Ohio State University Extension’s annual Agricultural Lender Seminars are planned for Tuesday, October 16th at Ole Zim’s Wagon Shed Meeting Room in Gibsonburg (Sandusky County) and Wednesday, October 17th at the Champaign County Extension office in Urbana. These seminars are excellent opportunities for lenders, Farm Service Agency employees, extension educators and others to learn about OSU Extension research and current agricultural topics of interest across the state.
Dr. Stephen Harsh from Michigan State University will be discussing the Economics of Wind Energy in Ohio. Dr. Harsh is an Extension Farm Management professor who specializes in the economics wind power. As interest from both farmers and the general public increases in Ohio on the issue of wind energy, this topic should provide some timely and helpful information.
Dr. Don Breece, Ohio State University Farm Management Specialists will be discussing the economics behind why the number of large livestock farms continues to increase in Ohio and the Midwest. The cost of adding a family member or employee to an existing farm operation is often considerably more than initially thought.
Ohio land values and rising cash rents will be a topic addressed by Barry Ward, Ohio State University Extension Leader, Production Business Management. As land values increase and cash rent costs increase, Barry will be discussing the impact on planting the 2008 crops. Barry will have updated crop budgets reflecting the increased costs of crop inputs including machinery, fertilizer and seed.
Dr. Matt Roberts, Ohio State University Extension Specialists in Grain Marketing, will address Crop Prices and Farm Input Costs for 2008. As the 2007 crop harvest season progresses, the true size of the nationwide corn and soybean crops will become known. The availability of fertilizer for the 2008 crop will be part of Dr. Roberts presentation.
The registration cost to attend on of the Ag Lender Seminars is $40.00 and the registration deadline is October 12th. Your local county extension office can provide a registration form or you can access it on the web at http://putnam.osu.edu/natural_resources_environment