Menu

"Ohio Agriculture: Keep A Good Thing Growing" is the theme of a new public information project recently launched by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA). The goal of the project is to foster better understanding among Ohioans about the economic and social impact of modern agriculture on the state. The project was launched by Gov. Bob Taft and ODA Director Fred Dailey during the Ohio State Fair, and was made possible by a USDA grant of $500,000 to be used to promote agriculture.

The campaign will initially target consumers via two 15-second television commercials slated to begin airing later this month in selected cities. The ads will be geared toward helping Ohioans gain a better grasp on the economic contributions agriculture makes to the state and drive viewers to a new Web site. The site, OhioAgInfo.com will serve as a clearinghouse for promotional information about the state’s food and farming industry. The Web site will initially offer general facts, news and editorials, recipes and profiles on farms and farmers.

OFBF’s Director of Promotion and Education Pat Petzel views the project as complimentary to existing Farm Bureau promotion and education programs. Petzel said this latest information project should serve to reinforce existing strong public support for the farming community. "In general, Ohioans have an extremely positive feeling about farmers and how they are doing their jobs," Petzel said. She cited statistics from some recently completed public opinion research done for OFBF. While the research is still being analyzed, the study indicates the public has a favorable perception about farmers.

Even with the high level of goodwill in the public’s mind, agriculture isn’t viewed as perfect. "We still have our work cut out for us," Petzel said, referring to some topics where consumers have concerns. One such area is food safety.

Petzel said the job of addressing those concerns can be done on several levels such as the ODA "Good Thing Growing" campaign and OFBF’s own "Ohio Farmers are Naturally Resourceful" promotion. She thinks ODA’s campaign coupled with OFBF’s promotion and education efforts can reach even more consumers with agriculture’s positive story.

The effort to promote Ohio agriculture continues to gain momentum. Beginning in 1997, OFBF spearheaded the "Raising Eyebrows" promotion, followed by "Naturally Resourceful." Petzel said the recent research into public opinion showed that 23 percent of those surveyed (registered Ohio voters) recognized the "Naturally Resourceful" slogan and had positive perceptions about Farm Bureau and Ohio farmers.

If you would like to know more about ODA’s "Keep a Good Thing Growing" campaign, you can visit the ODA Web site or link to it via the OFBF home page at ofbf.org