The new head of the Ohio Department of Agriculture is traveling around the state, talking to farmers about their needs.
Former lawmaker Dorothy Pelanda says the goal of her listening tour is simple.
“To let them know who I am, to let them know that we want farmers and agri business owners to be at the table, to work together as a team, to solve these issues of water quality and other things," Pelanda says.
Pelanda says she will use the information she’s gathering to help come up with shovel ready plans for projects to present to Gov. Mike DeWine in the near future. It’s possible some of the items in the upcoming state budget and next year’s capital construction budget will involve issues affecting farmers.