Former Rep. John Patterson was appointed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency's state executive director for Ohio, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) announced Tuesday.
Brown, senior member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, said in a release, “This is an excellent choice by the Biden-Harris administration to appoint John Patterson to serve as the state executive director for the Farm Service Agency. John has committed his life to public service and with his years of experience and expertise on ag issues, will work to serve farmers, growers, and producers across Ohio.”
“Director Patterson is no stranger to Ohio agriculture. Through his service on the agricultural and natural resources committee as a state representative, he has vast knowledge about Ohio’s farm sector and he will be a strong asset as Ohio’s FSA director. We look forward to partnering together to continue to support farmers across the state,” said the Ohio Farm Bureau.
During his time in the Legislature, Patterson served on the House Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee, including two terms as ranking member. Patterson was a co-author of 133-HB7, which provides funding for the H2Ohio initiative begun by Gov. Mike DeWine to reduce harmful algal blooms and improve water infrastructure in Ohio. He was also an original co-author of the Young Farmers Tax Credit bill.
Prior to his time in the House, Patterson taught U.S. History at his alma mater, Jefferson Area High School in Northeast Ohio, retiring in 2012. Patterson was also the chief negotiator for his union for over 20 years. Patterson earned his Ph.D. in education at Kent State University in 1996. He has been married to his wife Nancy for 38 years and has two sons, Joshua and Jeremiah.
Source: The Hannah Report