Zanesville, OH–October is rapidly coming to a close and colder temperatures cannot be too far away. I find my time an attention at home on wrapping up projects outside and starting to think about the things indoors that I have ignored for several months. This weekend I hopped on the lawn mower for the first time in five weeks or so. It has been so dry that I have ignored the lawn for the most part, but with leaves falling I figured it was time to do some cleanup and to hopefully make leaf cleanup easier in a week or two. I saw some statistics this week stating that roadway crashes contribute to 9% of the total fatal cases involving production agriculture in Ohio. During the fall, we should all expect slow moving farm equipment on the roads traveling less than 25 miles per hour. As always, stay vigilant behind the wheel.
This past week I also had the opportunity to devote time and training to the topic of farm succession. This is a very relevant topic as many families find themselves in the tough situation of passing farm assets to another generation. In this process, it is important to think about a team of other people that will support the farm owner through this process. Maybe it includes an accountant, an attorney, a tax preparer, and other advisors that understand the farm. In the most basic sense, something is better than nothing. Transition planning to place the next generation to effectively manage the farm cannot be accomplished without some effort and forward thinking. There are several resources now available that help with guidance and I am happy to help point you in their direction.
A check on the weather shows 1.26 in of rain at the Zanesville Weather station (Zanesville Municipal AP) in the past seven days. 30-day rainfail total is 2.81 inches and a total of 34.88 in is recorded for the year.
The next Muskingum County Ag Breakfast is Tuesday, Nov 5, 8:00 AM at the Friendly Hills Grange.
The 2019 Agricultural Policy And Outlook Conference is Nov 12, 2019. This conference can be viewed online and information is available at aede.osu.edu. Topics are Ag Policy, U.S. and World Trade, Farm Financial Conditions, Land Values, Economic Output, and Commodity Markets. Presentations will be recorded and posted online succeeding the event.