Opinion: Who gets to decide what happens on our farms?

By Melanie Wilt, APR, County Commissioner and founder of Shift•ology Communication

For generations, farmers have been stewards of the land — making tough, deeply personal decisions about what to grow, how to grow it and even whether to keep farming at all. These choices have always reflected a delicate balance of economics, personal values, legacy and land stewardship. But more and more, those decisions are being questioned — or outright blocked — by people who don’t farm.

And, troublingly, sometimes even by those who do.

As someone who grew up as a fourth-generation farm kid and still raises a few calves and my kids’ 4-H pigs, I’ve seen these tensions firsthand. Today, I run a public relations agency focused on agricultural communication and serve as a county commissioner — roles that have given me a front-row seat to the intersection of rural values, policy and public perception. For nine years as a commissioner, I’ve worked on local issues that directly impact farmers, and I also serve on the board of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio.… Continue reading