Connecting Ohioans with local food and local fun got even easier in 2010 thanks to the research, Extension programs and outreach from the OSU South Centers. Education on the following programs reached more than 1,800 professionals including small and medium scale producers, food processors, farmers’ market managers, grocery store managers, chefs, winery operators, beekeepers, aquaculture farmers, Christmas tree growers, Extension professionals, community leaders, tourism professionals, entrepreneurs, international visitors and OSU students.
Local Food
OSU’s commitment to local foods is evident throughout Extension programs, OARDC projects, CFAES classes and the commitment of dining services to serve local food on campus. To support these efforts, Julie Fox, direct marketing specialist at the OSU South Centers, made statewide local food presentations, spoke at the 2010 Local Food Summit, published a new fact sheet, recorded local food presentations on DVD and YouTube and served on the Governor’s Food Policy Council, Market Connections Task Force. Program funding was provided through USDA/ODA Specialty Crop Block Grants. Local food sales through all marketing channels account for a growing share of the total U.S. agricultural sales (Martinez, et al., 2010; Packaged Facts, 2007). Food and agriculture is Ohio’s top industry, contributing $79 billion to the state’s annual economy.
Market Ready
As the demand for local food sources expands, so does the demand for better understanding of how to conduct business with buyers from restaurants, grocery stores and institutions. A team from Kentucky and Ohio addressed this opportunity by launching the “Market Ready” educational program for producers. In 2010, a select gorup of 15 educators particiated in a train-the-trainer program and 150 producers participated in one of five pilot workshops held throughout the state. Immediate program evaluations inidicated increases in knowledge and follow-up evaluations indicated increases in sales contacts and sales revenue. Program funding was provided through USDA/ODA Specialty Crop Block Grants. For 2011, Julie Fox secured funding from SARE Professional Development funds and additional Specialty Crop Block Grant funds to support the program team as they help more producers explore direct marketing channels and prepare to sell to retail and wholesales markets.
Ohio MarketMaker
Ohio MarketMaker is a free web-based resource for all businesses in the food industry. The program is part of a national network of state websites that connects growers with buyers, other producers and a variety of food industry contacts. These connections provide potential solutions for efficiencies in locating, aggregating, grading, processing, packaging and distributing product year round. In each month of 2010, an average of 6,500 unique users visited http://www.ohiomarketmaker.com. OSU Extension and the MarketMaker partners received the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Partnership Award in the category of multi-state efforts. “With projects like MarketMaker, we pull together resources more effectively than we could do on our own, especially in times of limited budgets,” said Julie Fox, direct marketing specialist at the OSU South Centers. “This award recognized the academic institutions involved in each of the MarketMaker states, but we couldn’t excel without collaborating with Ohio agencies and organizations that share the same goals of helping farmers improve profitability and communities improve their economy.” Ohio MarketMaker is supported through the collaboration of OSU Extension, OARDC, the Ohio Department of Agriculture/Ohio Proud, the Ohio Farm Bureau/Our Ohio, the Center for Innovative Food Technology and the Ohio Grape Industries Committee.
Social Media Marketing
One of the most requested topics for Direct Marketing Team members during the past 12 -24 months was social media marketing. One-hour and full-day hands-on sessions were delivered to statewide and national audiences. The team publishes articles, develops fact sheets and provides education to help producers address the opportunities and challenges of rapidly evolving technologies. According to a December 2010 Pew Research Center report, social networking is widespread in the United States with 46% of Americans reporting use of websites like Facebook (http://pewglobal.org). According to Nielsen reports, 60% of the Internet users access the Internet through some type of mobile device. As of June 2010, 59% of smartphone owners reported having downloaded a mobile app in the last 30 days (http://nielsen.com). During the next year, the team will secure funding to develop curriculum and evaluate impacts of social media marketing.
Tourism
The OSU South Centers provides leadership for a statewide tourism team that brings together leaders from industry and academia to contribute to Ohio’s $36 billion tourism industry.
Projects included the Ohio Tourism Toolbox, which attracted
Various working groups focused on agritourism, culinary tourism, heritage tourism, nature-based tourism and an industry needs assessment.
In addition to the 1,800 participants in 2010 educational sessions, the Ohio Direct Marketing Team and Ohio Tourism Team members provided one-on-one consulting with entrepreneurs, facilitation with community leaders, posters at state and national conferences and multimedia educational resources on the team websites. More than 1,500 people visited the Ohio Marketing Connections website http://directmarketing.osu.edu.
According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, Ohio is one of the top 10 states for direct sales and agritourism. With strong consumer bases in numerous metropolitan statistical areas and the widespread support for innovation, Ohio offers tremendous opportunities to grow the economy through local food and local fun. Team leader, Julie Fox, stays involved in state, national and international activities to support the work of the teams. For further information, contact OSU Direct Marketing Specialist, Julie Fox, fox.264@osu.edu.
