Estate and transition planning have moved up in importance for many in Licking County.  Changes in ownership of properties is happening rapidly do to the high demand of land for non- agricultural purposes in western Licking County.  Ohio State Extension has just put out a series of bulletins to help understand  the processes and terminology involved in estate planning.  I have put a few of these in previous newsletters but this will provide access to the complete series.

Like planning for the next year of production, farm transition and estate planning is critical to a farm’s success.  With good planning, a farm family can protect farm assets, implement family and business goals, and ensure a smooth transition of a viable operation to the next generation.  It’s the kind of planning that can pay off big.  Our Planning for the Future of Your Farm law bulletin series can help with this important planning need.  In this series, we explain the legal tools used for transition and estate planning and present strategies that can address a family’s goals.  Reading our bulletin series and attending our popular workshop (posted on our Events page) are two first steps that can help you plan for the future of your farm.

   Planning for the Future of Your Farm Bulletin Series Overview

1. Farm Transition Planning:  What it is and What to Expect
2. The Financial Power of Attorney
3. The Health Care Power of Attorney and Advance Directives
4. Wills and Will-based Plans
5. Legal Tools for Avoiding Probate
6. Gifting Assets Prior to Death
7. Using Trusts in Farm Transition Planning
8. Using Business Entities in Farm Transition Planning
9. Strategies for Treating Heirs Equitably
10. Strategies for Transferring Equipment and Livestock

 Full Bulletin Series

Dr. Brady Campbell, Assistant Professor, OSU State Small Ruminant Extension Specialist
Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist, OSU Extension

Have a small herd of beef cattle, goats, or a flock of sheep? Are you a new or beginning ruminant livestock producer? If yes to either of these questions, this program is for you!

Join OSU Extension educators and state specialists for an all-day workshop covering topics every ruminant livestock producer needs to know from grazing and nutrition, livestock marketing, facilities and housing. This event is slated to be held on Saturday, October 8th from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm at the OSU ATI Beef Center located at 2736 S. Apple Creek Road, Apple Creek, Ohio 44606. After lunch, those who have an interest in sheep or goats will depart to the Small Ruminant Research Unit located on Fredericksburg Road (5651 Fredericksburg Road, Wooster, Ohio 44691), while those focused on beef cattle will remain at the ATI Beef Center.

Afternoon training sessions will be species-specific that include hands-on training in animal care and handling, basic animal health, livestock evaluation, and much more.

Cost: $30 per person lunch Included.
Limited to first 40  Registrations.
Register at https://go.osu.edu/smallfarmruminantfieldday

Click here for flyer:  Small Farms Ruminant Flyer_Final

Agenda

• 9:00 Registration Opens
• 9:30 Welcome and Introductions
• 9:45 Morning Discussions:
  • Nutrition and Forages
  • Housing, ventilation, manure management
  • Livestock marketing
• 12:00 Lunch
• 1:15 Hands on
  • Efficiency (tools, equipment, and facilities)
  • Record keeping
  • Birthing supplies and simulators
  • Sheep – demo shearing, drench gun, trimming feet, FAMACHA
  • Beef – calving simulator, calf processing, BCS, cattle evaluation

For more information, please contact Morrow County OSU Extension Educator, Carri Jagger at jagger.6@osu.edu or Garth Ruff at ruff.72@osu.edu

We look forward to seeing you at the event!

The Licking and Knox County Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices are accepting applications for full time Program Technician positions in each office. The FSA is an exciting and rewarding place to start, build, and/or continue your career.  Be part of our team and help support the well-being of Ohio agriculture and the American public.

FSA is seeking candidates to perform work in support of Ohio agriculture and farmers.  Farming experience and/or knowledge isn’t required but is a plus.  This position offers benefits, including health insurance that can be carried into retirement, 401(k) plan, paid holidays, vacation and sick leave, and flexible work schedules.  Basic requirements include general office clerical work, record keeping, computer skills, organizational skills and good public relations skills.

This position is responsible for:

• Carrying out office activities and functions pertaining to one or more of the program areas administered in the county.
• Interpreting and explaining procedures, program regulations and forms to producers and other agency personnel.
• Utilizing various web-based software applications to maintain producer data and processing automated forms.
• Using a high degree of initiative and judgment in planning and carrying out assigned tasks and resolving problems encountered.

Individuals who are interested in applying for these job opportunities will apply online through USAJOBS website at https://www.usajobs.gov/ .  Applicants will enter the appropriate job announcement number below into the keyword search or click on the link below to complete and submit your application.  The current Ohio County FSA vacancy is open and ready to accept applications.

Newark or Mt Vernon, Ohio, CO-1101-4/5/6/7 – Announcement Number FSACO-11623840-22-OH-CF

Application deadline: 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET): Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Applicants interested in learning more about these positions should establish a user profile through https://www.usajobs.gov/.  Profiles offer the opportunity for interested individuals to search for positions by location and/or job titles, upload searchable resumes, and receive automated vacancy announcement updates.

