Ohio Dept. of Agriculture

Corona Virus Update: ODA’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab

March 24, 2020 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

from Ohio Dept. of Agriculture:

“Many of you have reached out concerning the implications of the Stay At Home Order issued by Governor Mike DeWine to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Diagnostic services provided at the ADDL will continue.

Safety precautions are in place to limit human to human contact between visitors, couriers and our laboratory staff. If you plan on dropping samples off at the lab, please call 614-995-1495 or 614-989-8036 for directions on how to proceed with sample delivery to the laboratory.

At this time, we plan to maintain continuity of operations to the best of our ability. We will continue to operate at normal business hours: 8 AM – 5 PM Monday – Friday.

For necropsy cases, veterinarians are encouraged to submit completed submission forms ahead of time by fax or email. The submission form can be accessed here. During the COVID-19 response, no partial payments will be accepted and all charges will be billed to the referring veterinarian.

We will keep you informed if anything changes. Please give us a call if you have any questions or concerns.”

State Budget Contains $5 Million for Fairgrounds

July 15, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

One overlooked tidbit in the recent state budget process is that over the next couple of years the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture will have around $5 million to make available through a competitive grant process for “acquisition, construction, reconstruction, expansion, improvement, planning and equipping of facilities” used for county fairs and other agricultural exhibitions.

A department spokesman told the Hannah News Service that the agency is working on drafting the rules for what will be a grant program. When the rules are ready sometime this fall, we expect there to be a way for local fair boards or others to compete for some of that $5 million and improve their local ag exhibition facilities.

Coming This Fall: Ohio General Assembly Work on Nutrient Management Proposal

June 23, 2013 By Ron Sylvester 1 Comment

You may recall that earlier this year three state agencies floated a proposed bill to address agriculture’s perceived part in combating the contamination of Ohio’s freshwater resources with too much phosphorous and other materials that lead to toxic algal blooms in areas like the western basin of Lake Erie.

The draft legislative language was created by the Ohio Departments of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Ohio EPA after Gov. John Kasich requested them to form the Directors’ Agricultural Nutrients and Water Quality Working Group. Previously this year Director Jim Zehringer (ODNR), Director Scott Nally (OEPA) and Director David Daniels (ODA) circulated the second version of their proposed bill for comment from various environmental and agricultural stakeholders around the state. You may read OFU President Roger Wise’s response to that request here.

Stakeholders were put on notice regarding impending legislative action once again earlier this month. In an informal hearing in the Senate Agriculture Committee, Chairman Cliff Hite (R-Findlay) and members heard proponent testimony from the three directors in anticipation of what Hite said would be formal bills in the House and Senate regarding farming nutrient management in the fall.

[UPDATE – June 30 S.B. 150 has been introduced by Senators Cliff Hite and Bob Peterson.]

ODNR Director James Zehringer

“Over the course of the past year and into the foreseeable future, agricultural nutrient management will be the number one priority for the (Soil and Water Resources) Division, and one of the top priorities of the department,” Zerhinger said at the June 11 hearing.

Zerhinger acknowledged that there is nothing the state or farmers can do that will immediately solve the problem of the harmful Lake Erie algal blooms. He also noted that, “It is important to note that the loading of dissolved phosphorous into Lake Erie’s tributaries from agricultural sources is not an intentional act by farmers in the watershed.”

[Read more…]

Ohio Dept. of Ag will hold ‘listening session’ on proposed fresh produce rule

April 9, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

The Ohio Department of Agriculture and Ohio State University Extension will be hosting a listening session on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act Proposed Fresh Produce Safety Rule. The Proposed Fresh Produce Rule will be presented on Tuesday, Apr il 30, 2013 from 1:00p.m. – 4:00p.m. at the Shisler Conference Center, OARDC Wooster Campus, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, Ohio.

The FDA FSMA was signed into law on January 4, 2011. FSMA aims to ensure the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus of federal regulators from responding to incidents to preventing them. On January 4, 2013, FDA issued two major proposed FSMA rules regarding preventive controls in human food and produce safety. The purpose of the listening session will be to provide industry an overview of the proposed produce safety rule, solicit comments, respond to questions, and inform the public about the rulemaking process.

