Month: June 2021

Join the East Ohio Women in Agriculture Program for a July 14 Field Day in Stark County

| Heather Neikirk

The East Ohio Women in Agriculture Program Series will partner with OSU Extension’s Agricultural Safety and Health Program and Mahindra of Massillon to offer a field day on Wednesday, July 14 targeted to local farm women.  The focus of this field day is safety and building hands-on tractor operation skills for registered participants.  The event will take place at Mahindra of Massillon located at 4025 Erie Street South, Massillon, OH 44646, beginning with a meal and networking session at 5:30pm followed by the educational program starting at 6pm.  The program will feature a variety of educational stations designed to allow participants to gain experience with a hands-on activity, via a demonstration, or a knowledge station to sharpen their safety and tractor operator skills.  Cost for the program is $15 and includes a meal and resource packet.  Registration and payment can be made on-line by visiting https://go.osu.edu/eowiafielddays2021 or by contacting Heather Neikirk at the Stark County OSU Extension Office at 234-348-6145.

East Ohio Women in Agriculture programs are designed to meet the needs of women and young women who are interested or involved in agriculture, food, natural resources or small business.  The team welcomes participation in the field day from anyone who is interested in the topic.  CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis.  For more information visit http://go.osu.edu/cfaesdiverstiy.

Veterans Harvest: A Virtual Conference for Veterans in Agriculture

| jagger.6

Veterans Harvest: A Virtual Conference for Veterans in Agriculture

5 consecutive Tuesdays beginning July 27, 2021

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET
The National AgrAbility Project is pleased to present Veterans Harvest: A Virtual Conference for Veterans in Agriculture.

Click here for the registration form. All sessions are free. Those already registered for the 2021 AgrAbility National Training Workshop Virtual Sessions are automatically registered for the veterans’ conference. Register by Thursday, July 22. Instructions for accessing the session will be sent to registrants by Monday, July 26.

The current conference agenda includes the following sessions:

•July 27: “Conference Introduction” by Cindy Chastain, National AgrAbility Project, and Jeanette Lombardo, Farmer Veteran Coalition, plus “One Veteran’s Journey from PTSD to Farmer” by Sarah Creech, Blue Yonder Organic Farm and Indiana Farmer Veteran Coalition
•August 3: “Celebrating Veteran Total Farmer Health” by Linda Emanuel and Shay Foulk, AgriSafe Network
•August 10: “Programming for Veterans in Agriculture: How Maine Does It” by Anne Devin, veteran outreach specialist with Maine AgrAbility
•August 17: “Update on USDA’s support for Veterans” by Bill Ashton, USDA Military Veterans Agricultural Liaison
•August 24: “Panel Presentation on State/Regional Programs for Farmer Veterans” moderated by Cindy Chastain, National AgrAbility Project

“Agriculture has become an important source of employment and healing for many veterans,” says Cindy Chastain, National AgrAbility’s veteran outreach coordinator. “A large percentage of veterans come from rural areas, even though not all of them grew up on farms. After leaving the military, they discover that working in agriculture fulfills them in ways that other occupations can’t.”

Groups involved with the conference include Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) and Indiana AgVets. FVC is a national organization with chapters in Indiana and 23 other states that helps veterans develop viable employment and meaningful careers through the collaboration of the farming and military communities. Indiana AgVets is a USDA-sponsored agricultural career training program, led by Hoosier Uplands Economic Development Corporation in cooperation with Purdue’s Indiana AgrAbility Project, which provides internships and other support for U.S. military veterans in Indiana or surrounding states.

Please pass on this invitation to others you believe may be interested. Contact AgrAbility at 800-825-4264 or email agrability@agrability.org if you have questions.

The National AgrAbility Project is supported by USDA/NIFA Special Project 2016-41590-25880.

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Landowner Club

| Nanette Neal

Land is an expensive and important investment that is often handed down through generations. As such, it should be cared for and maintained to remain profitable for future generations. Whether it is a change in regulations or a loss of knowledge with the loss of a generation, it can be difficult for landowners to stay on top of everything.

To help, OSU Extension and Farm Bureau in Champaign County have started the Landowner Club designed to help farmland owners understand critical conservation and farm management issues. Topics will range in expertise level from beginner to advanced, so landowners of all experience levels can gain knowledge, skills, and confidence to implement, or talk with tenants about, farming and conservation practices.

The Landowner Club will meet on the 4th Thursday of the month from 8-9 am (with a few exceptions) in the Champaign County Community Center. The kick-off event is on June 24. Peggy Kirk Hall, Ag Law Specialist, will discuss the noxious weed law and landowner liability. Future topics can be found on the registration site.

