Farm Credit Mid-America and Rural 1st® kick off sixth year of Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer; Highland County Fair joins annual competition to support local food banks
This month, the Highland County Fair is joining a youth-led statewide effort to fight hunger and give back to local community food banks by participating in the Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer contest — presented by Farm Credit Mid-America and sponsored by Rural 1st.
This friendly competition among Ohio county fairs encourages youth leaders to collaborate with their local community to collect food donations for local food banks throughout their county fair. Since launching in 2021, Ohio junior fair boards have used creative tactics and impressive fundraising efforts to increase food donations year after year.
“We’re glad to bring this initiative back to county fairs across Ohio and to see young people step up and get their communities involved,” said Rudi Pitzer Perry, regional vice president of agricultural lending at Farm Credit Mid-America.
“The Highland County Fair brings people together, and this contest gives folks a simple way to come alongside a cause that supports neighbors right here at home. In the end, our communities are the ones who benefit most.”
Record-breaking 2025
4H leaders across Ohio united to collect a record-breaking 448,827 pounds of food for more than 60 food banks statewide in 2025.
This marked the fourth consecutive year of record donations– with 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 for Brookside Church and Good Samaritan Food Pantry.
Since its inception, the annual contest has collected and donated more than 1 million pounds of food in Indiana and Ohio.
In addition to the food collected, Farm Credit Mid-America donated $500 to each fair board who participated and additional money to the winners in each region, totaling $63,000 to junior fair boards across Ohio.
Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer is one way Farm Credit Mid-America and its consumer lending brand, Rural 1st, invest in rural communities and agriculture. In 2025, the association contributed more than $4 million to impactful programs, including $1.59 million for youth, college students and young and beginning farmers.
For more Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer resources, please visit Farm Credit Mid-America’s Community Investment webpage.
About Farm Credit Mid-America
A proud member of the Farm Credit System, Farm Credit Mid-America is securing the future of rural communities and agriculture® as a leading provider of reliable, consistent credit and financial services to farmers, producers, agribusinesses and rural residents in Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee. The customer-owned cooperative serves more than 145,000 customers and manages a portfolio of $48.9 billion in total earning assets owned and managed. Farm Credit Mid-America’s products and services include loans for real estate, operating, equipment, rural living, crop insurance and vehicle, equipment and building leases. For more information, visit www.fcma.com.
About Rural 1st®
Rural 1st is the consumer lending division of Farm Credit Mid-America, a financial services cooperative whose purpose is to secure the future of rural communities and agriculture. Rural 1st is the leader in rural lending and helps those who are seeking open spaces get Closer to What Matters®. Rural 1st offers tailored product options for lot, land, construction, and home loans for those who want to live rurally. For more information, call 1-844-GO-RURAL or visit Rural1st.com. NMLS 407249. Equal Housing Lender.