WORTHINGTON, Ohio- Ohioans are invited to participate in a public conversation about food and farming during the Food Dialogues®: Ohio. The live, online event will be held August 15 from11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at http://ofb.ag/fooddialogues.

Food Dialogues®: Ohio responds to Americans’ growing interest in how their food is produced. Biotechnology (GMOs) and sustainability are two food topics to be discussed by farmers, researchers, environmentalists, food experts and others.

The event is sponsored by the Ohio Soybean Council (OSC), Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) and the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA). It will take place at COSI in Columbus. The moderator will be Joel Riley, morning host for Columbus radio station 610 WTVN.

Panelists will discuss and debate social, economic, environmental and emotional aspects of biotechnology and sustainability as it relates to food and farming. Online participants can ask questions and offer comments. A limited number of in-person guests will also contribute to the conversation.

Panelists for ‘Biotechnology (GMOs) and Your Food’ include Allen Armstrong, Ohio grain farmer; Dr. Andrew Michel, assistant professor of entomology, The Ohio State University (OSU); Dr. Casey Hoy, Kellogg Endowed Chair in Agricultural Ecosystem Management, OSU; Doug Billman, Ohio organic dairy and grain farmer; Jane Boback, local registered dietician; Mike Sopko, Ohio Restaurant Association board member and restaurateur; and Dr. Ruth MacDonald, registered dietician and professor of food science and human nutrition, Iowa State University.

Panelists for ‘Sustainability and Your Food’ include Pat Hord, Ohio livestock farmer; Ben Sippel, Ohio farmer; Joe Logan, director of agricultural programs, Ohio Environmental Council; Marty Matlock, professor, biological and agricultural engineering, University of Arkansas; and Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director, Ohio Association of Foodbanks.

The Ohio event is part of a series of Food Dialogues® events organized by USFRA. Past sessions were held in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.

USFRA, OSC and OFBF believe people deserve honest answers to their food questions and are hosting this event to make a wide range of views accessible to the public.

The online event is free. Viewers can sign up to receive event updates, but registration is not required. For more information, or to watch the event online, visit http://ofb.ag/fooddialogues.  Twitter users can follow #FoodD.

About the Ohio Soybean Council

The Ohio Soybean Council is governed by a volunteer farmer board, which directs the Soybean Promotion and Research Program. The program’s primary goal is to improve soybean profitability by targeting education, marketing and research and development projects through the investment of farmer-contributed funds.  To learn more, visit soyohio.org and www.ohiosoybeanfarmers.org.

About the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation

Ohio Farm Bureau Federation is a private membership organization of more than 200,000 members that was founded in 1919 with a mission of helping farmers. Farm Bureau works on behalf of members at our nation’s capital, Ohio’s Statehouse, with regulatory agencies, and locally in every Ohio county. Our members are farmers, gardeners, food enthusiasts, teachers, nature fans and anyone who wants to make their communities better by protecting, preserving and promoting agriculture. To learn more, visit http://ofbf.org.

About the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance

U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance is an alliance currently representing more than 70 of the top farmer- and rancher-led organizations and agricultural partners. We are committed to working together to continuously improve how we grow and raise food that provides health choices for people everywhere. We are an industry that has always looked at how to do things better, including how we listen to and answer Americans’ questions. For more information about USFRA and The Food Dialogues, visit www.fooddialogues.com.

Media Contacts

Jennifer Coleman
Ohio Soybean Council
614.476.3100
jcoleman@soyohio.org

Joe Cornely
Ohio Farm Bureau Federation
614.246.8230
jcornely@ofbf.org