”Sunrise in Ohio” will be available beginning Dec. 29
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Part of a redesigned license plate will celebrate agriculture in Ohio.
On Oct. 21, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, First Lady Fran DeWine and Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles Registrar Charles Norman unveiled the state’s new “Sunrise in Ohio” plate for vehicles.
Drivers can purchase the plate beginning Dec. 29.
Among the images on the new plate is a nod to agriculture.
Underneath the state’s name is a farm field to represent Ohio’s strong roots in agriculture.
In 2020, Ohio ranked 14th in the country in total cash receipts, totaling more than $8.3 billion. This accounted for about 2.3 percent of total U.S. cash receipts.
Industry reps are pleased to see the ag industry represented on the new design.
Ohio may have changed, but agriculture and farmers are still important parts of the state’s fabric, said Ty Higgins, senior director of communications and media relations with the Ohio Farm Bureau.
"Even though Ohio’s landscape has changed considerably over the years, farm fields like the one featured on the state’s new license plate remain a prominent piece of Ohio’s story,” he told Farms.com in an email. “With almost $10 billion added to Ohio’s bottom line annually, agriculture remains a major source of revenue for The Buckeye State and the industry certainly appreciates the incredible acknowledgment of farmers and those that are part of the 1 in 8 jobs that are tied to ag across Ohio."
Ohio has redesigned its license plate four times in the last 20 years.
Drivers had the “Bicentennial” plate in 2001, the “Sunburst” plate in 2003, “Beautiful Ohio” in 2009 and the “Ohio Pride” plate in 2013.
Ohio isn’t the only state highlightg its ag sector on license plates.
Florida, for example, proudly displays oranges on license plates while drivers in Georgia have peaches on their license plates.
Iowa’s license plates have an outline of a farm and Idaho’s have the slogan “Famous Potatoes” on the bottom of theirs.
Wisconsin’s license plates have “America’s Dairyland” printed on them with an image of a farm.