Over the last few years, the CCWL team has been involved in a number of research and extension projects. Below we have brief descriptions of some of these projects, with links to pages that have more details and online access to various reports, papers, and media outputs related to each project.
Ohio Farm Poll – In spring 2020, the team conducted a statewide survey of a random sample of Ohio farms. The goal was to learn about how a series of economic and weather shocks in 2019 had impacted the well-being of farm families and farm businesses. The survey included a representative sample of all farms, plus a special subsample of organic farms that allow us to accurately characterize the diversity and current status of Ohio farms.
Ohio Farm Trends – While many of the changes taking place on Ohio farms and in rural communities seem to be driven by shocks and events unique to the present, it can be helpful to situate current events within a longer historical context. This project used data from periodic censuses of agriculture and other government sources to describe the major changes in the Ohio farm sector over the last 20 or more years. Download the report or order a hardcopy.
Emergencies, Disasters and Ohio’s Food Systems – COVID-19 created disruptions in the food system in Ohio and in the U.S. at large. As part of their response to the pandemic in 2020, our OSU research team forged new partnerships with the Ohio Emergency Management Agency (Ohio EMA) Emergency Support Function (ESF) 6 (Mass Care) and ESF 11 (Food and Agriculture), and initiated a field mapping process to visualize and understand how Ohio state government agencies, civil society, nonprofits and the private sector intersect with the food system to respond to disasters in Ohio. This project was designed to inform planning and training for future emergencies, disasters and disruptions. Visit the project page to download the report, executive summary, the Ohio food policy database and field policy maps.
Health Insurance Rural Economic Development and Agriculture (HIREDnAg) – HIREDnAG is a national USDA funded project examining how health insurance affects economic development and quality of life in the farm sector. Results from this qualitative and quantitative integrated research and extension project include: research articles, short research briefs, state profiles, extension outreach tools and videos.
Linking Childcare, Farm Economic Development and Quality of Life -Farm parents are working parents who experience challenges accessing and paying for childcare parallel to working parents across the U.S. This on-going national project qualitatively and quantitatively examines how the cost, availability and quality of childcare affects farm economic development and quality of life.
Wayne County, Ohio – Pathways to Prosperity – Local and regional food systems and value-added agriculture can be an important rural development strategy for communities that rely on agriculture to support local economies. Funded by USDA Pathways to Prosperity is a national project focused on how rural communities use public-private collaborations to create rural wealth through food and agriculture. Learn more about the ways the Pathways project in Wayne County, Ohio is partnering with Wayne County Farm Bureau, Local Roots, FoodSphere, Amish & Plain Partners, OSU Wayne County Extension and OSU-OARDC to build stronger community partnerships focused on economic development through food systems and value-added agriculture.
Ohio Grape Grower Survey– This statewide census survey of grape growers in Ohio was conducted in Spring and Summer of 2022. The survey documents total acres and total production (in tons) of different varieties of grapes grown by the farmers in 2021. The project was commissioned by the Ohio Grape Industries Committee (OGIC). The survey results would be helpful in broadly estimating the size and scope of the Ohio grape industry. A full copy of the report can be found here.
Project Pages Coming Soon
- Integrating Livestock into Ohio Cropping Systems (IDEAS project)
- Participatory Modeling: Deglobalization and Food-Energy-Water Systems (DRFEWS)
- Farmer Approaches to Soil Balancing/Soil Health
- Management of Herd Health on Organic Dairy Farms