OEFFA Policy Film Screening Series

Anisa Kline | Dr. Anisa Kline holds a PhD in Geography from Ohio State University. In 2022, she conducted one of the largest surveys of agricultural guest workers in the United States, traveling over 10,000 miles in 3 months to interview 285 H-2A workers throughout Ohio. She is currently working with Dr. Margaret Jodlowski on a series of papers about agricultural labor and policy.

Emily Jackle | Emily is co-owner of Mile Creek Farm, an organic farm serving CSA customers across the greater Dayton region. Mile Creek Farm became certified organic in 2010 and is currently certified by OEFFA and Real Organic Project, and endorsed as a FairShare CSA farm.

Amanda Duprey Hernandez | Amanda is an OEFFA policy intern and the former farm manager at Agraria. Amanda has researched food sovereignty in Puerto Rico and is currently working on a Master’s Degree in Food and Agricultural Law and Policy at the Vermont Law and Graduate School.

Adam Utley (Moderator) | Adam is the coordinator of OEFFA’s Fair Farms program. Through a partnership with the Agricultural Justice Program, Adam helps farmers enact clear, fair labor policies and practices.

The screening of Digging In will take place at the 2024 OEFFA Conference. There will not be a panel discussion.

Lindsay Klaunig | During the bright and warm months, Lindsay grows a diverse array of veg, fruit, and seed crops in the Appalachian hills of Trouvaille Farm in Athens, Ohio. During the dark and cold months, Lindsay makes confections and advocates for a more resilient farming future. This includes co-organizing a mutual support group for independent seed growers, called Seed Workers Organizing.

Michelle Ajamian | Michelle Ajamian is the co-founder and Principal at Shagbark Seed & Mill. Over the past 14 years, her focus has been to develop regionally based staple food systems that create strong partnerships between farmers and mills to grow, process, and market Ohio-grown dry beans and grains. She is also a founding member of the Craft Millers Guild and the Network Manager of the Appalachian Staple Foods Collaborative at Rural Action. Her awards include Innovative Woman of the Year by Tech Growth Ohio and Alumna of the Year by University College at Ohio University.

Ronda Clark | Ronda Clark is the owner/operator of Blackberry Sage Farm in Amesville, Ohio, and sells at the Athens Farmers Market and to local restaurants. She is an avid seed saver and saves around 70 different types of vegetable seeds, including beans, tomatoes, okra, garlic, squash, and luffa. She focuses on Native American seeds and seeds that are native to the North American continent, as well as a few seed varieties from around the world. She has been saving seeds for 20 years.

Florentina Rodriguez | Florentina is a community seed educator, founder of the Miami Valley Seed Commons, and a doctoral researcher. She founded the Yellow Springs Community Seed Library, for which she was recognized as the Sustainability Champion for the Village of Yellow Springs. She runs Flora Seeds to provide seed education, help grow community seed resources, and support farmer/grower-based cooperatives and collaborative networks.

Christine Hughes (Moderator) | Christine Hughes is co-owner of Village Bakery & Café in Athens, Ohio. The business was created in 2002 to showcase local, sustainably produced foods and help build a resilient, people and planet-supporting food system. They integrate environmental and social activism into every aspect of the business. Christine also serves as the Southeast Chapter leader of OEFFA. She is on the steering committee of Athens County’s Future Action Network, which educates and advocates for bold climate action, clean air and water protection, and environmental justice, and she helps lead the ECO-Coalition, and intergenerational activist resource in Athens.

Aaron Wilson | Dr. Aaron Wilson is an Assistant Professor, Agriculture Weather and Climate Field Specialist with the Department of Extension in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University. He is also the State Climatologist and principal research scientist at the Byrd Polar & Climate Research Center. Aaron’s research and engagement focus on observed and projected changes in climate, from a global overview to local changes in Ohio. Aaron believes in building strong relationships and collaborations that help meet the goals of our land grant university and partners across the region by engaging in an open dialog on the science of climate change and bridging expertise to improve decision making and effective climate change action.

Jera Oliver | Jera Oliver is a co-founder of the Growing and Growth Collective, which is a volunteer initiative that promotes BIPOC engagement in urban agriculture. She is parlaying her experience in fundraising and community engagement to promote food sovereignty and land justice, which she embraces as imperative elements in the fight for the equitable distribution of wealth, fair balancing of power, meaningful access to opportunities, and improved health outcomes among People of Color. Jera is also the Founder and Curator of Mahogany Manifesto. To uplift the multifaceted benefits of Environmental Wellness, she will be selling hearts, leafy greens, and tea blends during Market Days on the Near East Side. Jera’s full-time jobs afford her the great honor of inspiring transformative philanthropic investments in the mission of The Ohio State University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Scott Myers | Scott Myers operates Woodlyn Acres Farm, LLC in Dalton, Ohio. The 3rd generation farm raises organic hay, barley, wheat, oats, cereal, rye, corn, sunflowers, and soybeans on around 2,000 acres. His farm has been certified with OEFFA since 2016 and holds Real Organic certification. Scott utilizes many different soil health and conservation techniques on his farm. He has also actively participated in OEFFA’s Ohio Soil Health Initiative, the farm bill climate work group, and the crop insurance work group, and serves as the Chair of the Policy Committee for the Organic Farmers Association. His emphasis is on producing high-quality, nutrient-dense grains and hay in a way that not only sustains but improves the soil and the environment for the next generation.

Maritza Pierre | Maritza Pierre is a doctoral student in rural sociology at The Ohio State University. Her dissertation is on Black farmers and climate adaptation. Maritza obtained a master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning and Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University. Her research is centered on the intersection of marginalization, climate justice, and climate resilience. As a rural sociologist studying the sociology of food and agriculture, she is interested in the structural and environmental forces that influence farmers’ decision-making and the factors affecting community resilience to social, economic, and environmental stressors.

Jerah Pettibone (Moderator) | Jerah Pettibone is OEFFA’s Begin Farming and Land Access Educator, and an urban farmer with 10+ years’ experience in poultry, vegetable, gamebird, maple syrup, and heritage rabbit meat production. Jerah began her career in agriculture after returning from living abroad in 2012, where she learned about food systems in North Africa and East Asia. She has a background in cultural philosophy, English Language and primary education, local restaurants and catering, and local food economies. She lives on her urban homestead in Columbus, Ohio where she raises gamebirds and meat rabbits.