History

In 1986, an idea paper written by Professor Dennis Henderson of the Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology Department outlined the broad concept of an endowed chair and program in Farm Income Enhancement in the College of Agriculture at The Ohio State University. The concept was born from mutual discussions among Professor Henderson, Professor Joseph Havlicek, then Department Chair of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology and Dr. William E. Swank, then president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. Professor Havlicek is credited with moving the concept along and paving the way for major support for the program through the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.

Through numerous meetings and discussions the concept continued to evolve into reality, resulting in the establishment of the Farm Income Enhancement Endowed Chair on April 8, 1988.  This is the date of the endowment’s ‘creation’ on paper and the work of seeking donors to contribute toward the goal of $3 million was then set in motion.  The income from the endowment supports a senior professor whose research and outreach activities focus on innovation and imaginative solutions to marketing and policy issues facing agriculture.  The chair provides leadership for innovative applied research and outreach programs concerned with farm income, price and market stability and new alternatives for increasing farm income.

 

The first official Farm Income Enhancement activity was a conference held in Columbus, Ohio in April of 1989. After a national search, and at this conference, Thomas L. Sporleder was announced as the Endowed Chair.  The focus of the program was articulated as alternatives for group action by farmers to enhance their income, especially through investment in off-farm business alternatives that harmonize to existing farm enterprises. This includes activities such as agricultural cooperatives, forward integration and value-added alternatives.  As expected, the activities of the program have been refined and harmonized closely with other program, both state and national, but the core values articulated in the early days remain the core values of the program today.

 

From the early days of the endowment in 1988 through 1993, a primary task for Tom Sporleder was to articulate the mission and purposes of the proposed program to potential donors to the program.  The $3 million goal was officially reached in June 1993 when the total value of the endowment hit $3,175,000 from a total value of collected pledges of $2,890,154 between 1988 and 1993.  

  

Two key organizations were especially helpful in reaching the goal of $3 million for the Farm Income Enhancement Program.  One key organization was Nationwide Insurance. The Company pledged over a half-million dollars to the program and permitted a substantial base of pledge dollars to be logged early in the endowment-raising process.    

 

Another key organization was the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, headed at the time by Dr. William E. Swank.  Not only was the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation a monetary contributor to the program, but more importantly, they provided opportunities for Tom Sporleder to meet with various groups and individuals from around the state and around the nation to articulate the mission, purposes and objectives of the proposed program.  These meetings proved instrumental in raising additional pledges so that the $3 million goal could be reached.