Contact Aaron Stockberger at 740-670-5340 if you have specific questions regarding the Licking County position and Katie Hill at 740-392-0891 regarding the Knox County position.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Peggy Kirk Hall, Asst. Professor and Field Specialist
OSU Extension Agricultural & Resource Law Program
A written farmland lease is a valuable business tool that can help ensure an equitable and sustainable leasing arrangement. A well designed lease should reflect careful consideration of terms that address the needs of both the farmland owner and the tenant operator. The following checklist presents important provisions to consider for a written farmland lease. Be sure to review the checklist with an attorney, accountant and other professionals who can help tailor the farm lease to your specific needs.
Identification of parties and property
– Names and addresses of the landowners and the tenant operator.
– Address or other detailed identification of the property, including total acreage.
Duration, renewal and termination of the lease
– Time period for lease, including start and end dates.
– Whether the lease automatically renews for another lease period if not terminated by a certain date, whether renewal requires review and/or a new signed agreement or whether renewal is prohibited.
– How to terminate the lease, including deadline for terminating and how to give notice of termination.
– If and how to reimburse tenant for applied crop nutrients and completed field work upon lease termination.
– Acts that constitute default or automatic termination.
Rental amount and payments
– Rental amount per acre for a cash rent lease or procedures for calculating rent if using a crop-share or flexible lease arrangement.
– When, where and how to make rental payments.
– If and how to assess penalties for late rental payment.
– Clarification of which party receives farm program payments and payments from eminent domain actions or other transfers of property interests.
General terms
– Responsibilities for insuring the property.
– Whether owner has right to enter the property.
– Whether either party may use the property for hunting, recreation or other non-farm uses.
– Whether lease is binding on heirs or on purchasers or other future owners of property.
– Whether landlord must inform potential purchaser of the lease.
– Whether tenant may sublease to another operator and if so, conditions for allowing or rejecting a sublease and procedures for subleasing.
– Whether parties may amend the lease and if so, procedures for amendments.
– Rights for non-farming uses of the land such as recreation, hunting, energy development.
Soil health and water quality
– Procedures for establishing soil health indicators at beginning and end of lease period.
– Procedures for soil testing during lease period.
– Responsibilities for maintaining or improving soil fertility, including acceptable or prohibited nutrients and financial responsibility for water quality impacts.
– Required and prohibited practices such as conservation tillage and use of cover crops, including responsibility for cover crop management.
Operation and maintenance
– Who is responsible for maintaining fences, fence rows, overhanging branches, noxious weeds, field access points, grassed waterways.
– Who is responsible for maintaining, making or paying for necessary capital improvements such as sub-surface drainage, fences and gates.
Resolving issues and disputes
– Procedure for notification and handling of disputes or issues, such as whether to require mediation or arbitration.
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM OSU EXTENSION’S AGRICULTURAL & RESOURCE LAW PROGRAM:
– Visit our website at http://farmoffice.osu.edu.
– Sign up at http://farmoffice.osu.edu/blog to receive our blog postings by e-mail with timely articles on legal issues of importance to Ohio agriculture.
– Contact us by e-mail at aglaw@osu.edu.

By: Barry Ward & Jeff Lewis, OSU Income Tax Schools

Tax provisions related to new legislation as well as continued discussion related to COVID-related legislation for both individuals and businesses are among the topics to be discussed during the upcoming OSU Income Tax Schools offered throughout Ohio in October, November, and December.

The annual series is designed to help tax preparers learn about federal tax law changes and updates for this year as well as learn more about issues they may encounter when filing individual and small business 2022 tax returns.

OSU Income Tax Schools are intermediate-level courses that focus on interpreting tax regulations and changes in tax law to help tax preparers, accountants, financial planners, and attorneys advise their clients. The schools offer continuing education credit for certified public accountants, enrolled agents, attorneys, annual filing season preparers and certified financial planners.

Attendees also receive a class workbook that alone is an extremely valuable reference as it offers over 600 pages of material including helpful tables and examples that will be valuable to practitioners. Summaries of the chapters in this year’s workbook can be viewed at this site:

https://farmoffice.osu.edu/tax/2022-tax-school-chapters

A sample chapter from a past workbook can be found at:

https://taxworkbook.com/about-the-tax-workbook/

This year, OSU Income Tax Schools will offer both in-person schools and an online virtual school presented over the course of four afternoons.

In-person schools:

October 27-28, Ole Zim’s Wagon Shed, Gibsonburg/Fremont

October 31-November 1, Presidential Banquet Center, Kettering/Dayton

November 3-4, Old Barn Restaurant & Grill, Lima

November 8-9, Muskingum County Conference and Welcome Center, Zanesville

November 21-22, Ashland University, John C. Meyers Convocation Center, Ashland

November 29-30, Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, Columbus

December 5-6, Hartville Kitchen, Hartville

Virtual On-Line School presented via Zoom:

November 7, 10, 14 & 18, 12:30 – 4:45 p.m.

Register two weeks prior to the school date for the two-day tax school early-bird registration fee of $400.  This includes all materials, lunches, and refreshments. The deadline to enroll is 10 business days prior to the date of each school. After the early-bird deadline, the fee increases to $450.

Additionally, the 2022 Checkpoint Federal Tax Handbook is available to purchase by participants for a discounted fee of $60 each. Registration information and the online registration portal can be found online at:

http://go.osu.edu/2022tax

In addition to the tax schools, the program offers a separate, two-hour ethics webinar that will broadcast Thursday, Dec. 8 at 1 p.m. The webinar is $25 for school attendees and $50 for non-attendees and is approved by the IRS and the Ohio Accountancy Board for continuing education credit.

A webinar on Ag Tax Issues will be held Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 8:45 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.

If you are a tax practitioner that represents farmers or rural landowners or are a farmer or farmland owner that prepares your own taxes, this five-hour webinar is for you. It will focus on key topics and new legislation related specifically to those income tax returns.

Registration, which includes the Ag Tax Issues workbook, is $160 if registered at least two weeks prior to the webinar. After November 29, registration is $210. Register by mail or on-line at https://go.osu.edu/agissues2022.

Participants may contact Ward at 614-688-3959, ward.8@osu.edu or Jeff Lewis at 614-247-1720, lewis.1459@osu.edu for more information.