Make your voice heard! Vote in our Ashland SWCD supervisor election!

Ashland SWCD is run by a five-member, non-paid, elected board of supervisors. Each summer, landowners and residents of Ashland County elect board members to shape and direct the direction of Ashland SWCD. 

This year, we have two candidates for one open seat on our board. Landowners and residents can vote from August 9-22 at our office, annual meeting, Amish Health & Safety Fair, or Rain Beat on Main Street special events. For more information or to request a ballot, contact the Ashland SWCD office at 419-281-7645. Here are your candidates:  

Roger Amos

Roger spent 32 years as an Ohio State University Extension agent in three Ohio counties, the last 18 of which were spent in Ashland County. After retiring from OSU, Roger earned his real estate license and sold real estate for 10 years before retiring from his second career as well. He and his wife are now preparing for another change: moving from the country to experience life as urban Ashland residents.

“I’ve always had a strong interest in agriculture, and I feel like agriculture often gets a bum rap,” Amos said. “Not that agriculture is without sin when it comes to pollution, but I don’t think we’re the primary source so many people think we are.”

Amos is a graduate of West Virginia University where he earned his bachelor and masters degree in animal science. He’s an avid deer hunter and enjoys spending time with family, which includes not only his wife but also a daughter and two granddaughters who live in Minnesota.

Steve Hughes

Steve is the co-host of WZLP FM’s weekly ag radio show “Kickin’ Klods,” which features guests from a variety of agricultural careers and backgrounds. The show broadcasts news for the farming community while educating non-farm listeners on how much work is involved in putting food on the table.

“Water and soil are our two most important agriculture natural resources,” Hughes said. “In an ever-changing farm environment that includes many new and innovative practices, I feel it is very important that we include water and soil conservation into our everyday farming practices.”

An OSU agriculture alum, Hughes and his wife Robin live in Loudonville and have three adult children and two grandsons. He purchased a farm in Lake Township in 1974 and has operated Raintree dairy, worked in herd management at Ohio State ATI, and worked in large animal feed sales before retiring and moving back to Loudonville in 2015.

Voting will take place in the Ashland SWCD office from August 9-22, on August 9 from 2-4 p.m. at Rain Beat on Main Street in downtown Loudonville, at our annual meeting August 19 at 6 p.m. at Round Lake Camp in Lakeville, and on August 22 at Rain Beat on Main Street at Ashland’s Corner Park.