Privacy Notice and Policies

Privacy Statement

Revised May 29, 2018 - The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) recognizes the importance of privacy to our web site visitors. Therefore, visitors should be aware of the following information.

Public Records

Visitors should be aware that, subject to certain statutory exceptions, most documents and records maintained by the state of Ohio, including but not limited to electronic data, are public records under Ohio law. Therefore, information submitted through this web site may be subject to public disclosure pursuant to a public records request. 

Click here to find out more about the department's public records policy and procedures.

Usage Statistics

In order to generate usage statistics to help us improve our web site, the Ohio Department of Agriculture automatically collects certain information on every visitor to the web site. However, this information does not disclose "personal identifiers" (such as name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, etc.). Each time a request is made to view a page within this web site, the web site creates a log file capturing generic user information. Examples of this type of information includes the type of Internet browser or computer operating system you are using, the date and time you accessed this site, the Internet protocol address of the individual computer (or proxy server) making the request, and the Internet address of the site from which you may have linked to this site.

All information collected by way of server log files is used in aggregate form only, and may be analyzed for trends and statistics.

Online Forms and E-mail

This web site will not collect personally identifiable information (such as name, address, telephone number, etc.) unless you provide such information voluntarily. You are free to provide or not to provide the requested information. If you choose not to provide this type of information, you can still visit most of the web site, but you may be unable to utilize certain functions. Any personal information voluntarily provided by visitors, including personal information submitted on online forms and e-mail, will be used for the purposes stated on the web page and may also be shared with other agencies as required by law or pursuant to agency authority. Information submitted through this web site also may be subject to public disclosure pursuant to a public records request.

Web Cookies

Visitors who submit information via this web site should be aware that data linking your computer to this web site (a "cookie") may be created. Temporary cookies may be used when necessary to complete a transaction, to process data submitted online or to facilitate ongoing Internet interaction. Information collected on the Ohio Department of Agriculture web site, including cookies, may also be subject to public disclosure pursuant to a public records request.

Security Measures

We take very seriously the integrity of the information and systems that we maintain. Therefore, the Ohio Department of Agriculture has instituted security measures for all information systems under its control. These security measures are designed to identify attempts to tamper with this web site. Information collected through these security measures may be used in connection with a criminal prosecution or other legal proceedings.