Farm Policy

Farm Office Live Scheduled for October 18

OSU Extension will be offering the October Farm Office Live webinar on Friday, October 18 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.  Farm Office Live is a monthly webinar of updates and outlooks on legal, economic, and farm management issues that affect Ohio agriculture. Some of the topics which will be addressed during this webinar include:

  • Fall Crop Insurance Update
  • USDA Drought Assistance Programs
  • Legal Update
  • Tribute to Paul Wright
  • Is H-2A a Viable Option for Your Farm
  • 4th Quarterly Fertilizer Price Summary
  • Winter Program Update

Featured speakers include guest Farm Office members Peggy Hall, Jeff Lewis, David Marrison, Robert Moore, Eric Richer, and Clint Schroeder. Register for this and future Farm Office Live webinars through this link on farmoffice.osu.edu.

Economic Relief Available for Ohio Farms Impacted by 2024 Drought

Economic Relief Available from USDA for Producers Impacted by 2024 Drought

By: David Marrison, OSU Extension Field Specialist – Farm Management

Click here for PDF version of article

Drought conditions started in Ohio in mid-June and intensified throughout the summer until some relief was provided by rain showers at the end of September and first few days of October. While this rainfall has provided relief, the economic consequences of this summer’s drought will linger for quite some time.

Economic relief is available through various USDA assistance programs following a natural disaster declaration. The Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued 6 natural disaster designations (August 30, September 3, 18 & 23, and October 2 & 8) which designated 44 counties as primary disaster counties with an additional 12 counties classified as contiguous. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for eight or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional. The following are the counties which have been designated as of October 8 (note that other counties in far northwest Ohio may be added later this month).

Primary Counties:  Adams, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Coshocton, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Gallia, Guernsey, Greene, Hamilton, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Licking, Logan, Madison, Meigs, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, Tuscarawas, Union, Vinton, Warren and Washington counties

Contiguous Counties:  Auglaize, Columbiana, Darke, Hardin, Holmes, Knox, Marion, Morrow, Preble, Scioto, Shelby, and Stark counties.

These designations allow the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend assistance to agricultural producers through a variety of programs. These programs are available to both new and existing users of FSA services. Please note that each program has eligibility requirements and payment limitations.

Below are short descriptions for each of the drought assistance programs:

Emergency Loan Program: This program provides emergency loan assistance to farm operators. These loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts.  For production losses, a 30% reduction is required to be eligible. Losses to quality may also be eligible for assistance. Producers can borrow up to 100 percent of actual production or physical losses to a maximum amount of $500,000. The deadline for producers in designated primary and contiguous counties to apply for loans is between April 21 to June 2, 2025 depending on the county. Complete details about ELP can be found at: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/FactSheets/2019/emergency-loan-program.pdf

Disaster Set-Aside Program (DSA): This program allows FSA borrowers to set aside of one payment due to qualified disaster. Each payment set-aside must be repaid prior to the final maturity of the note. Any principal set-aside will continue to accrue interest until it is repaid. The borrower must be current or not more than 90 days past due on any FSA loan when the application is completed. Borrowers have 8 months from date of the disaster designation to apply. More details about the DSA program can be found at: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/FactSheets/2019/disaster-set-aside-program-factsheet-19.pdf

Noninsured Disaster Assistance Program (NAP): This program provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops that have lower yields or crop losses due to natural disasters such as drought. Eligible crops must be commercially produced agricultural commodities for which crop insurance is not available. Such crops include (but are not limited to): crops grown for food; crops planted and grown for livestock consumption, such as grain and forage crops; specialty crops, such as honey and maple sap; value loss crops, such as aquaculture, Christmas trees, and ornamental nursery and turf-grass sod. Eligible producers must have purchased NAP coverage for the current crop year. NAP payments are limited to $125,000 per crop year, per individual or entity for crops with basic coverage. Any NAP payments received with additional (buy-up) coverage is to $300,000. More information about NAP can be found at: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/FactSheets/noninsured_crop_disaster_assistance_program-nap-fact_sheet.pdf

