Month: July 2025

2025 Reconciliation Farm Bill – Summary Overview

Guest author: Carl Zulauf, Emeritus Professor, Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, Ohio State University

Note:  The 2025 Reconcilation Bill (known “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”) was signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025. We thank our guest author and Farm Bill expert, Dr. Carl Zulauf, for his analysis of the key farm bill provisions of this legislation.

SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP)

Specifies household size adjustment factors relative to 4-person size used for Thrifty Food Plan.

Requires that updates of the Thrifty Food Plan be cost neutral.

Cost of the Thrifty Food Plan is indexed for CPI inflation.

Work requirements are increased, including that able-bodied individuals work through age 64.  Curtails Secretary of Agriculture’s discretion to issue work requirement waivers.

Limits placed on some expenses and government payments used in determining SNAP eligibility.

If a state’s SNAP error rate exceeds 6%, requires a state matching share of 5% to 15% depending on the error rate.  (Assessment: reduces Federal spending without reducing benefits.)

Reduces Federal share of administering SNAP from 50% to 25% starting FY (Fiscal Year) 2027.

Eliminates National Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program ($550 million / year).

Reduces access to SNAP by non-US citizens by specifying groups that have access. Continue reading 2025 Reconciliation Farm Bill – Summary Overview →

State Operating Budget makes changes to ag licenses, permits, and fees

By:Ellen Essman, Senior Research Associate

After months of deliberation, the General Assembly delivered H.B. 96, the two-year state operating budget, to Governor Mike DeWine.  Governor DeWine signed the bill into law on June 30, vetoing several provisions. DeWine issued a number of line-item vetoes, and the General Assembly plans to hold a session on July 21 to override the vetoes related to property tax provisions in the bill. There is also a chance that the General Assembly may override additional vetoes unrelated to property tax in the fall. While we will certainly keep an eye on these possible veto overrides, the provisions of the budget bill affecting agriculture remain mostly intact. Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing a series of blog posts about the newly passed state operating budget and its implications for agriculture in Ohio. Today’s focus will be on several licensing, permit, and fee changes affecting the ag and food sectors. Continue reading State Operating Budget makes changes to ag licenses, permits, and fees →

BEEF Cattle Letter: July 9

Five new articles have been posted in this week’s issue number 1455 of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter: http://u.osu.edu/beef/

Did you know OSU Extension offers training to better prepare emergency response personnel to safely approach and work a livestock transportation incident? This week Haley Showmaker details this opportunity geared toward Fire, EMS, EMA, and law enforcement personnel.

Articles this week include:

  • July Plantings for Warm-Season Annual Grass Forages
  • The New World Screwworm: Texas is at Risk but what about Kentucky (and the Midwest)?
  • Bovine Emergency Response Plan (BERP) Training
  • Managing Heat Stress in Cattle: Tips for Summer Success
  • Cow-Calf Production Costs & Returns

Newsletter release by Stan Smith, OSU Extension ANR Program Assistant, Fairfield County

C.O.R.N. Newsletter: July 7-13

In this edition of the C.O.R.N. Newsletter:

  • Southwest Ohio Agronomy Field Day Set for August 12 at Fayette County Airport – Ken Ford, Justin Baum
  • OSU Extension Offering Hay Testing Program – Garth Ruff
  • Certified Crop Adviser Exam Online Study Course – Greg LaBarge, CPAg/CCA, Lee Beers, CCA, Amanda Douridas, CCA, Stephanie Karhoff, CCA
  • 2025 Western Agronomy Field Day – Joe Davlin
  • Register for a Farmer Forum Webinar on Weed Electrocution – Eugene Law, PhD
  • July Plantings for Warm-Season Annual Grass Forages – Emma Matcham, Marina Miquilini, Gigi Neal, Christine Gelley, Lauren Geiss
  • Early Detection, Better Decisions: Scout for Soybean Diseases and Test for SCN – Horacio Lopez-Nicora
  • Battle for the Belt: Season 3, Episode 15 – Scouting and Management of Soybean Insects – Diego Miranda, Taylor Dill, Maria Kessler, Laura Lindsey, Osler Ortez, Kelley Tilmon
  • Statewide Slug Monitoring Project – Update # 8 – Rosalind Holt-Frank, Evan Hodkinson, Trevor Mullen, Amy Raudenbush, Amanda Barnum, Amanda Bennett, Pressley Buurma, Seth Kannberg, Alan Leininger, Gigi Neal, Kendra Rose, Ryan Slaughter, Tracy Winters, Kelley Tilmon
  • Lep Monitoring Network – Corn Earworm and Western Bean Cutworm # 11 – Rosalind Holt-Frank, Evan Hodkinson, Trevor Mullen, Amy Raudenbush, Nic Baumer, Frank Becker, Lee Beers, CCA, JD Bethel, Trevor Corboy, Nick Eckel, Mary Jo Hassen, Seth Kannberg, Ed Lentz, CCA, Kendall Lovejoy, Clifton Martin, CCA, Jordan Penrose, Beth Scheckelhoff, Frank Thayer, Kyle Verhoff, Jacob Winters, Curtis Young, CCA, Andy Michel, Kelley Tilmon

C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.

Cultivating Connections Conference for farm transition planners coming August 4 & 5

By:Peggy Kirk Hall, Attorney and Director, Agricultural & Resource Law Program

A critical need for agriculture is having professionals who can help farm families and businesses plan for the future of their farms. That need is the source of a partnership between Ohio State’s Agricultural & Resource Law Program and Iowa State’s Center for Agricultural Law & Taxation. The two programs have once again partnered to offer the Third Annual Cultivating Connections Conference to grow the number and expertise of farm transition planning professionals. Iowa State will host the conference this year on August 4 and 5, 2025 in Ankeny, Iowa. The National Agricultural Law Center is a sponsor of the program.

