In August, a group of approximately 40 Wayne County farmers and others interested in agricultural development completed an all-day tour of agribusiness in central Ohio.

The tour included stops at Select Sires, a world leader in artificial insemination, Oakvale Farmstead Cheese, the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center and Ohio State University's Ohio Stadium , known also as "The Horseshoe." The tour was supported by National City and the Ohio Farm Bureau who sponsored the transportation and meal. 

The tour highlighted many facets of the agbioscience industry including the commercial utilization of university-based research programs; the potential for value added agriculture and tourism; the relationship between Ohio State University partners in the effort to develop Wayne County's bioresource industry and trends in green building components and technologies.

A second tour held in Wayne County was organized by former WEDC board member Kurt Steiner of Steinhurst Farms.  This tour showcased the significant new business facility investments being made in the dairy sector and the investment required beyond facilities and equipment in quality assets such as land, cattle and people.  The tour also demonstrated the multiplier impact of the dairy industry in Wayne County.

The tour also provided an opportunity to learn more about the policy issues surrounding agriculture including the challenges faced by local producers to address changes driven by public opinion, the large land requirements of a viable livestock agriculture community; farmland preservation and transition issues; diversity within a community towards production practices and reasons for expansion and public relations efforts now required between dairies and their neighbors.