Invited speakers include: Michael Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Foods & Veterinary Medicine, U.S. Food & Drug Administration; Steven Slack, Associate Vice President and Director of OARDC; and ODA officials. For more information on the proposed rule, FDA fact sheets and to register for the event, please visit ODA’s Web page for the listening session . Please note that due to limited space, registration for the event is requested. There is no cost for registration.

2012 Should See a Revamped Ohio Grain Indemnity Law

January 4, 2012 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

A successful farmer-funded Ohio Department of Agriculture program will see its first changes in more than a decade during the first half of 2012 according to the ODA official who administers it.

The Ohio Grain Indemnity Fund, which protects producers from losing everything in grain elevator failures, is on track for a legislative overhaul sometime in the first quarter of 2012 according to the fund’s administrator, David Simmons.

[Read more…]

Livestock Care Standards Board to Hold Series of Public Info Sessions

July 24, 2011 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

The Ohio Dept. of Agriculture has announced that the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board will hold five information meetings for the public in late August through September.

In 2009, Ohio voters approved State Issue 2 which put in place the board to create state standards for the care of livestock. There are two statutory spots on the board for “statewide farm organization.” The Ohio Soybean Association and the Ohio Farm Bureau hold those positions. Dominic Marchese of Farmdale and a Farmers Union member holds one of the “family farmer” slots on the board.

ODA said in a press release that the information sessions are set to last two hours and will provide for time for questions and comment from the public. ODA said that the sessions will include a presentation on new livestock care standards rules.

The schedule for the information sessions is as follows:

Wednesday, August 24 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., Hillsboro, Southern State Community College (Auditorium), 100 Hobart Drive
Wednesday, August 31 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., Wooster, Ohio State University OARDC (Shisler Center Ballroom), 1680 Madison Avenue
Wednesday, September 14 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., Lima, Independence Elementary School, 615 Tremont Avenue
Tuesday, September 27 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., Zanesville, Ohio University – Zanesville Campus (The Campus Center T430 & 431), 1425 Newark Road
Thursday, September 29 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., Fort Recovery, American Legion, 2490 State Route 49 N.

Ohio’s Grain Indemnity Fund Strong, But Adjustments May Be On The Way

July 5, 2011 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

David Simmons of the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture

Ohio’s grain Indemnity Fund was the chief topic of discussion at a recent Ohio Farmers Union Town Hall in Archbold.

Northwest State Community College President Thomas Stuckey, State Sen. Cliff Hite, David Simmons of the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture and Roger Wise and Bruce Yancey of the Ohio Farmers Union spoke and answered questions from the 50 to 60 meeting attendees.

The meeting was hosted by the OFU chapters in Defiance, Fulton, Henry and Williams Counties and Northwest State Community College.

Farmers in this area of northwest Ohio have been affected by the recent failure of Archbold Elevator, Inc. located at 3265 CR 24 in Archbold, Ohio. ODA has recently approved 85 claims associated with its failure submitted to the state grain Indemnity Fund. Those claims are to be paid pending approval of the Ohio
Controlling Board on July 11. The total cost to the Fund of the Archbold claims will be $3.4 million.

Simmons’ role at ODA is administrator of the section of the agency that oversees the Indemnity Fund among other programs related to grain, feed and seed. He gave a presentation about the history of grain elevator regulation in Ohio and updated farmers on the health of the Indemnity Fund.

[Read more…]

[Video] David Simmons of the ODA Explains Grain Indemnity Fund

July 5, 2011 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Ohio & U.S. Depts. of Agriculture Warning About Asian Longhorned Beetle

June 28, 2011 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

The U.S. and Ohio Departments of Agriculture want you to know about an invasive species which threatens our trees.

The USDA’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is currently conducting surveys in Bethel, Ohio for the Asian longhorned beetle. Bethel is located 30 miles southeast of Cincinnati.

[Read more…]

Farmers Union Informational Meeting with State Officials June 30

June 22, 2011 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

The Ohio Farmers Union with Northwest State Community College is hosting an Ohio agricultural policy information meeting on June 30. Ohio State Sen. Cliff Hite and Agriculture Inspections Administrator David Simmons of the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture will speak and answer questions. OFU President Roger Wise will conduct the meeting and discuss OFU activities and policy concerns.

The meeting will be held at Northwest State’s George V. Voinovich Auditorium located at 22600 SR 34, Archbold and is open to the general public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the presentation begins at 7 p.m.

[Read more…]

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