Ronnie Mohr

Farming communities are tight-knit – looking out for each other and stepping up when needs arise. Ronnie Mohr was a stellar example of what it means to be dedicated to his community as he sought to work for the good of his neighbors and advocate locally, state-wide, and nationally for agricultural issues.

A 1966 graduate of Hancock Central High School, Ronnie received an agricultural short-course degree from Purdue University. He served in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne during the Vietnam War where he was awarded a Sharpshooter Medal. He developed as a leader, and along with his passion as a lifelong farmer of R&S Mohr Family Farms Inc. and Circle M Family Farms, he invested his time and resources into impacting the rural community for the better.

Ronnie was an Indiana Prairie Master Farmer – a recognition given to farmers with outstanding agricultural production skills, who also work diligently to improve excellence in their family, community, schools, industry and more. Nominator Dan Leary noted that this was a perfect description of Ronnie. While serving on various boards, Dan says, “Ronnie promoted ways to make rural life better through his activities and progressive ideas. He made regular trips to Washington DC to lobby for agricultural issues and in varying capacities.” A board member of the National Corn Growers Association, Dan continues, “At times Ronnie would visit our nation’s capital repeatedly in a year to meet with various members of Congress, on their schedule, to advocate for the farming industry.” Ronnie was publicly recognized by Greg Pence (US Representative) for his dedication to farming and agriculture and for his invaluable input on Pence’s Agricultural Committee.

Farmers are known to put in long hours during the planting and harvesting seasons. Over the years, Ronnie made that same commitment of time to various community endeavors. His list of community involvement activities is lengthy. Ronnie was a board member of the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, Hancock County Sheriff’s Merit Board, NineStar Connect, and Hancock County Drainage Board. He was a member of Willow Branch United Methodist Church, Eden Masonic Lodge, Greenfield Kiwanis, and the founding member of the Green Township Volunteer Fire Department. Active with the local FFA, Ronnie shared his knowledge and helped young people through various capacities. A former Green Township Trustee, Ronnie was also a past board member of the Harvest Land Co-Op, Land O Lakes, Farm Bureau, Wabash Valley Electrical Association, Hancock County Soil & Water Conservation District, and Hancock County Community Foundation. Ronnie served multiple terms and in leadership roles for many of these entities.

Ronnie was instrumental in the merger of Central Indiana Power, whose board he had served for 16 years, and Hancock Telecom in 2010 when NineStar Connect became a new company. After the merger he continued to serve on NineStar’s board. His was a powerful voice that helped to achieve unity between the two cooperatives and his wisdom was so greatly appreciated by those he worked with. His long-term thinking about how the cooperative’s decisions impacted everyone in Hancock County was a tremendous asset.

Others have also been thankful for Ronnie’s leadership. A member of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Merit Board for more than 15 years (serving several terms as President), Ronnie’s knowledgeable voice on financial and investment issues was highlighted as extremely helpful. Indiana Representative Bob Cherry also appreciated the positive community role model that Ronnie personified. He and Ronnie worked together advocating for greater visibility at rural intersections in response to concerns about crops obstructing drivers’ views leading to accidents. While the legislative bill fell short of passage, Ronnie continued to raise awareness for intersection safety. Ronnie married his wife Sarah in 1969. Together they have three children (Andy, Eric and Sarah Jo), and ten grandchildren. Besides his love of farming, Ronnie also enjoyed tool shopping, swimming, and traveling to Florida. He most of all loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren and sharing snacks with his dogs. Ronnie passed away in December of 2020.

Thank you, Ronnie, you have made Hancock County a better place!