Tree Assistance Program (TAP): This program provides financial assistance to qualifying orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes, and vines damaged by natural disasters such as drought. To be eligible, at least a 15 percent mortality loss, after normal mortality, must be determined due to a natural disaster. Payment is the lessor of either 65% of the actual cost of replanting or the maximum eligible amount established by FSA. Replacement of eligible trees, bushes and vines must be made within 12 months. More information about TAP can be found at: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/FactSheets/tree_assistance_program-tap-fact_sheet.pdf

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Haying and Grazing: FSA permits emergency haying and grazing on certain CRP practices in a county designated as D2 or higher on the U.S. Drought Monitor, or in a county where there is at least a 40 percent loss in forage production. It should be noted that before haying and grazing, producers should contact their FSA office to determine if the county remains eligible and to obtain a modified conservation plan.

After a county is approved for emergency haying and grazing, conditions are reviewed monthly to determine whether continuing the emergency activities is warranted. To date, 75 counties (85%) in Ohio are eligible (as of 9/24/2024). These can be found in Table 1:

Table 1: Ohio Counties Eligible for Emergency CRP Grazing

County State Date   County Start Date   County Start Date
Adams 8/20/2024 Hamilton 9/17/2024 Noble 7/16/2024
Allen 9/17/2024 Hancock 9/17/2024 Ottawa 9/10/2024
Ashland 9/17/2024 Hardin 9/10/2024 Paulding 9/17/2024
Athens 7/16/2024 Harrison 7/30/2024 Perry 7/23/2024
Auglaize 9/10/2024 Henry 9/10/2024 Pickaway 7/16/2024
Belmont 7/16/2024 Highland 7/30/2024 Pike 7/30/2024
Brown 8/20/2024 Hocking 7/23/2024 Portage 9/24/2024
Butler 9/10/2024 Holmes 9/17/2024 Preble 9/17/2024
Carroll 8/20/2024 Jackson 7/30/2024 Putnam 9/17/2024
Champaign 9/03/2024 Jefferson 7/23/2024 Richland 9/17/2024
Clark 9/03/2024 Knox 9/17/2024 Ross 7/16/2024
Clermont 9/10/2024 Lawrence 12/19/2023 Sandusky 9/10/2024
Clinton 8/20/2024 Licking 8/27/2024 Scioto 8/20/2024
Columbiana 9/24/2024 Logan 9/10/2024 Shelby 9/10/2024
Coshocton 9/03/2024 Lucas 9/10/2024 Stark 9/24/2024
Crawford 9/17/2024 Madison 9/03/2024 Trumbull 9/24/2024
Defiance 9/10/2024 Mahoning 9/24/2024 Tuscarawas 7/30/2024
Delaware 9/03/2024 Marion 9/17/2024 Union 9/03/2024
Fairfield 7/16/2024 Meigs 7/16/2024 Vinton 7/23/2024
Fayette 7/16/2024 Miami 9/10/2024 Warren 9/03/2024
Franklin 7/16/2024 Monroe 7/16/2024 Washington 7/16/2024
Fulton 9/10/2024 Montgomery 9/03/2024 Wayne 9/17/2024
Gallia 7/30/2024 Morgan 7/16/2024 Williams 9/10/2024
Greene 9/03/2024 Morrow 9/17/2024 Wood 9/10/2024
Guernsey 7/16/2024 Muskingum 7/16/2024 Wyandot 9/17/2024

More information about the emergency grazing of CRP acreage can be found at: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/conservation-programs/conservation-reserve-program/emergency-haying-and-grazing/index

Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP): This program provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who have suffered grazing losses due to drought on land that is native or improved pastureland with permanent vegetative cover or that is reported on the FSA-578 with initial intended use of grazing. This program looks at acreage and intended use directly from the producer certified FSA-578 form. This program also provides compensation for eligible livestock. Eligible livestock must be animals that receive the majority of their net energy requirement of nutrition via grazing. Covered livestock include beef cattle, dairy cattle, deer, equine, goats, llamas, and sheep. The 2018 Farm Bill established a maximum annual per person and legal entity payment limitation for LFP of $125,000. More details about the LFP program can be found at: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/disaster-assistance-program/livestock-forage/index

Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP):  This program benefits to livestock owners or contract growers for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather. Note that drought is not an eligible adverse weather event except when death loss is associated with anthrax which occurs because of the drought. In addition, Mycoplasma Bovis is an eligible loss during drought for bison. Payment levels are based on national payment rates that are 75% of the market value of applicable livestock. Cattle, poultry, swine and other livestock are covered. More information about LIP can be obtained at: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/FactSheets/livestock_indemnity_program_lip-fact_sheet.pdf

Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP): This program provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish for losses due to disease, or adverse weather not covered by the Livestock Forage Disaster Program and the Livestock Indemnity Program. Assistance is provided for losses resulting from the cost of transporting water to livestock and hauling livestock to forage or other grazing acres due to a qualifying drought. For commercial bee producers, ELAP provides for additional feed purchased to sustain honeybees during drought conditions when natural feed is not available. ELAP also assists farm-raised fish operations for excess mortality and excessive feed requirements due to eligible weather conditions.  Learn more about each facet of the ELAP program at:

Emergency Conservation Program (ECP): This program provides funding and technical assistance for farmers and ranchers to restore farmland damaged by natural disasters and for emergency water conservation measures in severe droughts. Specific assistance can be sought for providing emergency water during periods of severe drought to grazing and confined livestock or through existing irrigation systems for orchards and vineyards. Additional details about ECP program can be found at: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/FactSheets/emergency-conservation-program-ecp-fact_sheet.pdf

Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool: FSA has developed an on-line disaster assistance discover tool which allows producers to learn the USDA assistance programs which might fit their operation due to this year’s drought. This easy-to-use tool can be accessed at: https://www.farmers.gov/protection-recovery/disaster-tool

Take Action and Report: Producers are encouraged visit their local Farm Service Agency office to report crop and livestock losses. By providing this data, producers can learn their eligibility for the FSA disaster programs. Additionally, this data can serve as a catalyst for potential ad hoc disaster relief programs for crops and livestock which are not covered by an existing program.

More information on FSA Programs: Producers are encouraged to contact their local Farm Service Agency office to explore program which they may be eligible. Producers can locate their local office at: www.fsa.usda.gov/oh

The Longshoreman Strike:  How Might It Affect Agriculture?  

By: Ian Sheldon, Professor and Andersons Chair of Agricultural Marketing, Trade, and Policy, Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, Ohio State University and

Chris Zoller, Interim Assistant Director Agriculture & Natural Resources (ANR), Professor and Extension Educator, ANR, Ohio State University Extension – Tuscarawas County

Click here for PDF version of this article

Background to the Strike

With growing pressure on farm margins (Jonathan Coppess, Squeezing the Farmer Part 1: Initiating Examination of a Persistent Challenge, Gardner Policy Series, September 26, 2024), and no relief currently in sight from a new Farm Bill being negotiated and signed by Congress (Farm Policy News, 2018 Farm Bill Extension Expires – What Does That Mean?, October 3, 2024), the first major dock strike since 1977 has some potential to exacerbate the current rather negative market outlook for US agriculture.  The strike also comes at a time when agricultural trade forecasts by USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) indicate the sector will continue to run a deficit for 2024 (USDA/ERS, Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade, August 2024).

At midnight September 30, the contract between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Marine Alliance (USMX) expired, negotiations between the parties having been stalled since June of this year, dockworkers going on strike on October 1 (Farm Policy News, Dockworkers Begin Strike at East and Gulf Coast Ports, October 1, 2024).  The ILA represents an estimated 25,000 affected port workers, while the USMX represents ports on the East and Gulf Coasts and container carriers operating out of those ports.  The ILA has been seeking wage increases exceeding the 32 percent won last year by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union which represents West Coast dockworkers.  In terms of U.S. agricultural trade, of the $174 and $196 billion exported and imported in 2023, 38 and 43 percent respectively went through the affected ports (USDA, Global Agricultural Trade System, 2024).

