Ohio Department of Agriculture

What Ohio Department of Agriculture does

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is a state government regulatory agency established in 1846 and headquartered at 8995 East Main Street, Reynoldsburg, Ohio. ODA's stated mission is to protect Ohio citizens by ensuring the safety of the state's food supply and the health of Ohio's food animals and plant life, and to create economic opportunities for Ohio's farmers, food processors, and agribusinesses. The agency employs approximately 430 staff members who administer 18+ divisions covering Administration, Animal Health, Amusement Ride Safety and Fairs, Commercial Dog Breeding, Communications, Dairy, Enforcement, Farmland Preservation, Food Safety, Hemp, Laboratories, Legal, Livestock Environmental Permitting, Markets, Meat Inspection, Plant Health, Soil and Water Conservation, and Weights and Measures.

ODA operates as a state government entity funded through Ohio state budget appropriations, federal grants, and nominal licensing/permit fees — it does not generate commercial revenue and does not sell proprietary products or SaaS platforms. Its customer base is horizontal and Ohio-only: Ohio farmers and agricultural producers (including 3,200+ enrolled in the H2Ohio conservation program and 430+ licensed wineries), food processors and agribusinesses requiring state inspection and licensing, and Ohio consumers relying on food-safety and weights-and-measures assurance. The agency's go-to-market is event-driven (regulatory compliance cycles, program announcements, agricultural conferences, Ohio Wine Month) supported by owned digital channels (agri.ohio.gov, Facebook, X, YouTube) and the Ohio Proud consumer marketing program.

ODA's distribution model is direct government service delivery — field inspectors, laboratory services, and online portals provide regulatory services in-person and digitally across Ohio. Recent strategic activity is concentrated in expanding conservation partnerships (Indigo Ag, June 2026), building new animal-health infrastructure (a 70,000-square-foot Ohio Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory), digitizing regulatory workflows (a new Amusement Ride Safety Portal), and pursuing WCAG 2.1 AA / Title II ADA digital accessibility compliance by April 2027.

Name

Ohio Department of Agriculture

Legal name

Ohio Department of Agriculture

Website

https://agri.ohio.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1846

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Ohio Department of Agriculture is a state regulatory agency headquartered in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, with roughly 430 employees. It administers food-safety, animal-health, plant-health, weights-and-measures, and conservation programs serving Ohio farmers, food processors, agribusinesses, and consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Regulatory Services

NAICS

Regulation of Agricultural Marketing and Commodities (92614), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Regulatory Compliance, Permitting & Audit Readiness (Food Safety, Environmental, Labor) (AFACAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Testing, Laboratory Oversight & Method Standards (HLAJAEAF), Compliance, Recordkeeping & Audit Management (Food Safety, Chemical Use, Labor) (AFAAAFAL)

Keywords

• Agricultural regulatory services
• Food safety inspection
• Animal health programs
• Plant health inspection
• Weights and measures

Headquarters

HQ city

Reynoldsburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. State Government Funding: The Ohio Department of Agriculture is a state government agency funded through Ohio state budgets and regulatory fees. It does not generate commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Ohio Department of Agriculture is a state regulatory agency that administers food safety inspections, animal health and plant health programs, weights and measures verification, meat and dairy inspection, soil and water conservation programs, amusement ride safety oversight, and farmland preservation for the State of Ohio. It issues licenses, permits, and certifications required for market access by farmers, food processors, and agribusinesses, and operates state laboratories for diagnostic testing.

Product overview

The Ohio Department of Agriculture is a state government regulatory agency, not a commercial technology company. It does not offer software products, platforms, or services in the traditional sense. The agency administers regulatory, food safety, consumer protection, plant health, and animal care programs for the benefit of Ohioans. Its activities include inspecting facilities, issuing licenses and permits, enforcing agricultural regulations, preserving farmland, regulating weights and measures, and supporting economic opportunities for Ohio's farmers and processors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Safety Inspection and Regulation

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,200+ Ohio farmers served through H2Ohio conservation program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Indigo AgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Public-private partnership to expand H2Ohio conservation program. Indigo Ag will verify farmers' conservation practices, convert captured soil carbon into credits, and facilitate payments to farmers from companies purchasing those credits. The partnership aims to incentivize continued adoption of regenerative agriculture practices that reduce nutrient runoff and protect local waterways.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development: Michigan's state agriculture agency covers plant and animal health, food and dairy regulation, conservation, and pesticide oversight in a neighboring state with comparable agricultural diversity to Ohio.
• California Department of Food and Agriculture: California's state agriculture agency performs the same core functions as ODA — food safety, plant health, animal health, weights and measures, and inspection/licensing — across a much larger agricultural economy. It is the most direct functional analog among state peers.
• Texas Department of Agriculture: Texas's state agriculture agency oversees food safety, commodity regulation, weights and measures, pesticide use, and consumer protection with a scope structurally parallel to ODA's, including rural economic development programming.
• Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship: Iowa's state agriculture agency closely mirrors ODA's division structure (animal health, plant health, food safety, weights and measures) with a strong Midwest crop-and-livestock focus, making it a direct functional peer.
• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: Florida's combined agriculture-and-consumer-services agency performs food safety inspection, plant and animal health regulation, and consumer protection — a mandate directly parallel to ODA's combined food-safety/consumer-protection portfolio.
• New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets: New York's state agriculture agency provides direct analogs to ODA's divisions — food safety, animal and plant health, weights and measures, and agricultural markets oversight — making it a clear functional peer.
• Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture: Pennsylvania's state agriculture agency performs food safety, plant industry, animal health, and conservation services structurally similar to ODA, serving a comparable Midwestern/Mid-Atlantic farming economy.
• Illinois Department of Agriculture: Illinois' state agriculture agency oversees food safety, animal health, plant health, weights and measures, and conservation programs, with a Midwest agricultural base directly comparable to Ohio's mix of row crops and livestock.
• Indiana State Department of Agriculture: Indiana's state agriculture agency administers regulatory, conservation, and economic development programs in a neighboring Midwestern state with a similar crop-and-livestock mix to Ohio, making it a tightly comparable peer.

Broad incumbents

• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): USDA is the federal-level analog of ODA, with nationwide jurisdiction over the same domains (food safety via FSIS, plant and animal health via APHIS, conservation via NRCS, marketing via AMS). As the federal incumbent, USDA sets baseline standards that state agencies like ODA implement and enforce.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OhioDeptofAg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/OhioDeptofAg
• Facebookfacebook.com/OhioDeptofAg

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ohio Department of Agriculture