Senate Bill Planted The Seed To Grow Youth Farmers In Urban Areas of Ohio
Extension Education
Amy Stone
Extension Educator
Ohio State University
Toledo
Abstract
Efforts in authoring an Ohio Senate Bill has led to a state-funded initiative designed to cultivate the next generation of agricultural leaders in Ohio’s urban communities. Backed by a unique funding mechanism written into the state budget through the Department of Higher Education, the bill and subsequent language and intent was sponsored by Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson (Toledo, Ohio). This pilot project engaged youth in hands-on farming, agricultural education, and entrepreneurship.
Funding was purposefully allocated to both Ohio’s Land Grant institutions - Central State University (CSU) and Ohio State University (OSU), ensuring institutional expertise to guide program implementation through each University's Extension Services. A mandated percentage of the funding was directed to local farm partners to fostering sustainable, community-driven agricultural development and growth in each urban community.
This initiative established 10 unique pilot programs at urban farms in five Ohio Counties. OSU partnered with three urban farms in Lucas and Summit Counties, each with tailored approaches to youth engagement in urban farming. The farm partner played a critical role providing mentorship, training and saw improvements to their farms. The Lucas County program operated under a 4-H SPIN Club Model, integrating multiple topics involving the entire extension team, including AgNR, FCS and 4-H program areas.
In contrast, the Summit County program prioritizes direct financial incentives to youth and transportation to support increased accessibility and participation with two partners in the county. Both counties utilized funds for hiring key personnel at each partner location, farm upgrades, tools, and social media engagement, but their resource allocations reflected differing priorities.
By bridging policy and practice, this initiative empowered youth, strengthened food systems, and invested in Ohio’s future agricultural workforce, reinforcing the state’s leadership in urban farming innovation. The results of OSU’s involvement will lead to the creation of program opportunities based upon the pilot project experiences – a menu of sorts that can be implemented as individual pieces, or in its entirety.
Poster has NOT been presented at any previous NACAA AM/PIC
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Authors: Margaret Rivera, Amy Stone
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Rivera, M. Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Ohio State University , Ohio, 44306
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Stone, A. Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator , Ohio State University, Ohio, 43615