Month: January 2023

2023 Small Farm Conference Registration is Open!

| jagger.6

Greetings the OSU Extension – Small Farm Team is excited to announce that the registration for the 2023 Small Farm Conference is open.  We hope to see you all there.

Ohio State Extension announced plans to host a Small Farm Conference in Mansfield Ohio on March 11, 2023.  The theme for this year’s Mid-Ohio Small Farm Conference is “Sowing Seeds for Success.”

Conference session topics are geared to beginning and small farm owners as well as to farms looking to diversify their operation.  There will be five different conference tracks including: Farm Office, Horticulture and Produce Production, Livestock, Agritourism/ Marketing, Natural Resources.

Some conference topic highlights include: How to purchase our family farm, food animal processing, bee keeping, sweet corn, blueberry and pumpkin production, small ruminant nutrition, agritourism laws, fruit tree pruning and cut flower diseases.

Anyone interested in developing, growing or diversifying their small farm is invited to attend including market gardeners, farmers market vendors, and anyone interested in small farm living.

Attendees will have the opportunity to browse a trade show featuring the newest and most innovative ideas and services for their farming operation. The conference provides an opportunity to talk with the vendors and network with others.

The Conference will take place from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Mansfield OSU Campus in Ovalwood Hall, just minutes from I-71 and US Rt 30.

For conference and registration call OSU Extension Morrow County 419-947-1070, or OSU Extension Knox County 740-397-0401.

Please follow this link for conference details and to register: https://go.osu.edu/2023osusmallfarmconf

Livestock News

| Nanette Neal

Beef Cattle

Six new articles have been posted in this week’s issue number 1327 of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter: http://u.osu.edu/beef/

Considering we’ve gone from near drought to mud across much of Ohio in less than two months, this week we focus on pasture and forage management for the balance of winter. Also, please know the recording of last week’s Beef School is now linked/posted on the 2023 Ohio Beef School page.

Articles this week include:

    • Pasture Improvements by Osmosis
    • Consider Feeding Options for Challenging Conditions
    • Frost Seeding Clover: A Recipe for Success
    • Two Cattle Feeding Programs Offered on February 6
    • Ohio Cow-Calf Field Day to be held in Morgan County
    • U.S. Hay Production Declined 9 Percent in 2022

Small Ruminants

Livestock News

| Nanette Neal

Beef Cattle

Six new articles have been posted in this week’s issue number 1326 of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter: http://u.osu.edu/beef/

It’s winter in Ohio and chances are likely the weather will soon be different . . . again. This week we talk about managing and adjusting for those changes!

Articles this week include:
* Winter Pasture Management
* Adjusting for Cold Weather
* Product-Market Fit and Taking the Random Out of Production
* To Reimplant, or Not to Reimplant . . . That is the Question
* Three Questions for the 2023 Beef Cattle Market
* Heifers on Feed Indicate Long-Term Liquidation Still Occurring

Small Ruminant

Help us…Help you! Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rent Survey 2022-2023

| Nanette Neal

Agricultural professionals with a knowledge of Ohio’s cropland values and rental rates are invited to complete the 2022-2023 Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rent Survey by April 30, 2023. This may include rural appraisers, agricultural lenders, professional farm managers, ag business professionals, farmers, landowners, and Farm Service Agency personnel. Your thoughts and responses are greatly appreciated and will help build a platform for your portion of the state. The more responses, no names asked, the better the data set to provide information to clientele.

Complete the survey in one of these formats.

  1. Online at https://go.osu.edu/ohiocroplandvaluesandrentssurvey2223
  2. You can also access the online survey through this QR code:
  3. Paper format – Long version Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rents Long Survey 2023
  4. Paper format – Short version Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rents Short Survey 2023

Women in Ag Monthly Meet-Ups- London, OH

| Nanette Neal

What do you imagine when you think of a farmer? Outfits and age may vary but undoubtedly most of us imagine a male. But did you know that in Ohio, 34% of farmers are female? That is up from 30% in 2012.

If we look back at the 2012 census, only 12% (8,702) of women reported being principal operators whereas in 2017 26% (26,569) reported being principal operators. That is a 205% increase in female principal operators from 2012 to 2017! Women have played important roles in agriculture since humans began cultivating the earth. These statistics reflect that role being recognized, accepted, and even celebrated more today than ever before.

As a female agriculture educator, I have a passion for helping women thrive in their roles on the farm. Through Women in Ag Monthly Meet-Ups, I believe female farmers and those serving the ag sector can learn not only from our guest speakers but also from each other through sharing of ideas.

We will meet the 4th Tuesday of each month beginning January 24, 2023 at 5:30 pm and hear from a variety of speakers after a time of fellowship over a good meal.

Upcoming topics and dates:

Jan 24: Ukraine Agriculture and Economic Implications, Dr. Allan Lines, Professor Emeritus, Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics

Feb 28: Agroecosystem Dialog, Dr. Aaron Wilson, State Climatologist, Ag Weather and Climate Field Specialist and Jason Cervenec, Education and Outreach Director, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center

Join in a discussion on climate change impacts and agricultural resilience. Bring your lived experiences and share with others as we collectively explore potential actions that may help our community adapt to changing weather conditions.

Mar 28: How to do On-Farm Research, Dr. Elizabeth Hawkins, Agronomic Systems Field Specialist

Cost to attend is $15 to cover the meal and other expense. Current meeting location is the Gwynne Conservation Area Cabin, 690 Arbuckle Rd, London. Social hour and dinner will begin at 5:30 with the guest presentation starting at 6:30. Please RSVP at go.osu.edu/madisonwia.

To view the statistics mentioned in this article, visit nass.usda.gov/agcensus.

OSU Extension to Hold “Planning for the Future of Your Farm” Webinar Series in 2023

| Nanette Neal

OSU Extension will be hosting a four part “Planning for the Future of Your Farm” webinar series on January 23 and 30 and February 6 and 13, 2023 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. This workshop is designed to help farm families learn strategies and tools to successfully create a succession and estate plan that helps you transfer your farm’s ownership, management, and assets to the next generation.

Topics discussed during this series include: Developing Goals for Estate and Succession; Planning for the Transition of Management; Planning for the Unexpected; Communication and Conflict Management during Farm Transfer; Legal Tools and Strategies; Developing Your Team; Getting Your Affairs in Order; and Selecting an Attorney.

The instructors for this series will be:

Robert Moore, Attorney with the OSU Agricultural & Resource Law Program. Prior to joining OSU, Robert was in private practice for 18 years where he provided legal counsel to farmers and landowners.

David Marrison, OSU Extension Field Specialist, Farm Management. David has worked for OSU Extension for 25 year and is nationally known for his teaching in farm succession. He has a unique ability to intertwine humor into speaking about the difficulties of passing the farm on to the next generation.

Because of its virtual nature, you can invite your parents, children, and/or grandchildren (regardless of where they live in Ohio or across the United States) to join you as you develop a plan for the future of your family farm. Pre-registration is required so that a packet of program materials can be mailed in advance to participating families. The registration fee is $75 per farm family.  Electronic copies of the course materials will also be available to all participants. The registration deadline is January 16, 2023.

OSU Extension appreciates the support of the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association in sponsoring the mailing of these materials.

More information and on-line registration can be obtained at go.osu.edu/farmsuccession

Informational brochure

More information about this program can be obtained by contacting David Marrison at marrison.2@osu.edu or 740-722-6073.