The series is free to Farm Bureau members and $5 for non-members. A light breakfast will be served. Register online at http://go.osu.edu/Landowners.

The club organizers are interested in learning what topics are important to landowners, so please send your suggestions to Amanda Douridas at Douridas.9@osu.edu or bring them with you to a meeting.

USDA Announces CRP & Grassland Signups

| Nanette Neal

WASHINGTON, June 14, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set a July 23, 2021, deadline for agricultural producers and landowners to apply for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) General signup 56. Additionally, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will accept applications for CRP Grasslands from July 12 to August 20. This year, USDA updated both signup options to provide greater incentives for producers and increase its conservation benefits, including reducing the impacts of climate change.

Both signups are competitive and will provide for annual rental payments for land devoted to conservation purposes.

“We are excited to roll out our new and improved CRP General and Grasslands signups,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “Bottom line, CRP now makes more financial sense for producers while also providing a bigger return on investment in terms of natural resource benefits. The General and Grasslands signups are part of a broader suite of tools available through CRP to integrate key conservation practices on our nation’s working lands.”

General Signup

Through CRP, producers and landowners establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve water quality, and enhance wildlife habitat on cropland. Lands enrolled in CRP also play a key role in mitigating impacts from climate change, and FSA has added a new Climate-Smart Practice Incentive for practices that sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

FSA is also adding a one-time “inflationary” adjustment for payment rates, as well as having more flexibility on adjusting soil rental rates.

FSA opened the General Signup in January 2021 and extended the original deadline to July 23, 2021, to enable producers to consider FSA’s new improvements to the program.

Grasslands Signup

CRP Grasslands helps landowners and operators protect grassland, including rangeland, and pastureland and certain other lands, while maintaining the areas as grazing lands. Protecting grasslands contributes positively to the economy of many regions, provides biodiversity of plant and animal populations, and improves environmental quality.

FSA has updated the Grasslands Signup to establish a minimum rental rate of $15 per acre, as well as new National Grassland Priority Zones.

How to Sign Up

To enroll in the CRP General signup, producers and landowners should contact their local USDA Service Center by the July 23 deadline. To enroll in the CRP Grasslands signup, they should contact USDA by the August 20 deadline. While USDA offices may have limited visitors because of the pandemic, Service Center staff continue to work with agricultural producers via phone, email, and other digital tools. To work with FSA, producers and landowners should contact their local USDA Service Center. Contact information can be found at farmers.gov/service-locator.

More Information on CRP

Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest voluntary private-lands conservation programs in the United States. It was originally intended to primarily control soil erosion and potentially stabilize commodity prices by taking marginal lands out of production. The program has evolved over the years, providing many conservation and economic benefits. The program marked its 35-year anniversary this past December.

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is engaged in a whole-of-government effort to combat the climate crisis and conserve and protect our nation’s lands, biodiversity, and natural resources, including our soil, air and water. Through conservation practices, USDA aims to enhance economic growth and create new streams of income for farmers, ranchers, producers and private foresters. Successfully meeting these challenges will require USDA and our agencies to pursue a coordinated approach alongside USDA stakeholders, including state, local, and tribal governments.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

 

Custom Farming Rates

| Nanette Neal

Farming is a complex business and many farmers utilize outside assistance for specific farm-related work. This option is appealing for tasks requiring specialized equipment or technical expertise. Often, having someone else with specialized tools perform a task is more cost-effective and saves time. Farm work completed by others is called “custom farm work” or more simply, “custom work.” A “custom rate” is the amount agreed upon by both parties to be paid by the custom work customer to the custom work provider.

This publication reports custom rates based on a statewide survey of 377 farmers, custom operators, farm managers, and landowners conducted in 2020. These rates, except where noted, include the implement and tractor if required, all variable machinery costs such as fuel, oil, lube, twine, etc., and the labor for the operation.

Ohio Custom Rates

Indiana Custom Rates

Beef & Sheep News

| Nanette Neal

Beef News

Beef Quality Assurance sessions are in process. You can attend one of the courses or take the course online. See the flyer for more details.

Six new articles have been posted in this week’s issue number 1247 of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter: http://u.osu.edu/beef/

It’s that time of year when, unless we’ve already taken steps to manage them, weeds are making their presence obvious within forage stands. This week we focus on identification, and management options for weeds we commonly find invading Ohio forages.

