Month: December 2023

OSU Soil Health three part webinar series: Part 1 – Who’s the J.A.M at OSU?

Are you interested in improving soil health and better measuring its impact on crop yield and farm profitability? Then make plans to join us for the 2024 Soil Health Webinar series on January 11, February 8, and March 7 at 8:00 a.m. This monthly series will feature farmers, industry, and academic experts weighing in on various soil health management systems.

This year’s topics and speakers include the following:

January 11: Soil Health: Who’s the J.A.M at OSU?
Dr. Manbir Rakkar, Dr. Jim Ippolito, Dr. Asmita Murumkar, The Ohio State University

February 8: Grower Panel – Cover Crop Info Drop

March 7: What’s the Beef with Soil Health and Livestock?
Dr. Anna Cates, University of Minnesota, Dr. Mary Drewnoski, University of Nebraska & Dr. Doug Jackson-Smith, The Ohio State University

Register for one or more webinars at go.osu.edu/soilhealthweb. All webinars will be recorded for later viewing. The link for the recording will be shared with registrants via email when it becomes available. CCA CEU credits will be available during the live sessions only.

Seeking applications for the Licking County Agricultural Hall of Fame

Do you know someone that has made great contributions to agriculture in Licking County?

The Licking County Agricultural Hall of Fame was established to recognize those individuals who have demonstrated a life-long exemplary service to their community and the industry of agriculture.

NOMINATIONS

Nominations may be made by any individual or organization by completing a nomination form and returning it to The Ohio State University Extension, Attn: Licking County Hall of Fame Committee, 771 E. Main St., Suite 103, Newark, OH 43055. Nominations forms can also be emailed to the OSU Licking County Extension Office at kreager.5@osu.edu.

More details are on this award are on the application form.  Applications must be on the furnished form as they are scored according to the point system on the form.

Licking County Agricultural Hall of Fame Nomination Form

The deadline for nominations is December 31st.

Registration Open: Basics of Grain Marketing Workshop February 8 & 9

By: Wm. Bruce Clevenger, Field Specialist, Farm Management

Registration is now open for the Basics of Grain Marketing Workshop, February 8 & 9, 2024 at the OSU Extension Union County Office in Marysville, Ohio.  This in-person workshop offers education and farm ready strategies on topics such as: basis, market carry, margins, cash markets, forward and futures contracts, hedge to arrive and basis contracts, differed price, hedging, storage, and overviews on options, spreads, and crop insurance.  It’s “more than a 2-day workshop”, featuring pre-workshop virtual lesson on calculating grain cost of production and measure of risk comfort. Workshop content will include workshop content and activities, plus a panel of industry professionals.  A post-workshop grain marketing peer group will be offered to strengthen learning into action.  The workshop has 35 limited seats.

Expert instructors: Seungki Lee, The Ohio State University, Grant Gardner, University of Kentucky, and Ben Brown, University of Missouri.  For more information and registration, visit https://go.osu.edu/grainmarketing

This workshop is possible by the support of grower checkoff dollars via the Ohio Soybean Council and Ohio Corn & Wheat.  This workshop is led by Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio State University Farm Financial Management & Policy Institute.

“Planning for the Future of Your Farm” Winter Workshops

By: Peggy Hall, David Marrison and Robert Moore, OSU Extension

If you and your family are grappling with the critical issue of how to transition the farm operation and farm assets to the next generation, OSU Extension is here to help.  Attend one of our “Planning for the Future of Your Farm” workshops this winter to learn about the communication and legal strategies that provide solutions for dealing with farm transition needs and decision making.  We’ve scheduled both a webinar version and several in-person options for the workshop, with the first in-person workshops coming up soon on December 7 in Celina, Ohio.

This workshop challenges farm families to actively plan for the future of the farm business.  Learn how to have crucial conversations about the future of your farm and gain a better understanding of the strategies and tools that can help you transfer your farm’s ownership, management, and assets to the next generation. We encourage parents, children, and grandchildren to attend together to develop a plan for the future of the family and farm.

Teaching faculty for the workshop are David Marrison, OSU Extension Farm Management Field Specialist, and Robert Moore, Attorney with the OSU Agricultural & Resource Law Program. Topics which will be covered in the workshop include:

  • Developing goals for estate and transition planning
  • Planning for the transition of control
  • Planning for the unexpected
  • Communication and conflict management during farm transfer
  • Federal estate tax challenges
  • Tools for transferring assets
  • Tools for avoiding probate
  • The role of wills and trusts
  • Using LLCs
  • Strategies for on-farm and off-farm heirs
  • Strategies for protecting the farmland
  • Developing your team
  • Getting your affairs in order
  • Selecting an attorney

Webinar version.  You and your family members can attend the workshop individually from the comfort of your homes.  The four-part webinar series will be February 5, 12, 19, and 26, 2024, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom. Pre-registration is required so that a packet of program materials can be mailed in advance to participating families. Electronic copies of the course materials will also be available to all participants. The registration fee is $75 per farm family.  Register by January 22, 2024 in order to receive course materials in time. Click here to register

In-person workshops.  Our local Extension Educators are hosting in-person workshops at five regional locations across Ohio. Registration costs vary by location due to local sponsorships. Click on the links below to access the individual registration information for each location:

Registration is required.  Find registration information for all workshops at go.osu.edu/farmsuccession

We hope you’ll join us to move forward on planning for the future of your farm!  For questions about the workshop, please contact David Marrison at marrison.2@osu.edu or 740-722-6073.

Join Ohio Woodland Stewards for an OWL PROWL on January 9, 2024!

