Solar energy in Ohio has been, pun intended, a pretty hot topic over the past few years as more and more landowners in all parts of the state are being approached about signing leases to utilize their property to collect energy from the sun. That growing interest in the Buckeye State has led to difficult discussions, tough decisions and a divide in opinion across the countryside. On this Our Ohio Weekly, we talk all things solar with two Ohio Farm Bureau experts.

00:00 - Dale Arnold, Ohio Farm Bureau’s Director of Energy Policy and Ohio Farm Bureau’s policy counsel, Leah Curtis talk about the current issues around Ohio’s solar industry and what Farm Bureau members need to know before signing an agreement.

23:50 - On this week’s To the Beat of Agriculture, you’ll hear from a Butler County farmer who was recently elected to the U.S. Grains Council and about the type of impact that organization makes not only in Ohio, but across the world.

32:20 - Earlier this month, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was detected in a backyard flock in Ashland County and a commercial chicken flock in Defiance County. Ohio Department of Agriculture State Veterinarian, Dr. Dennis Summers, shares what other poultry farmers should do to protect their flocks and if there is a health concern for consumers.

42:20 - The host of the Ag State of Mind Podcast, Jason Medows, was in Highland County to share his thoughts on farm stress and mental health. He gives his perspective on the stigma of the topics in agriculture and what role the younger generation plays in continuing the conversation.