All information that is furnished to or procured by the director of agriculture under sections 917.01 to 917.23 of the Revised Code shall be for the exclusive use and information of the director in the discharge of his official duties and shall not be open to the public or be used in any court in any action or proceeding therein unless the director is a party to such action or proceeding; but such information may be consolidated in statistical tables and published by the director in statistical form, without disclosing details of information furnished by any particular person, for the use and information of other state departments and the public.

Terms Used In Ohio Code 917.17

  • agriculture: includes farming; ranching; aquaculture; algaculture meaning the farming of algae; apiculture and related apicultural activities, production of honey, beeswax, honeycomb, and other related products; horticulture; viticulture, winemaking, and related activities; animal husbandry, including, but not limited to, the care and raising of livestock, equine, and fur-bearing animals; poultry husbandry and the production of poultry and poultry products; dairy production; the production of field crops, tobacco, fruits, vegetables, nursery stock, ornamental shrubs, ornamental trees, flowers, sod, or mushrooms; timber; pasturage; any combination of the foregoing; the processing, drying, storage, and marketing of agricultural products when those activities are conducted in conjunction with, but are secondary to, such husbandry or production; and any additions or modifications to the foregoing made by the director of agriculture by rule adopted in accordance with Chapter 119 of the Revised Code. See Ohio Code 1.61
  • Bond: includes an undertaking. See Ohio Code 1.02
  • Person: means any individual, government agency, political subdivision, partnership, corporation, association, co-operative association, or other business unit. See Ohio Code 917.01
  • Property: means real and personal property. See Ohio Code 1.59
  • state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
  • Testify: Answer questions in court.

The director or any employee of the director and any person assisting the director in the administration of such sections shall not willfully divulge any material information secured while in the employ of the director, with respect to the transactions, property, files, records, or papers of the department, or with respect to the business or mechanical, chemical, or other industrial processes of any person or dealer, to any person other than to the director or to the superior of such employee of the director, or when called upon to testify in any action or proceeding in any court.

Any employee of the director authorized to accept or receive money paid or to be paid to the director shall, before he enters upon the discharge of his duties, execute and file in the office of the secretary of state, a bond in such amount as is fixed by the secretary of state. If surety company bonds are furnished, the premiums thereon shall be paid by the department.