By JANE HOUIN
Ohio Correspondent

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — With an update to its logo and website, the “Ohio Proud” program coordinators hope it is easier for consumers to find state-made and -grown agricultural products.

Gov. Ted Strickland and Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Robert Boggs unveiled the new logo and website earlier this month.
“Ohio is a diverse supplier of more than 200 agricultural crops and is a producer of many more specialty food products, giving our state the potential to provide fresh, locally produced food,” Strickland said.

“The improved Ohio Proud program falls right in line with our goal to provide safe local foods to consumers, and to create new opportunities for local growers, producers and processors.”

The re-launch of the program, which was originally created in 1993, came after research conducted by The Ohio State University revealed the importance of the program to consumers, and that the original marketing program was not on target with changing consumer trends.

Of those polled, 90 percent said they were willing to spend up to 50 cents more for an Ohio product instead of a national brand, and 98 percent of those surveyed said they would rather purchase Ohio products than another brands. The study also showed that people want fresh, healthier products and to know that their purchases help provide jobs for and support Ohio’s farmers and agribusinesses.
Results also showed, however, that consumers did not relate the former Ohio Proud logo to agriculture and fresh, locally grown products.

“The state’s Ohio Proud program has been a great tool to educate consumers about the importance of buying local,” Boggs said. “After much research, planning and collaboration, the new program has been restructured and improved to fit current times and trends.”

Among the new features of the Ohio Proud program are a new logo design and tagline. The “Made in Ohio, Grown in Ohio” tagline is designed to better connect the program back to state agriculture.
Also new to the program in an interactive website to make it easier for partners to join, and to create a better way for consumers to find Ohio products. Consumers and potential partners can visit www.ohioproud.org to learn more. The new website is expected to be launched in May.

Other changes include a reduced fee structure to make it more accessible to smaller businesses, especially farm markets and farmers’ markets, as well as an overall more inclusive program through expanding membership to retailers, wholesalers, and associations.

When consumers buy Ohio food and agricultural products, they are supporting the state’s farmers and food processors by reinvesting in the state’s economy. Food and agriculture is Ohio’s top industry, contributing more than $93 billion to the state’s economy and employing one in seven residents.

Ohio is home to more than 800 food-processing companies and produces more than 200 commercial crops. Of these, the Buckeye State is a leading producer in more than 35 product sectors.
But Ohio makes more than just the food we eat; being located at the eastern edge of the Corn Belt allows for substantial grain production and a strong supply of animal feed products. Ohio is also a leader in nursery-stock production, particularly African violets and poinsettias.

Ohio is also the largest sheep-producing state east of the Mississippi River, providing consumers with quality wool products. The southeastern Appalachian region also supplies lumber and wood used in furniture and construction in Ohio, as well as across the nation and throughout the world.