ohio, the Republican Party holds most of the cards, dominating statewide elected offices, the general assembly and the Ohio Supreme Court. Keeping the party ticking along is the job of Jane Timken, who took over as state party chair this past January. On this episode of Town Hall Ohio, she and Ohio Farm Bureau executive vice president Adam Sharp will chat about politics and policy, and hopefully motivate us toward political participation.

There’s a lot of things good about being an Ohioan. But, a new report from the Health Policy Institute from Ohio suggests things aren’t as good as they could be when it comes to health value. Ohio ranks 46th in the nation, meaning we spend more but are less healthy than all but 3 other states. Amy Rohling McGee of the Health Policy Institute and Dan Rapp of Ohio Farm Bureau are in today to talk about what needs improved and how we get there, on this episode of Town Hall Ohio.

The food production, manufacturing, retailing and consumption space is undergoing monumental change. Noted food expert and futurist Dr. David Hughes joins Town Hall Ohio to help us wrap our arms around what we put on our forks.

There are more than 380,000 Ohio homes and businesses throughout Ohio which get their electricity from one of 25 rural electric cooperatives. The organization representing those co-ops is engaged in a wide range of energy and community development activities. Its president and CEO, Patrick O’Loughlin is with us on this episode of Town Hall Ohio, and joins Farm Bureau’s energy specialist Dale Arnold to talk about electricity generation and delivery, new technologies and keeping rural America strong.

Have you been in a convenience store lately, or a McDonalds, or bought some fresh donuts, a piece of jewelry or a set of tires? These diverse businesses have at least one thing in common--they are affiliated with the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants. The group's president and CEO Gordon Gough joins Ohio Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Adam Sharp to talk about the economy, government and other trends and issues in the retail sector that impact owners, workers and consumers.