The Ohio State University Extension has scheduled two seminars in western Ohio for Agricultural Lenders. The dates are Tuesday, October 14th at the Putnam County Extension office in Ottawa and Wednesday, October 15th at the Champaign County Extension office in Urbana.
These seminars are excellent opportunities for Lenders, Farm Service Agency personnel, county Extension Educators and others to learn about OSU Extension research, outreach programs and current agricultural topics of interest across the state. Annual attendance at these seminars is typically around 125 participants.
Ohio State University Professor Carl Zulauf will present important aspects of the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) portion of the new Farm Bill. The ACRE program has received considerable attention as a prime element in the new Farm Bill. Dr Zulauf will also be discussing another program in the farm Bill entitled SURE. SURE is an acronym for SUpplemental REvenue program and producers who may have suffered a disaster for the 2008 crop need to pay attention to its details, and will have to sign up for the program by September 16.
SURE is the permanent disaster program which Congress had only authorized from year to year in previous legislation. But being part of the permanent legislation, it requires action on the part of farmers and farm owners.
University of Illinois Professor and Extension Specialist Gary Schnitkey will be discussing the use of crop insurance as a tool to reduce risk in farming. With crop input costs escalating rapidly in recent years risk protection strategies are very important to agricultural lenders. Dr Schnitkey will also be discussing flexible crop rent arrangements being used by Illinois farmers to help mitigate their farm rent risk exposure.
Don Breece, OSU Extension Assistant Director for Agriculture will be discussing the future focus of Agricultural and Natural Resource Extension programs in Ohio. The OSU Extension Agricultural Signature Programs will be highlighted. The increasing number of Ohio counties without an agricultural Extension Educator to conduct local programming will also be addressed.
Barry Ward, Ohio State University Extension Leader, Production Business Management will be on hand to discuss Ohio Land Rents and the updated Crop Enterprise Budgets for 2009. Looking at the expected income and expenses for the 2009 crops can assist farmers in determining what money might be available for farmland rental payments.
The registration cost to attend on of the Ag Lender Seminars is $50.00 and the registration deadline is October 10th. 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