This summer, youth 4-H leaders across Ohio united in a powerful effort to fight hunger in their local communities—collecting a record-breaking 448,827 pounds of food for more than 60 food banks statewide.
As part of the Fight Hunger, Stock the Trailer competition—presented by Farm Credit Mid-America and sponsored by Rural 1st®—these young leaders turned a friendly rivalry into a statewide movement, making a real difference in their communities while earning funds for their 4-H organizations.
“Supporting rural communities and agriculture is at the heart of our mission, and this initiative is a powerful example,” said Melanie Strait-Bok, Farm Credit Mid-America’s senior vice president of agricultural lending in Ohio. “Feeding America reports that more than 1.8 million Ohioans face food insecurity. It’s inspiring to see our Ohio youth lead innovative efforts like this to support their communities.”
This marks the fourth consecutive year of record donations in the five-year-old program – representing a 57% increase over 2024’s total of 286,000 pounds. Ross County in south Ohio was the overall state winner, collecting an astounding 122,640 pounds of food Brookside Church and Good Samaritan Food Pantry.
Ross County Junior Fair Board member, CJ Jones said, “The main goal of Stock the Trailer is collecting more food and that means helping more people. We wanted to go all out and really show people what Ross County was all about. When we first told people we were going for 100,000 pounds of nonperishables and water, people were really skeptical. But when you work together and trust in God and have a lot of good, strong encouraging people around you, it helps a lot.”
In addition to the nearly 450,000 pounds of food collected by the 4-H teams, Farm Credit Mid-America donated $63,000 to 4-H county fairs in Ohio this summer. All of the nearly 60 participating county fair’s 4-H program received a $500 donation to support activities that build future agriculture leaders. Additional prize dollars were given to the top participating fairs in each of five regions.
| South Ohio Region | 140,736 total pounds of food | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place | County Fair | ||
| 1st | Ross County* | 122,640 pounds | $5,000 |
| 2nd | Clermont County | 6,720 pounds | $1,500 |
| 3rd | Brown County | 6,386 pounds | $500 |
| Northeast Ohio Region | 129,848 total pounds of food | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place | County Fair | ||
| 1st | Lorain County* | 52,444 pounds | $5,000 |
| 2nd | Stark County | 28,225 pounds | $1,500 |
| 3rd | Ashland County | 12,758 pounds | $500 |
| East Central Ohio Region | 119,752 total pounds of food | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place | County Fair | ||
| 1st | Hartford Independent | 35,961 pounds | $5,000 |
| 2nd | Guernsey County | 26,520 pounds | $1,500 |
| 3rd | Muskingum County | 17,958 pounds | $500 |
| West Central Ohio Region | 29,834 total pounds of food | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place | County Fair | ||
| 1st | Champaign County* | 18,140 pounds | $5,000 |
| 2nd | Warren County | 4,840 pounds | $1,500 |
| 3rd | Greene County | 4,220 pounds | $500 |
| Northwest Ohio Region | 28,656 total pounds of food | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place | County Fair | ||
| 1st | Fulton County | 13,860 pounds | $5,000 |
| 2nd | Mercer County | 8,820 pounds | $1,500 |
| 3rd | Auglaize County | 4,020 pounds | $500 |
* Ross, Lorain and Champaign counties were all top finishers in 2024 as well.
Fight Hunger, Stock the Trailer is just one way Farm Credit Mid-America and its consumer lending brand, Rural 1st, invest in rural communities and agriculture. In 2024, the association contributed nearly $4.5 million to impactful programs—including $1.7 million for youth, college students and young and beginning farmers. Of that, $450,000 supported Ohio-specific programs, including $82,000 for Ohio 4-H—demonstrating a strong commitment to the future of agriculture in our state.
