The 60th annual Farm Science Review opened this morning in London, Ohio, kicking off a new multimillion-dollar research collaboration between Ohio State University and Nationwide.
The AgTech Innovation Hub is supported by the innovation offices of both organizations as well as the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). Nationwide and the State of Ohio will work together to encourage the development of new solutions that benefit the agricultural ecosystem while better understanding, managing and mitigating climate risk.
“Ohio farmers need new science, new strategies, new skills, new tools, new funding and new collaborations. I am so happy to have the honor today to announce a new partnership between [CFAES] and statewide,” said Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson. “[The Innovation Hub] will provide fertile ground for programs and ideas that contribute to agricultural resilience, food security and economic security for farmers and food producers.”
Nationwide is committing up to $2 million in initial funding to identify and implement initiatives for the Innovation Hub, with plans to provide additional funds and resources in the future. The partnership was announced at Farm Science Review 2022.
“The partnership also creates opportunities for cross-institutional and cross-industry collaborations and the development of new solutions to support the supply chain with other challenges,” said Mark Bervin, President and Chief Operating Officer of Nationwide Property and Casualty. “We are excited to partner with Ohio State University and we look forward to seeing the impact we will have on the farming community, not just here in Ohio but everywhere.”
The AgTech Innovation Hub will provide a variety of tools, resources, skills and funding platforms to meet the dynamic and changing needs of agricultural innovation to mitigate climate risk and accurately insure those risks.
“This partnership will build on the collaboration that Nationwide and the Nationwide Foundation already have with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and Ohio State University,” said Cathann A. Kress, Vice President of Agricultural Administration and Dean of Ohio State CFAES . “It will challenge our students and faculty to bring innovative solutions to the table to address the grand challenges we face in linking ecosystem sustainability, food security and viable agricultural production.”
The Innovation Hub promotes applied research, technology transfer, the exchange of knowledge and experience, and transdisciplinary innovations to support agricultural engineering. Programs may involve young entrepreneurs, established companies or manufacturers developing new or value-added products or manufacturing processes.
