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by Amy Beth Graves

"Our industry is at a critical juncture" and needs to lead the charge in defining its own future.

This was the conclusion of a group of 85 agriculture, government and business leaders who spent nearly 1 1/2 years researching and identifying what Ohio's agriculture climate would look like in 2030. The end result was the Ohio Agricultural Roadmap, a 36-page document that outlines a proactive, comprehensive strategy for maintaining the agriculture industry over the next 25 years.

"This process challenged us to step outside our comfort zone and talk not just about our own commodities but the entire industry," said Brent Porteus, a roadmap steering committee member and Ohio Farm Bureau trustee who operates a cattle and grain operation in Coshocton County. "I would give Farm Bureau credit for recognizing the need and taking these steps. While Farm Bureau provided the catalyst for the project, it was the participants who drove it."

Work on the roadmap began in June 2004, and ag industry stakeholders got a sneak preview of the document Sept. 20 at Farm Science Review. OFBF Executive Vice President Jack Fisher talked about the results at the annual vice president's lunch, a gathering of hundreds of agricultural leaders, and the roadmap was featured at Farm Bureau's agriculture ecology display at Farm Science Review. The document is to be formally released when the state legislature is back in session.

A steering committee and six subcommittees put together the roadmap after reviewing extensive information provided by several experts and analyzing the current agricultural climate and where it was headed over the next 25 years. Recognizing that the industry wasn't just agriculture anymore, the roadmap steering committee coined the phrase "agbioresource," which is described as being an industry comprised of food, agriculture, green and bio-based industrial and energy products.

The committees identified seven areas that are critical to the agbioresource industry: changing our perspectives, building on Ohio agbioresource's strengths, connecting with the customer, improving Ohio's business climate, working with government, benefiting from education, research and technology and enhancing our environment and natural resources. The roadmap also contains an implementation plan that requires the agbioresource industry to "first look within itself to find solutions and work in partnership with Ohio's governments and academic institutions to address those issues."

"The roadmap outlines what ag leaders, as well as those in government and universities, need to do to move the agbioresource industry forward," said Constance Jackson, OFBF's vice president of agricultural ecology. "It is written in such a manner to help government and academia work in concert with the agbioresource industry and incorporate their own short- and long-term goals."

The findings of the seven identified areas are:

• A changing perspective: Ohio's agbioresource industry needs to enhance the connections in the product chain and reduce the time required to respond to changing consumer demands and shape emerging consumer trends. It calls for unity within the industry and innovative approaches to enhancing Ohio's environment and continue industry success by developing entrepreneurial skills and public-private collaborations.

• Building on Ohio agbioresource's strengths: Ohio can move forward by leveraging its production and product diversity, skilled people, infrastructure and geographical and climate diversity. The state needs to improve its education system and retain skilled workers.

• Connecting with the consumer: The agbioresource industry needs to effectively communicate with consumers and understand their needs while emphasizing the role the industry plays in consumers' lives.

Improving Ohio's business climate: Serious reform is needed in government spending and taxes, tort reform and the promulgation and enforcement of regulations. The state's strong infrastructure must be maintained, and government needs to look at the advantages of streamlining and simplifying burdensome and overlapping government jurisdictions.

• Working with government: The agbioresource industry needs to urge government leaders to reform government spending and tax structures, address the limitations of term limits and develop an outcome-based regulatory environment that incorporates public-private partnerships. Government leaders need to show a willingness to communicate with the public to correct misinformation.

• Benefiting from education, research and technology: The agbioresource industry is encouraged to foray into new focus areas that will uncover the next entrepreneurial trend. A public-private collaboration is essential to the creation of innovative solutions to emerging consumer trends.

• Enhancing our environment and natural resources: An industry commitment to stewardship through self-regulation is necessary to effectively and protectively use our resources. The agbioresource industry must partner with government to assure environmental regulations use sound science and cost-benefit analyses to achieve goals.

To read or download the entire roadmap, go to OFBF's Web site, www.ofbf.org.