COLUMBUS, Ohio — The National Assoc. of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) is 5,784 members strong. Recently elected to lead this nationwide group is Mike Hogan, associate professor with The Ohio State University extension and its sustainable agriculture coordinator.

This large association, based in Illinois, works to strengthen and support the work of extension educators and to promote the agriculture industry. As president of NACAA, Hogan said he plans to mark its 100-year anniversary in 2015 by reflecting on where the organization has come from and what advances it can continue to make.

“We want to recognize our past and springboard our organization to the future, to expand how we can continue to be vital to farmers, including how we broaden our membership and use technology to continue to advance the work that we do in extension,” Hogan said from his Fairfield County office.

The association works with extension professionals in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, natural resources, 4-H youth development, community development, administration and aquaculture.

“That’s one of the many benefits that we have as an organization,” Hogan said. “Being able to network with extension professionals nationwide allows us to gain new insight and new ideas that we’re able to bring back home to the benefit of the constituency that we serve.

“We’re able to bring those new ideas to famers and producers by developing new programming for all the agricultural issues that we address.”

Hogan, who also serves as the Ohio coordinator for the USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education program, works to promote several agricultural issues including alternative agriculture, direct marketing, local foods systems and urban agriculture.

For the past three years, he has led an effort to develop a comprehensive education pilot for urban local food production in the Weinland Park neighborhood, near OSU’s Columbus campus. The Ohio Master Urban Farmer program is part of that project. This program helps urban farmers become food and crop producers within city limits.

Hogan also works to promote and expand the national Farm to School program, which in Ohio is led by OSU extension and supported by numerous agencies, foundations and industry organizations. Farm to School works to connect farmers and school districts interested in providing fresh local foods for the school lunch program.

He is a member of OSU’s Sustainable Agriculture Team, which helps people consider economic sustainability, the environment and social consciousness when farming. He also has an extensive background in agriculture, with 28 years’ experience as an extension educator and 27 years as a county director. Before coming to OSU, Hogan was a faculty member in agriculture at West Virginia University, where he earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees.

“It’s an honor to serve agriculture and the people involved,” Hogan said. “I’ve always tried to be involved with leadership roles in some capacity, and I guess I simply worked my way to the top.”