Williamsburg — President Bob Pautke of Connect Clermont accepted honors during the 2026 Farm Bureau Annual Meeting. He represented numerous volunteers, contributors, and organizers who have fought to bring Clermont closer to its agricultural roots.
Last week, the Clermont County Farm Bureau hosted its annual meeting at Heathfields Farm in Williamsburg, Ohio. The event gave the Bureau an opportunity to showcase its Eastside Agricultural Collective initiative. This community-led brochure highlights the work and stories of Farm Bureau members who raise, grow, create, and sell farming products.
Pautke was in attendance to show support for the project along with recent farm tour programs. Not long into speeches, the Bureau invited him to accept formal recognition on behalf of Connect Clermont.
Farm Bureau Official Certificate of Recognition
“I was shocked and very grateful. I had no idea they were planning anything,” Pautke told his editor. “It finally feels like word is getting out in the community.”
Connect Clermont, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has been active in bringing resources and opportunities together to better serve the community. Through its online publication and event calendar for residents, Connect Clermont has directed much-needed attention to the quickly evolving agriculture industry.
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Plans to strengthen Clermont’s family farming culture are over a decade old. During the 2014 Agenda for the Future meeting, local leaders recognized farming as an area that nonprofit resources should go toward protecting. Products like soybeans and animal feed, maintained by a stable and skilled workforce, are essential to the region’s economic viability.
Still, Ohio farmers have suffered significant setbacks over the last two decades. The state has lost over a million acres of arable land and pasturage since 2006, due in part to large-scale farming companies consolidating family businesses.
Credit: Ohio Farm Bureau
More recently, the ongoing oil crisis and tariff spikes have put financial strain on many Clermont farmers. Price squeezes on diesel and fertilizer are forcing some farmers to tighten their budgets and worry about yield declines.
Community outreach initiatives like the Eastside Agricultural Collective are in lock-step with the goals set by Agenda for the Future 2035. In collaboration with small businesses and nonprofits, farmers take early steps to protect Clermont County's farming traditions against economic downturns and labor shortages.
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Despite public anxiety, rising costs have not deterred young producers from entering the market. Clermont County continues to attract families from all over the Midwest for its farming and manufacturing career opportunities. Over 5,000 new and beginner farmers have moved to the area since 2024, many below the age of 35.
President Bob Pautke of Connect Clermont & Dr. Cindy CassellAn increased interest in the trade empowers the Farm Bureau and other community leaders to advocate for a more affordable farming industry. The area is home to many niche farms, like Big Fish Farms and Flourish & Roam, that rely on the good-faith partnerships of Clermont locals and businesses to deliver excellence to the community. These recent initiatives have helped them promote sustainable agriculture practices that improve the health of both the land and the public through locally sourced products.
Today, Clermont County remains one of the most respected agricultural communities in the Tristate area. A community worth protecting.
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