GREENVILLE, Ohio — Darke County, Ohio, Farm Bureau Trustee, Matt Aultman’s career is a testament to his devotion to farming and public service. The Darke County farmer is a second-term trustee, and a county commissioner, he also serves, or has served, on numerous county and state committees.

Aultman’s family has been in Darke County for three centuries. Living on the family’s original 80-acre farm, Aultman learned the farming lifestyle.

“My grandparents lived a mile down the road from me and we farmed close —I really got involved with the farm when I joined the FFA program,” Aultman said. “I was in 4-H before and FFA is the natural next step.” 

Aultman’s first field of soybeans was a trial run field for Inoculant, “We ran part of the field with Inoculant and part without as a research trial for Urbana Labs way back in the 1990s,” he said. “We were looking how to improve yield with Inoculant — I think that’s what sparked what I do now — running tests and trials trying to do different things on the farm.” 

Aultman is married and a father of two. He and his wife both were involved with 4-H, FFA, and the county fair growing up — his wife is a high school teacher in a local school district.

In addition to farming with his father and grandfather, Aultman works for a grain elevator, serves as a Darke County Commissioner, and is an Ohio Farm Bureau Trustee.

I’ve been a county commissioner for seven years and I’m beginning my second term as a state trustee,” Aultman said. “Before that, I was on our local Farm Bureau board for probably 10 or 11 years and I was president for five of those years.”

When he’s not farming the additional roles keep Aultman busy, particularly from November through April.

“I’m involved with the certified seed industry, Farm Bureau, Ohio State Extension, and our county fair,” he said. “On the county side, I’m dealing with township trustees and finding that balance of development that doesn’t necessarily sprawl into productive farm ground —I spend probably 60 to 80 hours a week doing that kind of stuff.”

“Decisions are made by those who show up,” a quote Aultman cited referencing his public service career. 

“I’ve kind of lived my life around showing up,” Aultman said. “I think the most rewarding piece of showing up is helping out the whole community — making a difference with youth or with the growth of the business or fostering opportunity. I’m not in it to get rich, for darn sure.”

Agriculture is the number one industry in Darke County. It ranks first in the state in market value of crop sales and second in livestock sales. Examples of nearly every aspect of agricultural production may be found over the county’s 343,000 acres of farmland.

Livestock production is more prevalent in the northern half, while the southern half produces some of the higher yields of corn and soybeans in the state. 

“We have laying hens producing more than 2 million dozen eggs daily, we have turkey facilities, we have dairy herds, and we feed and finish swine,” Aultman said. “We also have beef, fruit, feedlots, rabbits, and backyard chickens — it’s quite diverse,” he said of the county.

Education and developing a stable workforce to meet the economic needs of the community is why Aultman worked to get agriculture programming back in schools. Eighteen school districts are represented in Darke County and not every district had FFA programs until recently.

“I worked hard with, then state representative, Jim Buchy and the school districts to show the importance of FFA and 4-H programming in our county,” Aultman said. “Currently all the schools in our county and the ones that share the line have FFA programs.”

Ohio Farm Bureau plays a role in advocating for farmers and enhancing agricultural development in the face of a depleting population entering the industry and increased investment by the state in high-tech manufacturing.

“The biggest thing is being at the table when these programs and businesses and stuff come in,” Aultman said. “I know it sounds like a political answer but things happen when you’re not at the table. When companies come in and they start discussing development, if you don’t have someone from the agricultural sector explaining how this affects them, those plans are never considered.” 

Ohio Farm Bureau delegates meet annually to establish policy initiatives important to farmers. That grassroots policy-making gives the board a blueprint for activism at the state level. “We are a strong advocate organization,” Aultman said. The Farm Bureau works at the statehouse and protects the rights of the farmers and policies developed at the annual meeting,”

As a trustee Aultman works at a local level through education programs like Agri Power and different leadership opportunities for county board leaders and staff. “I go back and help those guys get their voice and the leadership of their local communities heard when issues do come up such as solar, wind, urban sprawl, or commissioners want to put in roads, waterways, and water treatment plants, and things like that,” Aultman said.

Aultman stressed the importance of local policy-making and the impact it has on farmers across the country. The American Farm Bureau Federation held its annual convention in mid-January to outline its policies and set a legislative agenda by looking locally.

“They looked at the delegates in the states and what had been submitted,” Aultman said “It’s a grassroots organization and it’s good to see it work from the bottom up.”