Spend the evening with OSU Extension’s Marne Titchenell and Carrie Brown as we go on the prowl for Ohio’s owls! Join us for hot drinks and tasty treats, as we chat about owl species and ecology, then hike into the woods to call in these silent hunters.

This is a family-friendly event with an owl craft and activity! Be sure to bundle up as we will be outdoors the whole event. Feel free to bring blankets to keep warm during a presentation on Ohio’s owls. We are also hoping to welcome Ohio Nature Education with live owls, but this will be weather permitting.

6-7 – Enjoy hot drinks and treats, meet Ohio Nature Education’s Owl Ambassadors, and visit craft and activity tables

7-7:30 – Presentation on Ohio’s Owls – Marne Titchenell

7:30 – 8 – Owl Prowl – short hike to call in owls

Backyard Poultry Certification Course

Interest in keeping backyard poultry has been increasing steadily as more and more people want to provide for their family and personal food security. We have also seen an increase in youth keeping backyard chickens or turkeys for 4H livestock projects.
Whatever your reason for raising poultry, this course is designed to provide you with the knowledge and resources you will need to get your backyard flock off to a great start.

This self-paced course is expected to take2-3 hours to complete and includes these 6 modules:
•Getting Started
•Brooding, Basic Husbandry & Nutrition
•Housing
•Egg Production
•Maximizing Health
•Biosecurity
Course cost = $25

After completing this course, learners will be able to:
•Identify rules and regulations relevant to raising backyard poultry.
•Source healthy birds to raise in their backyard
•Apply concepts of basic husbandry, nutrition, and housing of poultry.
•Explain how eggs are produced
•Practice safe handling of birds and eggs
•Recognize common health-related abnormalities of poultry
•Describe the roles of veterinary care and biosecurity in poultry health
There are NO refunds issued for this course. If you have questions about the course, contact TimMcDermottatmcdermott.15@osu.edufor assistance..

Follow this link for registration: go.osu.edu/chicken 

Upcoming Webinar to Address Farm Insurance

By:Robert Moore, Friday, December 15th, 2023

Legal Groundwork

Farms are subject to more risks than ever before. Whether it’s the liability exposure of driving equipment on roadways or the potential of property loss due to severe weather, every farm has multiple sources of risk. While farmers can reduce their risk exposure through good business practices and rigorous safety protocols, there is no way to entirely eliminate risks. For this reason, insurance policies that adequately protect against risks are a necessity for farm operations.

All farmers probably know the importance of insurance to protect their livelihood and their farm assets.  However, few farmers take the time to read and understand their insurance policy. The failure to read policies is not a result of apathy but more likely due to the almost unreadable nature of an insurance policy. Reading and understanding an insurance policy is very difficult for anyone other than those in the insurance industry.

The Ohio State University Farm Office in cooperation with the National Agricultural Law Center (NALC) is offering a webinar to help explain farm insurance policies and discuss important provisions to include the policies.  Robert Moore, attorney with OSU’s Agricultural and Resource Law Program, will host the webinar.  He will be joined by Samantha Capaldo and Jeff Lewis.  Samantha is an attorney with NALC and previously worked as an insurance agent.  Jeff is an attorney with OSU’s Farm Tax Program and previously worked in an insurance defense law firm.  Both Samantha and Jeff will provide practical and expert insight on farm insurance policies.  Participants can expect to gain a better understanding of their insurance policies and be better equipped to discuss the needs of their specific farming operation with their insurance agent.

The webcast will be held January 11, 2024, 7:00 – 9:00 EST.  For more information and free registration, visit farmoffice.osu.edu/farminsurance.

Farmer and Farmland Owner Income Tax Webinar

Farmer and Farmland Owner Income Tax Webinar
Barry Ward & Jeff Lewis, OSU Income Tax Schools

Are you a farmer or farmland owner wanting to learn more about the recent tax law issues? If so, join us for this webinar on Friday, December 15th, 2023 from 10am to noon. This webinar is a part of our Farm Office Live Series and serves as our Farm Office Live! Webinar for December. To register for this webinar go to: https://go.osu.edu/register4fol

This webinar will focus on issues related to farmer and farmland owner income tax returns as well as the latest news on CAUV and property taxes in Ohio and the big changes to the Ohio Commercial Activity Tax (CAT). This two-hour program will be presented in a live webinar format via Zoom by OSU Extension Educators Barry Ward, David Marrison and Jeff Lewis along with Purdue faculty member Dr. Michael Langemeier. Individuals who operate farms, own property, or are involved with renting farmland should participate.

Topics to be discussed during this webinar include (subject to change based on tax law change):

  • Economic Outlook
  • Depreciation Update
  • Employee vs. Independent Contractor
  • Corporate Transparency Act/Beneficial Owners Information Reporting
  • 1099-K Changes
  • Charitable Remainder Trusts
  • Basis Allocation Land Acquisition – Allocating Basis to Residual Fertility for Future Deductions
  • Defining Farm Income to Avoid Paying Estimated Tax
  • Keeping an Eye Forward on Estate/Gift Tax Limitation
  • Reminder – Keeping an Eye on Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Provisions Sunsetting After 2025 Tax Year
  • Ohio Tax Update (CAUV/Property Tax Update, CAT Changes, Beginning Farmer Tax Credit, Ohio Tax Law Interpretation – Ohio Supreme Court Issues New Ruling)
  • Indiana Tax Update

To register: https://go.osu.edu/register4fol

For more information, contact Barry Ward at ward.8@osu.edu or Jeff Lewis at lewis.1459@osu.edu