The 2025 OAC Spring Meeting is scheduled for April 24 at the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s campus in Reynoldsburg, OH.
Come Explore and Learn More – Ohio Department of Agriculture
The Ohio Department of Agriculture team will be offering campus tours, before and after the luncheon. Tours will include stops in the Plant Health, Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Weights and Measures, and the Consumer Protection Laboratory, and are expected to last only one hour.
During the luncheon, we will have an opportunity to hear from Ohio’s 40th Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Brian Baldridge, along with a panel discussion from some of his top leaders, including:
- Division of Marketing – Christy Eckstein
- Division of Food Safety – Jodi Taylor
- Division of Plant Health – Dan Kenny
- Division of Weights and Measures – Daniel Walker
- Farmland Preservation Program – Kirk Hines/Amanda Bennett
Featured Speaker:
Brian Baldridge was appointed the 40th Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture in February 2023 by Governor Mike DeWine. He leads Ohio’s top industry—food and agriculture—overseeing regulatory, food safety, and consumer protection programs.
He previously served in the Ohio House of Representatives and on the House Agriculture Committee, advocating for farm-focused initiatives.
A seventh-generation farmer and lifelong advocate for 4-H and FFA, he has also served on the Adams Soil and Water Conservation District Board.
Baldridge spent 25 years as a firefighter and paramedic, retiring from Anderson Township Fire Department in 2020. He continues to volunteer in his hometown of Winchester, Ohio, where he lives with his wife Lori. They have two children and three grandchildren.
Meeting Agenda:
- 10:00 a.m. – ODA Campus Tour (Optional)
- 11:00 a.m. – Registration
- 12:00 p.m. – Lunch / Director Baldridge and Panel Discussion
- Division of Marketing – Christy Eckstein
- Division of Food Safety – Jodi Taylor
- Division of Plant Health – Dan Kenny
- Division of Weights and Measures – Daniel Walker
- Farmland Preservation Program – Kirk Hines/Amanda Bennett
- 1:30 p.m. – Adjourn / Tour of ODA Campus (Optional)
Cost & Registration:
- Members & Member Guests: $37
- Non-Members: $50
- Tour cost: NO FEE