Articles this week include:

  • Milkweed and Hemp Dogbane – Who’s Who?
  • Timing Pasture Mowing for Weed Control
  • Roughstalk Bluegrass in Cereal Grain and Forage Crops
  • Registration is Open for the OFGC 2021 Summer Forage Field Days
  • Is the Current Feeder Cattle Market a Pricing Opportunity?
  • Substantial Cattle Price Volatility

Sheep News

Whether Seasoned or New – Things To Consider Owning and Operating A Farm Business

| nye.1

The agricultural landscape of today is very different than it was 20 to 30 years ago. Farms today are getting fewer in number and the ones that are left are growing in acreage. However there is a small group that is growing rapidly. The “Small Farmer” is a term used for individuals who are practicing agriculture on a very small amount of acreage, usually under 100 acres.

Living on a small farm can be a life-long adventure.  Small farms are also presented many challenges and circumstances that will affect their potential productivity and profit-ability.

Whether a person has been farming for a while or they are new to agriculture, Landowners want to attain a greater understanding of production practices and requirements, economics of land use choices, assessment of personal and natural resources, marketing alternatives and the identification of assistance.

In my role as an Extension professional, I work with many small acreage landowners on a day-to-day basis and the issues are always the same.  It can be a very rewarding experience no matter what is being done with the land.  It however does not go without saying that it can get overwhelming at times as well.

Whether you have been working with a current enterprise(s) or just beginning there are always things to think about.  Things to think about could include but are not limited to:

 

Take Inventory: What resources do you have; personal and natural. Look at your property first.

  • Look at your land – is it well drained, is it fertile, is it tillable or not etc. Is there crop land, forest, or pasture and hay? Next, do you have available water and how much?  What is the source of that water?  If irrigation is required can you or will you have to develop more water supplies through drilling a bigger well, a pond or accessing some other means of water such as a stream. Are there buildings and fences?  What kind of buildings and what condition are they in? Will they be suitable for other enterprises?
  • Does the property have any unique features? In other words, does the property have potential for get-away cabins, scenic hiking etc.? Does the location of the property have potential for an on-farm market? Availability/access to roads, utilities? A gas well?
  • Look at your personal inventory – Do you have the necessary funds? What skills do you have? Can you and your family provide the necessary labor? Will your family provide some of the labor? Do you need training? Will you have the time to do what is necessary to “get the job done”? Are the labor requirements seasonal or spread evenly throughout the year?  How often do you need to be “on-site”? How do the requirements match up with your lifestyle?
  • Equipment – What do you already have? (Tractor, tillage, bush-hog, handling facilities etc.). What condition is it in? What would be needed for enterprises you are considering?

Can I buy used or is new equipment the only option.

Vision and Values: A farm is both an extension of the vision and values of the individual(s) involved.  Where do you see your farm, family, industry in the next few years?  What do you believe in as a business, individual, spiritually etc…? Your vision and values should help you establish a “Mission Statement” – this should represent the fundamental, underlying reason for existence of the business.

Objectives and Goals:  Objectives can help outline how you want the business to develop and look like in the future.  They help realize the mission. They are there to help plan, coordinate and motivate the farm.  Goals are the “SMART” statements of what needs to be done to complete the objectives.  “SMART” = Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Rewarding, and Timed.

Planning: New or existing farms need to have a well-designed business plan that takes into consideration individual infrastructure and financial needs, marketing strategies, production capabilities and knowledge needed to be successful.

Education and Experience: Preparation, knowledge, and training are essential. We never stop learning and growing.  We need to be in a position to adapt quickly and to react to the unexpected, to persevere when factors beyond one’s control conspire against you, and knowing how/when/what/where to expend time, energy, and resources.

Managing risk: It is helpful to plan carefully to manage risk diversification, financial management, and the ability to withstand a couple of bad years.

Place Matters: “Out-a-site, Out-of-mind” may not be good for the overall marketing side of the business.  Can you be creative in your marketing plan? Can you reach your customers effectively?

Start small: No matter whether you are a seasoned farmer or a new beginning farmer, it is always advisable to start small with any new enterprise to allow time for details to be worked out, for additional learning to occur, and to mitigate the size and scope of problems that will inevitably arise.

In conclusion: There is no one “Cookie Cutter” set of directions to be successful in farming. Whether you are seasoned or new to farming, whether you want a hobby, are looking to begin a different lifestyle or want to develop that true farm business, take the time to plan for success, gain a greater understanding of production practices necessary, economics of land use choices, assessment of personal and natural resources, marketing alternatives, and sources of assistance.

Finally, farm with confidence; choose something that you love to do, make good decisions based on facts, keep informed and plan for the future. For more information contact Tony Nye at nye.1@osu.edu.