MEMBER ALERT – Important Information for Your Business

Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Amy Acton has signed a "stay at home" order for all Ohioans, closing all businesses besides those that are deemed "essential," Gov. Mike DeWine announced Sunday. The order will go into effect on Monday, March 23 at 11:59 p.m. and will remain in effect until at least Monday, April 6. A link to that order is available here.

In the order you’ll find that our agricultural industry is broadly covered as an essential business. Ohio is using the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Memorandum on Identification of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers During COVID-19 Response to define businesses the state deems essential. Here is the list for food and agriculture:

Food and Agriculture

• Workers supporting groceries, pharmacies and other retail that sells food and beverage products
• Restaurant carry-out and quick serve food operations - Carry-out and delivery food employees
• Food manufacturer employees and their supplier employees—to include those employed in food processing (packers, meat processing, cheese plants, milk plants, produce, etc.) facilities; livestock, poultry, seafood slaughter facilities; pet and animal feed processing facilities; human food facilities producing by-products for animal food; beverage production facilities; and the production of food packaging
• Farm workers to include those employed in animal food, feed, and ingredient production, packaging, and distribution; manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of veterinary drugs; truck delivery and transport; farm and fishery labor needed to produce our food supply domestically
• Farm workers and support service workers to include those who field crops; commodity inspection; fuel ethanol facilities; storage facilities; and other agricultural inputs
• Employees and firms supporting food, feed, and beverage distribution, including warehouse workers, vendor-managed inventory controllers and blockchain managers
• Workers supporting the sanitation of all food manufacturing processes and operations from wholesale to retail
• Company cafeterias - in-plant cafeterias used to feed employees
• Workers in food testing labs in private industries and in institutions of higher education
• Workers essential for assistance programs and government payments
• Employees of companies engaged in the production of chemicals, medicines, vaccines, and other substances used by the food and agriculture industry, including pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, minerals, enrichments, and other agricultural production aids
• Animal agriculture workers to include those employed in veterinary health; manufacturing and distribution of animal medical materials, animal vaccines, animal drugs, feed ingredients, feed, and bedding, etc.; transportation of live animals, animal medical materials; transportation of deceased animals for disposal; raising of animals for food; animal production operations; slaughter and packing plants and associated regulatory and government workforce
• Workers who support the manufacture and distribution of forest products, including, but not limited to timber, paper, and other wood products
• Employees engaged in the manufacture and maintenance of equipment and other infrastructure necessary to agricultural production and distribution

This list is broad and includes most, if not all, OABA member companies. I encourage companies to create a letter on your company letterhead that references the essential nature of your business as dictated in the Ohio Department of Health Order and CISA Memo. Provide a copy of the letter to all essential employees to carry with them while traveling to and from work and while travelling for company business (feed delivery, fertilizer application, etc.)

While your companies have the responsibility to continue operating as an essential business, it doesn’t relieve you, as an employer, of the responsibility to your employees to provide them with a safe and healthy work environment. OABA strongly advises you to follow all identified best practices to maintain human health and safety during this period.

This is a challenging time for everyone. Please know that the team at the Ohio AgriBusiness Association is working very hard on your behalf. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you as you do the essential work necessary to keep Americans fed during this extraordinary time in our history.