By DOUG GRAVES

Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Farm Bureau (OFB) was founded on Jan. 27, 1919, and the organization is planning a yearlong celebration to honor its centennial.

At its annual meeting last month in Columbus, the celebration began with a members-only concert by country artist Chase Bryant, highlights showing barn paintings throughout the state and a distribution of many collectables including vintage T-shirts, pint glasses, hats and metal signs.

“One hundred years ago, Ohio farmers decided they could do more for themselves, their families and their communities by banding together,” said OFB President and dairy farmer Frank Burkett III. “That idea is as valid, and as effective, today as it was back then. This is a great opportunity to remember and celebrate a century of great accomplishments by our members.”

To help honor the occasion, three men from North High Brewing and a local farmer from Rustic Brew Farm came together to create Cover Crop, a special edition beer commemorating OFB’s 100th year. The beer made its debut at the annual meeting.

Longtime OFB member Matt Cunningham and a few generations of his family before him have been growing corn and soybeans in the Columbus area for nearly 100 years. He also grew and malted some of the barley on his Rustic Brew Farm and put it good use to help create Cover Crop.

Helping Cunningham in this effort were North High Brewing brewers Zach Null, Chris Welker and Jason McKibben. North High Brewing is also a Farm Bureau member.

“We wanted to make certain that our easy-drinking golden ale uses Ohio-grown ingredients,” McKibben explained.

For Cunningham, contributing to the beer reaffirms his decision to start growing hops and barley on his family’s land in Marysville. Seeking to diversify his crops, he began studying beer-related growing four years ago. He liked the challenge that came with producing brew-worthy ingredients and was excited to be part of the craft beer movement.

He and his wife, Michelle, built a malt house on their property three years ago. Barley must go through a malting process in order to be used for beer, he said. In the malting process, barley is immersed in water and allowed to sprout. After a germination period, it’s then dried and cured before being sent to a brewery.

“It’s a lot more work, but it’s rewarding,” Cunningham said. “It’s a chance to be more intimate with the grain. I grow the barley, malt it on my property and then hand-deliver to the brewery. Sometimes I stay and help brew it.

“Ohio-grown hops and barley are still a novelty because they’re hard to find. If we can provide a steady supply, it could be a growth area for farmers.”

It was McKibben’s goal to incorporate locally sourced ingredients in his products.

“People want to know how things are made and what ingredients are used,” he said, “and there’s a lot of interest in local. I want to be able to provide that. The beer includes Ohio-raised barley and some corn. It’s approachable for a lot of people and something with a nice, balanced, mild malt flavor.”

Others are involved as well. Champaign County Farm Bureau members Mallory and Nick Zachrich of Zachrich Hop Yard are helping supply hops for the centennial brew. The Zachrichs are sixth-generation farmers in Mechanicsburg who launched commercial hops production two years ago. They provide half the hops needed for Cover Crop.

Ohio Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Adam Sharp said the name, Cover Crop, is appropriate. “It’s a practice used generations ago to improve the soil and is now coming back as a way to protect water quality,” he noted. “A centennial-themed beer was viewed as a way to connect agriculture and the tens of thousands of Ohioans who enjoy the occasional cold one.

“This is a fun way to reach a different audience and build more appreciation of Ohio’s agricultural community.”