OSU Extension Office

In October 2018, Tim joined the Franklin County Extension team as an Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) Educator. Since joining Franklin County, he has worked to determine sustainable local food production programmatic needs within Franklin County to address food insecurity challenges in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods by assisting with the implementation of the Columbus Local Food Action Plan via collaborations with the City of Columbus Public Health, Franklin County Local Food Council, Mid-Ohio Foodbank, Columbus City Council, Columbus City Schools, Reynoldsburg City Schools, OSU Farm to School, Franklin County Economic Development and the Franklin County Commissioners. 

He has also performed leadership responsibilities involving the creation, marketing, and implementation of urban agriculture programming to assist the Buckeye ISA grant funded by the WW Kellogg Foundation in partnership with OSU Discovery Theme, Initiative for Food and Agricultural Transformation (InFACT), the Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s USDA Urban Agriculture grant, and the Growing Teachers Throughout the Season's workforce development for students initiative in partnership with Columbus City Schools. OSU Farm to School and Scotts Miracle-Gro to create indoor and outdoor experiential STEM-based agricultural grow sites at all 75 Columbus City Schools elementary school locations plus multiple other districts and charter schools. 

Tim has also used his veterinary background to increase the scope of outreach of veterinary sciences programming to the statewide network of Extension County 4-H youth development, agriculture, and natural resources client residents as well as corporate and government audiences including American Electric Power, Glatfelter Corporation, the Ohio Forestry Association, the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Southwest Ohio Sanitarians Association, OSU Pesticide Safety and Education Program, the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and multiple county and regional public health organizations. Topics include forages and grazing, equine, small ruminant, cattle, poultry, and companion animal species plus ticks and vectored disease prevention.

Tim earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and B.S. in Zoology from The Ohio State University as well as a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Ohio University.

Email Tim McDermott: mcdermott.15@osu.edu