Join us for Farm Office Live on March 15

March is already upon us, and we’re busy preparing for the March edition of Farm Office Live.  Grab a cup of coffee and join us next Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. for our March webinar.  We’re excited to have a few industry professionals this month for a panel discussion on the latest WASDE report and strategies for 2024 grain marketing.  The full Farm Office Live agenda includes:

  • Second Marriages and Transition Planning — Robert Moore, Attorney, OSU Agricultural & Resource Law Program
  • The New Rule for Independent Contractors — Jeff Lewis, Attorney, OSU Income Tax Program
  • Legislative Update — Peggy Hall, Attorney, OSU Agricultural & Resource Law Program
  • 2024 Crop Input Outlook — Barry Ward, Leader, Production Business Management
  • Industry Panel — WASDE and Strategies for Grain Marketing, moderated by Bruce Clevenger, OSU Field Specialist in Farm Management
  • Hot Topics and Upcoming Programs — David Marrison, Interim Director, Farm Financial Management & Policy Institute

Register for Farm Office Live at no cost through this link.  Can’t attend?  We record every Farm Office Live webinar and post the recordings at https://farmoffice.osu.edu/farmofficelive.

Registration is Open for the 2024 Urban Food Systems Symposium 

On June 11-13, The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) hosts the Urban Food Systems Symposium in Columbus, Ohio. The event includes keynotes, a grower panel, 40 presentations, a reception with approximately 50 posters, a choice of six off-site educational tours, and dinner at The Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory, a unique 261-acre university facility for teaching, research, and community engagement.

This symposium will bring together a national and international audience of academic, non-profit, government, and research-oriented professionals to share and learn how to build coalitions to adapt to this changing world and how urban food systems contribute to these solutions.

Join 300-400 like-minded people at the Urban Food Systems Symposium. Act now to take advantage of early registration prices through April 13. Hotel reservations close May 21, and registration closes on May 24. Tour capacity is limited and is on a first-come basis. Visit UrbanFoodSystemsSymposium.org for more information.

 

Southern Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference

Please mark your calendars for the all-day event, Southern Ohio Women in Agriculture, on April 4th, 2024, at the beautiful Bell Manor in scenic Chillicothe, Ohio. A myriad of speakers will discuss various topics pertinent to the lives and professions of women in the field of agriculture. A catered lunch and Ohio wine tasting are included with registration.

Southern Ohio Women in Agriculture Flyer

Register at https://go.osu.edu/womeninagconf

We look forward to seeing you there!

Online Fruit Pruning School

Pruning 2024 The Ohio State University South Centers is hosting its popular, two-part (morning and afternoon) Online Fruit Pruning School on Thursday, March 14, 2024. This FREE online event will be conducted virtually via the Zoom communications platform.

Part 1 on March 14 will be from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and will focus on pruning fruit trees, including apples and peaches. Part 2 will be held later that same day from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and will cover small fruits like grapes and raspberries.

Please register by Monday, March 11, 2024. Simply visit the link below and fill out the registration form. We also plan on offering recordings afterward so you can access the event on-demand, as we know this better fits some people’s schedules.

Register here: http://go.osu.edu/pruningschool.

For even more information, consult the attached flyer.

Looking forward to seeing you (virtually) again this year!

Virtual Dining with Diabetes

Virtual Dining with Diabetes

Do you or someone you love have diabetes? With 30 million diabetics in America, you are not alone! You will learn how to incorporate good, healthy cooking techniques and other practices to help control your blood sugar through our cooking school and nutrition education program designed for people with diabetes and their family members or caregivers.

To registration click the link or use the QR Code below: https://go.osu.edu/diningwdiabetes24

4-H Enrollment Deadline Approaching

While youth can join 4-H anytime throughout the year, in order to be eligible to exhibit at the Clermont County Fair, members must enroll by March 15, 2024.  It’s important to note that club advisors may have established an earlier date for club purposes.

Click the link below to access the  enrollment database.   We recommend bookmarking this page for easier access.

4-H Online 2.0

RETURNING Families will use the email address that is on file with the Extension office and the password previously created for 4-H Online.  If you don’t remember your password, you can choose “reset password” on the home page of 4-H Online.  If you are not sure which email address you used, please contact the office or your club advisor.  If you have been in 4-H before, please DO NOT create a new profile.

Returning Member Enrollment Help Video

Step-by-Step Instruction Guide for Returning Members

Step-by-Step Instruction Guide for Returning Volunteers

NEW families, those who have not previously been involved with 4-H, will need to create a new profile following the instructions below.

New Member Enrollment Help Video

Step-by-Step Instruction Guide for New Members

Register for the 30th Southwest Ohio Perennial School

Ohio State University Extension Clermont County will host the 30th Southwest Ohio Perennial School on April 11 at 9 a.m. at the Clermont County Fairground’s 4-H Hall, 1000 Locust Street, Owensville, OH.

The event will feature educational presentations with a tradeshow staffed by regional vendors and gardening organizations.

Topics this year will focus on local horticulture concerns and upcoming events. “Wildlife and your Landscape” Marne Titchenell, OSU Extension Wildlife Specialist; “Boxwoods and their Issues” Joe Boggs, OSU Extension Hamilton County; “Cicadas and your landscape” Curtis Young, OSU Extension Van Wert County; “Benefits of natives and trees for pollinators” Carrie Brown, OSU Extension Fairfield County; and “Weird Things Bugs Do” Ashley Kulhanek, OSU Extension Medina County.

