This week on Cultivating Convos, we sit down with one of our Dairy Inspectors and the owner of Charlotte & Olivia's Sublime Ice Creams to celebrate National Ice Cream Month. We learn how to taste ice cream like you would a fine wine, how to cure brain freeze and what ODA does to make sure your ice cream is safe. Find out which flavor is our favorite!

Water quality is an important topic in Ohio, and this year, ODA is doing more to keep Ohio's waters safe for everyone. H2Ohio is expanding into 10 more counties in northwest Ohio! This week, we chat with the H2ohio Program Manager and the Ottawa County District Program Administrator about the expansion and how interested farmers can get involved.

Find more out about the H2Ohio Informational Meetings here.

The owner of Buccia Vineyards sits down with us to talk about his journey into the Ohio Wine industry and how the Vineyard Expansion Assistance Program (VEAP) helped his business and can help others. Christy Eckstein from OGIC also joins us to explain a little more about VEAP and how you can get involved if you're interested in growing your own Ohio grapes.

We've all been to a party where you go to grab a spoonful of someone's famous potato salad...only to wonder, 'how long has this REALLY been sitting out?' This week on Cultivating Convos, we get answers from ODA's Food Safety Division on how to safely have your Fourth of July Weekend cookout so no one gets sick! Listen here: https://anchor.fm/ohio-dept-of-ag/episodes/Summer-Cookout-Safety-e13np2t

ODA Division of Food Safety

Manure can be a stinky subject, especially when it comes to water quality across Ohio. Today we sit down with the Ohio Farm Bureau and learn about the progress being made to improve water quality across the state, as well as some common misconceptions people have about agriculture, manure, and water quality.

OFB Western Lake Erie Collaborative Agreement Progress

H2Ohio

Summer is practically synonymous with fairs and amusement parks in Ohio! Now that it's nearly officially summer, we check in with our Fairs & Amusement Ride Safety team to chat about some recent changes made to inspection rules to ensure you and your family stay safe while having fun.

These are exciting times at ODA - Dr. Richard French has been named Laboratory Director of the Ohio Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory! Dr. French is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with a Ph.D. and Residency in Neuropathology, and an MS in Parasitology, all from the University of Illinois. He completed a BS in Pathology at the University of Connecticut.

Today, we chat with Dr. French and one of the ADDL microbiologists about what the lab currently does and where we see it heading in the future.

Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory 

The weather is warming up and summer is almost here - that means one thing in Ohio: fair season is around the corner! We chat with the Executive Director of the Ohio Fair Managers Association and the Chief of the Division of Amusement Ride Safety and Fairs about how they plan on keeping all fairgoers safe, plus the food they're looking forward to eating this year.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this week, we chat with a farmer on the Ohio Farm Bureau and the Executive Director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation about why it's so important for people in rural areas to start conversations about mental health.

Ohio Department of Agriculture's Got Your Back