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Wayne County Farm Bureau is a part of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF), which has been helping farmers build robust agricultural communities for over 100 years. The volunteer-driven organization advocates for farmers and facilitates growth in agriculture by lobbying for pro-agriculture policies and providing educational resources to its members. Despite its long-standing existence, many people are still unfamiliar with the nature of OFBF’s business. Nevertheless, the Wayne County Farm Bureau plays a vital role in supporting farmers and our food community.

We had the chance to speak with Wayne County Farm Bureau’s Organization Director, Lindsay Shoup Tournoux, about OFBF’s rich history and impactful work.

Ohio Farm Bureau is a grassroots organization that was founded in 1919 by a group of Ohio farmers who were looking for ways to improve the economic conditions of farmers in the state. The founders of OFBF believed that by working together, they could more effectively lobby for policies that would benefit all farmers. OFBF’s bottom-up organizational structure is made up of county Farm Bureaus, which are then divided into districts. County Farm Bureaus are led by volunteer boards of directors who are elected by the membership and overseen by organization directors like Tournoux.

Orrville’s Own Round Grove Products Featured on HGTV

While watching HGTV’s Lakefront Bargain Hunt: Renovation, you don’t expect to see a company featured from Orrville, Ohio, but that’s exactly what happened on an episode in December 2021. But that’s not where the story began for this manufacturer of outdoor products.

The Round Grove Products story began in 2013, when Scott Widmer, founder and owner was looking for an outdoor fireplace and realized no one in the area sold them, so he created his own. Living in Kidron for over 20 years, it just made sense for Scott and his wife, Bonnie, to establish their business near their hometown. Located on Kidron Road, Round Grove Products moved to this new location at the end of last year.

Round Grove Products manufactures outdoor fireplaces, brick ovens and combination units. These products are prefabricated and ready-to-finish. “Our products are both high quality and unique,” stated Julie Croft, Round Grove’s brand management coordinator. “They’re unique, because no one else makes a combo with separate chambers. The fireplace doesn’t heat the brick oven. It’s a separate fire.”

Finishing two units a day, all units are built in shop and easily maneuvered to the customer’s site. Round Grove’s products are easily customized, yet reduce on-site labor and installation times, usually installed in less than one hour. Being certified products, installation can be as close as six inches from a house.

"I think our growth story is pretty awesome,” said Widmer. “We've been experiencing high growth year over year; more sales nationwide, more sales internationally, and we are becoming a nationally recognized brand. Round Grove Products is renowned for customization and time saving features."

Last year, Round Grove added beautiful, Amish-made Hemlock post and beam pavilions with pinned mortise and tenon joints. This adds to their current product line, allowing customers to create beautiful focal points for their outdoor entertainment spaces.

Round Grove hopes to reveal a new website this summer, but in the meantime, they’ve seen a lot of success with Brick Oven Lifestyle. This platform features videos and “Bonnie’s Blog,” teaching others how to care for outdoor fireplaces and brick ovens, along with a variety of recipes.

“Once the brick oven is heated, it only takes two minutes to heat a pizza,” said Croft. “A little tip from Bonnie is to toss the pizza dough in coconut flour. It adds a sweetness to the crust.”

Looking forward to 2023 and celebrating their 10-year anniversary, Round Grove has seen an increase in social media followers and calls. Not only were their products featured on HGTV, but they also aired on an episode of This Old House earlier in 2021. Keep an eye on HGTV this summer, as Round Grove just might be featured again!

To learn more about Round Grove Products, visit www.roundgroveproducts.com.

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has launched a major traffic safety assessment project to address the troubling data collected from US-30 in Wayne County, from Kansas Road to West Lebanon Road. Over the span of four years (2015-2019) there were 242 total crashes along the route, two of which were fatal and 112 caused serious injuries. In efforts to reduce the number of serious crashes along this route, ODOT has completed a study that analyzed the crash data, capacity and existing road conditions at 14 different intersections and four driveways along the route.

Preliminary safety recommendations have been made and a public meeting will be held June 2^nd to discuss the project status and proposed improvements. Community members are invited to attend as ODOT plans to answer questions and gather community input before proceeding forward.

The open house meeting will begin at 5:00 p.m. at Dalton Elementary/Middle School cafeteria.

Questions and comments can be submitted on the project website, by email or by phone. Comments received by July 2, 2022 will be compiled and posted to the website. If you are unable to attend the in-personal meeting, you can view meeting materials and leave comments following the meeting at https://www.transportation.ohi....

Wayne Economic Development Council

542 East Liberty Street, Wooster
Ohio 44691

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