Established in 1998, the OFFER program team consists of Ohio State University researchers, Ohio farmers, and other stakeholders who share a goal of enhancing the vitality of organic agriculture in Ohio. This interdisciplinary team works together to develop research initiatives to develop and deliver science-based information to Ohio’s existing organic farmers and to newcomers to organic production and marketing.
Our Mission is to provide research and educational support for producers, processors, and marketers of organic foods with the goal of expanding the abundance, quality, and variety of certified organic foods available to consumers.
Research & Extension Personnel
Over two dozen Ohio State University researchers and Extension personnel actively collaborate to examine each aspect of the organic farming system, from soil and crop quality to marketing opportunities.
* Email addresses all end with @osu.edu.
| Name | Department | Phone | Email* | Area of Expertise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown, Cassandra | Horticulture & Crop Science | 330.263.3634 | brown.1844 | OFFER website, programming, and outreach |
| Cardina, John | Horticulture & Crop Science | 330.263.3644 | cardina.2 | Weed ecology; invasive plants (retired) |
| Da Costa, Luciana | College of Veterinary Medicine | 614.247.8145 | da-costa.2 | Cultural control for mastitis, dairy records, and milk quality management |
| Doohan, Doug | Horticulture & Crop Science | 330.202.3593 | doohan.1 | Weed ecology, invasive plants, IPM, minor use pesticides (retired) |
| Essman, Alyssa | Horticulture & Crop Science | 614.247.5810 | essman.42 | Weed science, cover crops for weed control, seedbank management |
| Francis, David | Horticulture & Crop Science | 330.263.3893 | francis.77 | Plant breeding and genetics |
| Gardiner, Mary | Entomology | 614.274.8341 | gardiner.29 | Biocontrol and pollination services in vegetable crops |
| Haden, Ryan | ATI - Ag and Engineering Technologies | 330.287.1311 | haden.9 | Sustainable Agriculture program at OSU's Agricultural Technical Institute, soil health, cover crop use |
| Hogan, Mike | OSU Extension | 614.866.6900 (ext 206) |
hogan.1 | Agriculture and natural resources; SARE |
| Islam, K. Rafiq | OSU South Centers | 614.292.4900 Ext 147 | islam.27 | Soil quality and best managemet practices, Cover crops and nutrient management, Global warming and carbon sequestration |
| Jackson-Smith, Douglas | School of Natural Resources | 330.202.3540 | jackson-smith.1 |
Social and economic aspects of farming systems |
| Klompen, Hans | Entomology | 614.292.7180 | klompen.1 | Systematics and evolution of mites |
| Kleinhenz, Matt | Horticulture & Crop Science | 330.263.3810 | kleinhenz.1 | Vegetable physiology, production, quality, cultural and cropping system management and extension |
| Krupek, Fernanda | Horticulture & Crop Science | 330.263.8039 | krupek.1 | Urban foods system, Sustaining soil health |
| Lilburn, Michael | Animal Sciences | 330.263.3992 | lilburn.1 | Poultry nutrition, Nutritional physiology |
| Michel, Fred | Food, Agricultural & Biological Engineering | 330.263.3859 | michel.36 | Composting, Microbial ecology, Biological process engineering, fermentation |
| Miller, Sally | Plant Pathology | 330.263.3678 | miller.769 | Vegetable diseases, Vegetable diagnostic tech |
| Mills-Wasniak, Suzanne | OSU Extension | 937.224.9654 | mills-wasniak.1 | Agriculture and natural resources; commercial agriculture; SARE |
| Ortez, Osler | Horticulture & Crop Science | 330.263.9725 | ortez.5 | Corn and emerging crops |
| Phelan, Larry | Entomology | 330.263.3728 | phelan.2 | Chemical ecology, metabolomics, insect-plant interactions, biological farming |
| Rajala-Schultz, Paivi | Veterinary Preventive Medicine | 614.688.0457 | rajala-schultz.1 | Dairy production medicine and epidemiology of dairy cattle diseases; bovine mastitis |
| Regnier, Emilie | Horticulture & Crop Science | 614.292.8497 | regnier.1 | Weed Ecology |
| Richer, Eric | State Extension field specialist | 419.337.9210 | richer.5 | Farm management field specialist, with a focus on value-added options including organic |
| Roe, Brian | Agric Environmental & Devlp Econ | 614.688.5777 | roe.30 | Livestock Economics & Experimental Economics |
| Sharp, Jeff | School of Environmental & Natural Resources | 614.292.9410 | sharp.123 | Rural Sociology, Sociology of Agriculture, Exurban Community Change, Agricultural Change at the Rural-Urban Interface, Energy and Society |
| Shedekar, Vinayak | Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering | 614.292.9356 | shedekar.1 | Water quality, irrigation, and soil health |
| Sneller, Clay | Horticulture & Crop Science | 330.263.3944 | sneller.5 | Wheat breeding and genetics |
| Vodovotz, Yael | Food Science and Technology | 614.247.7696 | vodovotz.1 | Physico-chemical and molecular properties of foods during formulation, processing and storage |
| Wang, Hua | Food Science & Technology | 614.292.6281 | wang.707 | Food safety; rapid detection, biofilms, commensal bacteria, antibiotic resistance, gut microbiota |
Suggest an Ohio State Resource Person to add.
Stakeholders
Although not listed here by name, Ohio farmer stakeholders are an essential part of our research. We welcome feedback and suggestions to make our activities timely, relevant, and accessible. As a public land grant institution, our mission is to provide research and education that serves our communities.