Registration is due on or before April 1, 2024. Registration includes the program, continental breakfast, buffet lunch, refreshments, handouts, and door prize tickets. For additional inquiries, contact Meghan at 513-732-7070.

Participant Registrartion

Vendor Registration

Agricultural Fertilizer 3 Hour Certification Training

Friday, March 29, 2024
9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.

This meeting will fulfill the three-hour requirement for applicators who need the agricultural fertilizer applicator certification. You will not need to take the ODA test by taking this training.

Who should attend the training? Fertilizer certification is required if you apply fertilizer (other than manure) to more than 50 acres of agricultural production grown primarily for sale. You do not need the certification if you hire a co-op or other custom applicator to make fertilizer applications. This training is for private and commercial applicators.

What will be covered? Best management practices will be the basis of the agricultural fertilizer certification training focusing on fertilizer applications with the appropriate rate, timing, placement, and source.

Location: OSU Extension Brown County, 325 W State Street, Georgetown, Ohio 45121

Contact: Trevor Corboy, Agriculture and Natural Resources & Community Development Educator, corboy.3@osu.edu, 937-378-6716.
Cost: $30 payable to OSU Extension

Co-hosted by OSU Extension in Brown, Clermont, Highland, and Adams Counties

Characteristics of Ohio Women in Agriculture

By: PhD student Rae Ju and Professor Ani Katchova, Farm Income Enhancement Chair, in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics (AEDE), and Nanette (Gigi) L. Neal and Sarah Noggle, Extension Educators in Agriculture and Natural Resources in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Department of Extension at the Ohio State University.

Click here to access the pdf version of the report.

Using data from the 2022 Census of Agriculture, the characteristics of female farmers in Ohio are examined and compared to the overall farming population.

Profile of Ohio Women Farmers

The majority of agricultural producers in Ohio are male farmers, constituting approximately two-thirds of the total, while female farmers represent about one-third. The percentage of female farmers has remained stable, with a minor decrease from 33.6% to 33.1% between 2017 and 2022.

The geographic distribution of female farmers throughout Ohio’s counties was also examined. Counties in Northwest and Southeast Ohio have a lower number of female farmers, with the number of female farmers being less than 500. However, the counties in Southeast Ohio had a relatively high proportion of female farmers, exceeding 33% of the total farming population. In contrast, the counties in Northwest Ohio had a lower percentage of female farmers (less than 33%).

The average age of female farmers in Ohio was 55.4 years, while the average age of male farmers was slightly higher at 56.8 years in 2022. Regarding the age distribution of female farmers, the data suggest a predominant concentration of farmers in the 55-64 age range. In age groups below 55 years old, the percentage of female farmers is slightly higher than that of male farmers. On the other hand, the percentage of male farmers is slightly higher than female farmers for farmers that are 65 or older. Overall, the age distribution pattern is similar for female and male farmers.

The farming occupation and off-farm employment reveal distinct differences between male and female farmers in Ohio. Only 31% of female farmers in Ohio considered farming their primary occupation in 2022, suggesting a reliance on various income sources. Additionally, 40% of female farmers in Ohio were actively involved in off-farm work for over 200 days per year.

Characteristics of Farms Operated by Female Producers

In 2022, there were 40,269 farms operated by female farmers and 72,184 farms operated by male farmers. The average size of farms operated by female farmers was 132.9 acres, in contrast to the larger average of 185.4 acres operated by male farmers. Female farmers were more likely than male farmers to operate farms that are smaller than 50 acres, while the reverse is true for farms greater than 50 acres.

Female farmers in Ohio operate a variety of farm types, including crop production, animal production, and aquaculture. Over half of the farms operated by female producers in Ohio specialized in crop farming. Specifically, 24% of the farms operated by female producers specialized in oilseed and grain, followed by 22% in other crop farming. In addition, 15% of the farms operated by female producers specialized in beef cattle ranching and farming and 14% specialized in aquaculture and other animal production in 2022. Female and male producers are more likely to specialize in crop production than livestock production.  About 55% of farms operated by female farmers in Ohio specialized in crop production which is lower than the 63% of farms operated by male farmers.

Examining land ownership patterns, full ownership was more common among female farmers, with 80% holding full ownership of their operated acres. On the other hand, 17% of female farmers were part owners of the operated acres compared to 26% for male farmers.

Female farmers predominantly appear in the lower sales categories, specifically those with sales under $25,000. Conversely, in the higher sales brackets, the representation of female farmers decreases significantly. Only 9% of female farmers had sales between $100,000 and $499,999, and 6% had sales above $500,000.

Farms with female producers in Ohio had $146,744, while farms with male producers had $213,060 in market value of agricultural products sold and government payments in 2022. Using the USDA’s definition of economic classes, the average market value of products sold from farms operated by female farmers was $145,313 on a per-farm basis. A higher percentage of female farmers than male farmers belonged to the lower economic class, specifically in the category with less than $5,000 in market value of all products sold. In contrast, the distribution pattern for male farmers is the opposite, with a more significant percentage of male farmers than female farmers in the higher economic classes.

References:

United States. (2022). U.S. Census of Agriculture. https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/