Ohio has established the lasting legacy of being both a manufacturing and an agricultural state, although these two industries traditionally have not crossed each other’s paths. Well, a lot has changed since I was governor. Today our agricultural products are being manufactured in new and innovative ways.
 Agriculture is Ohio’s number one industry – contributing $90 billion a year to Ohio’s economy. This is something I’ve always understood, and my long-time support of the agriculture industry earned me the title of “Ag Governor.”<br>
 Similarly, Ohio remains a manufacturing state, and I have a strong record of being a champion for manufacturing. I am proud to say that when I was governor, manufacturing jobs expanded. When I was elected to the Senate, I brought to Washington my concerns about the plight of manufacturing, particularly in regard to currency manipulation, intellectual property, foreign trade and the rising costs of energy and health care.<br>
 Each year in March, we celebrate National Agriculture Week, recognizing the great efforts and contributions of farmers across the nation and particularly right here in Ohio. This year, in addition to celebrating what agricultural does for us today, I believe we can look forward to a new and promising industry – one that synergizes our agriculture and manufacturing industries while
creating more high-quality jobs in the process. <br>
 In the past year, I visited the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and was excited to see for myself their work on a biodigester that takes waste products, such as food processing leftovers and manure, and turns them into energy.
 I also recently visited Battelle, where I saw how soybeans, corn and other products are being used in the development of ink toners, foam for car seats, plastics and powder coatings.
In fact, many people might be unaware that three patents have already resulted from this work. The teamwork displayed by Battelle, The Ohio State University, commodities groups and the agricultural community on these projects has been outstanding.
 While visiting Battelle, I met with these industry stakeholders. We discussed national policies and programs that could help provide the tools and resources necessary to advance Ohio’s bioproducts industry in an effort to improve economic development and create jobs in the state. <br>
 It is exciting to see Ohio’s two leading industries – manufacturing and agriculture – work together to create Ohio’s emerging bioproducts industry. <br>
I am convinced this collaboration, along with other exciting public-private partnerships, will be a win-win for Ohio and help the state become an undisputed leader in the innovation of materials from renewable resources. <br>
This is not only important to our economic competitiveness, but also to our national security, which could be crippled by our dependence on foreign oil. <br>
 Ohio can play a critical role in reducing this dependence by developing and manufacturing materials derived from renewable resources like corn and soybeans. <br>
By distinguishing its crops globally, our state could become a leader in the development of chemicals, polymers and materials from renewable resources.<br>
 By building the bioproducts industry, we are protecting 300,000 existing agriculture and polymer jobs in Ohio. <br>
We are also creating thousands of jobs by giving our polymer companies the first chance at these new materials and our agriculture and biorefinery industries the ability to get the most out of their investments. <br>
 I hope you will join me in supporting this new emerging market that holds great potential for Ohio.
We must do everything we can to keep the jobs we have and create more high-quality jobs for our children and grandchildren.
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U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich
(R-Ohio)