By CELESTE BAUMGARTNER
Ohio Correspondent

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — When discussing the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), Director Robert J. Boggs likes to talk about the three “P’s” and “R,” he said. The three “P’s” are prevention, production and promotion. “R” is for research.

“Our first job is to protect the food supply and the plant and animal life in the state,” said Boggs, who was appointed by Governor Ted Strickland on January 24, 2007.

“I have been very impressed at the extent to which our Reynoldsburg laboratories, each day, are fighting a very strong battle to protect Ohioans from the ravages of all these viruses and invasive species and bacteria,” he said.

“I’m very grateful to the legislature and to the former director for investing in the facilities, the laboratories that we need and the people that we need to work in those labs to make sure our food supply is safe,” Boggs said.

The plant and seed lab will be rebuilt this year. At 2 pm on April 25 ODA will hold an open meeting in Reynoldsburg to discuss with commodity groups, educators, researchers and the general public how that lab should be built and organized.

On production Boggs said he is working closely with all the different commodity groups.

“Ohio is so fortunate,” he said. “We grow over 200 different crops. The diversity of agriculture in Ohio is tremendous.”

ODA works to eliminate production problems and to promote Ohio crops by promoting Ohio agriculture overseas, in the United States and especially at the community level.

“We’re putting a big focus on farm markets here in Ohio because that’s good for the producer,” Boggs said. “It gives them direct access to the consumer. The consumer likes it because they’re able to actually know where their product is coming from.”

At the state level Boggs said he is trying to make it legally possible for Ohio universities, prisons, and state facilities to obtain food from local producers.

“It’s not easy sometimes because of some of the competitive bidding laws but we want to make sure that when they’re going out to secure food they give Ohio producers, especially those in the area, a chance to participate,” he said.

At the state level the Ohio Proud Program enables consumers to see that a product was either produced or processed in Ohio and Boggs wants to see that membership expand.

At the international level, ODA is working with the Department of Development, International Trade Division to promote Ohio agriculture overseas. Also, because in the past ODA was sometimes criticized because the same people who were promoting the industry were also regulating it, Boggs has reorganized the department. To take away all appearance of conflict, one division now takes care of regulations and one division is strictly for promotion.

“It’s a fascinating department and the icing on the cake is the research that we’re doing that will lead to more biofuels development and also bioproduct development in the state,” Boggs said.

Gov. Strickland is a tremendous fan of research, Boggs said.
OARDC was one of the few areas of the state budget that got an increase in money this year.

“It’s because the governor understands that as we try and develop these biopolymers from an agricultural base it will take additional resources in our research facilities to do it,” Boggs said.

Governor Strickland has encouraged Boggs to travel the state to listen to what farmers, consumers and members of different organizations have to say about agriculture.

“I have done a great deal of traveling so far and I’ll continue to do that,” he said. “We want people to feel comfortable in calling the department if they have any question or any problems and we’ll try to be as responsive as we possible can.”

This farm news was published in the April 25, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.