The conference is a forum for learning and discussing the latest laws, strategies, tools, and insights necessary for effective farm transition planning. It brings together a diverse range of professionals — attorneys, accountants, educators, and financial advisors — who share a common goal: to preserve the legacy and sustainability of family farms for future generations.

At the heart of the conference is a focus on building strong, collaborative relationships among farm transition professionals. Conference sessions aim to impart knowledge, foster dialogue, and build a supportive community. Attendees can connect with peers and share issues, insights, and expertise.

OSU’s Robert Moore will speak for the conference about his work with Long-Term Care Considerations for the Farm Transition.  The agenda is full of additional speakers and sessions:

  • Successfully Counseling the Farm Family on Succession – Robert Hanson, Professor Emeritus, U. of Nebraska
  • Considering Farm Program Payments in the Transition Plan – Phil Newendyke, Pinion Farm Program Services
  • 2025 Tax Update for the Farm Transition – Kristine Tidgren, Iowa State Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation
  • Fresh Legal Tools for the Farm Transition – David Repp, Dickinson, Bradshaw, Fowler & Hagen, P.C.
  • Fair Doesn’t Mean Equal When It Comes to Farm Debt – Joe and Austin Peiffer, Ag & Business Legal Strategies
  • Charitable Options for the Transition – Ame Mapes and Laura Ingram, Belin McCormick, Attorneys at Law
  • Farm and Rural Landowner Case Studies – Travis Schroeder, Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman, PLC and Mike Downey, UnCommon Farms

The conference will be in person at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny, Iowa, but an online attendance option is also available.  Learn more about the conference and register online at https://www.regcytes.extension.iastate.edu/cultivating/.

BEEF Cattle Letter: July 2

Five new articles have been posted in this week’s issue number 1454 of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter: http://u.osu.edu/beef/

Hopefully we’ve reached the end of what I’d call – at least in my neighborhood – the most challenging spring for hay making since perhaps 1981. Regardless, many of us have pushed the ‘properly dried/cured’ envelop and made hay that may not have been dry enough to safely keep. This week Jason Hartschuh shares concerns for wet hay that could actually catch fire.

Articles this week include:

  • Hay barn fires a real hazard when mother nature keeps sending rain
  • Help! I have hemp dogbane
  • Managing ‘Untimely’ Pasture Grasses
  • Cowherd Expansion is Not the Only Way to Capitalize on a Strong Calf Market
  • Strong Cash Cattle Markets Take a Breather

Newsletter release by Stan Smith, OSU Extension ANR Program Assistant, Fairfield County

Wasted Away in Litigationville

By:Robert Moore, Thursday, July 03rd, 2025

Jimmy Buffett, the legendary singer-songwriter and businessman, passed away in 2023 leaving behind a substantial estate reportedly worth around $275 million. Recently, reports have surfaced that his widow, Jane Buffett, has filed a lawsuit against her co-trustee and Jimmy’s long-time business manager, Richard Mozenter. The dispute offers a high-profile example of several key estate planning issues:

  • How trusts can be structured to provide for a surviving spouse
  • The responsibilities, and potential pitfalls, faced by trustees
  • The everpresent risk of conflict, even in well-planned estates

The Trust

The estate plan developed by Jimmy and his legal team followed a common structure used by millions of married couples. Upon Jimmy’s death, his assets were transferred into a trust. For the remainder of Jane’s life, she will receive all the income generated by the trust. After her death, the remaining assets will be distributed to their children.

This type of trust is often referred to as a marital trust, or more specifically, a Qualified Terminable Interest Property (QTIP) trust. A marital trust offers several benefits but the primary ones are deferring estate taxes, providing income and protecting assets. While most couples use a marital trust to achieve one or two of these goals, Jimmy’s plan appears to have been designed to accomplish all three. Let’s take a closer look at each of these benefits. Continue reading Wasted Away in Litigationville →

Selling home-produced foods that use fresh fruit: know the laws

By:Peggy Kirk Hall, Attorney and Director, Agricultural & Resource Law Program Tuesday, July 01st, 2025

Fresh fruits are coming into season all across Ohio, offering those who sell home-produced foods opportunities for new seasonal products.  But it’s important to know how Ohio law regulates fruit-based foods, which can include a wide range of products such as jams, pies, and cheesecakes.  Some of these food products are safe to make at home and sell to consumers with just minimal regulatory requirements, but producers might be surprised to learn that some fruit-based product ideas might require a different license or simply cannot be legally produced in a home-based kitchen.  Here’s a rundown on different laws that apply to fruit-based home-produced foods.

Baked goods using fresh fruit

Adding fresh fruit to baked goods such as muffins, cookies, breads, pies, and cakes is permissible under Ohio’s “Cottage Food Law.”  The cottage food law regulates lower-risk foods and allows home producers to make and sell foods on the cottage food list without a license, although the law does contain labeling requirements and marketing restrictions on cottage foods.  For baked goods, the Cottage Food Law allows home-based producers to make any “non-hazardous” baked good without the need for a license or inspection.  Non-hazardous baked goods includes cookies, brownies, cakes, breads, fruit pies, cobblers, granola bars, and unfilled baked donuts.

But note that using fruit in certain ways can affect the food safety risk and change whether the Cottage Food Law applies to the food.  Here are three exceptions when using fruit with baked goods: Continue reading Selling home-produced foods that use fresh fruit: know the laws →