Impact on Grain and Oilseeds Exports

Key to understanding the potential impact of the strike is the distinction between containerized trade and bulk shipping.  Agricultural exports via East Coast ports such as Philadelphia and Savannah are by container, while bulk commodities such as soybeans, corn and feed grains, Ohio’s top-3 exports (USDA/ERS, Annual State Agricultural Exports, 2024), are handled by ports on the Gulf Coast.  For example, in 2023, of the $16.8 billion worth of agricultural exports, only $700 million was by containers (see figure) (Joe Glauber, The Likely U.S. Longshoreman Strike and Its Implications for Agricultural Trade, IFPRI, September 30, 2024).

Importantly, bulk grain facilities operate with different labor arrangements, either non-union or different labor unions that are not on strike, which means that bulk commodity exports will not be affected by the strike.  For example, in 2023, 1 billion bushels of soybeans went through the Gulf Coast, compared to 100 million bushels exported by container via ports such as Baltimore and Charleston (Jim Wiesmeyer, Chances of a Strike at East Coast and West Coast Ports are Growing: Here’s How it Could Impact Farmers, AGWEB, September 20, 2024).  The bottom line is that the strike is expected to have only a modest direct impact on bulk commodity exports.  However, there could be specific geographic effects for those producers operating near to ports such as Norfolk, Virginia which handles 60 percent of containerized soybean exports. Specifically, it could result in a sharp decline in basis, as local supply builds up, combined with limited demand due to disruptions at the port (American Farm Bureau, $1.4 billion in Weekly Ag Trade at Risk, September 25, 2024).

Impact on Other Agricultural Exports

In terms of other agricultural exports, the impact of the strike on grain and oilseed producers is largely tied up with what will happen to US animal product exports.  Products such as chilled or frozen meat, eggs, and other livestock products are mostly shipped in containers out of ports such New York/New Jersey, Wilmington, and Houston. For example, 78 and 36 percent of waterborne exports of poultry and meat respectively are delivered via the affected East Coast ports (American Farm Bureau, $1.4 billion in Weekly Ag Trade at Risk, September 25, 2024).  Essentially, if containerized exports of animal products are slowed down or stopped by the strike, not only will it depress animal product prices, but it will also have negative feedback effects on soybean and feed grain producers, and would very likely put further downward pressure on farmgate prices. (Jim Wiesmeyer, Chances of a Strike at East Coast and West Coast Ports are Growing: Here’s How it Could Impact Farmers, AGWEB, September 20, 2024).

Impact on Consumers

At a time when the rate of food price increases has started to slow down, the strike may have some quite specific effects in the grocery store, although it should be pointed out that the two largest suppliers to the United States, Canada and Mexico, ship over 94-97 percent of their agricultural and food products overland by truck and train (Joe Glauber, The Likely U.S. Longshoreman Strike and Its Implications for Agricultural Trade, IFPRI, September 30, 2024).  Outside of North America, 70-80 percent of European Union (EU) exports transit through the East and Gulf Coast ports, with other countries in South America, Africa and Asia also depending on these ports to access the United States (USDA, Global Agricultural Trade System, 2024).  In 2023, the top-15 imports accounted for $120 billion in value, with over 41 percent coming through ports affected by the strike.

Although processed fruits and vegetables are the leading U.S. agricultural import, most products enter via either West Coast ports, or from Mexico and Canada.  However, commentators have pointed out that imports and prices of perishable products such as bananas could be significantly affected, 75 percent of banana imports coming through ILA-handled ports from Guatemala, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Honduras (Joe Glauber, The Likely U.S. Longshoreman Strike and Its Implications for Agricultural Trade, IFPRI, September 30, 2024).  Other products that are likely to see higher store prices include imported cherries, canned foodstuffs, and chocolate, as well as imported beer, wine, whiskey, and rum (American Farm Bureau, $1.4 billion in Weekly Ag Trade at Risk, September 25, 2024).

Planning for 2025

While the impact of this strike on Ohio agriculture is uncertain, it does reiterate the importance of farm management, records analysis, and financial budgeting and planning.  Ohio State University Extension has recently released commodity budgets for 2025 available here: https://farmoffice.osu.edu/farm-management/enterprise-budgets.  These budgets provide an ability to use your own farm numbers to evaluate profitability based on expected returns and input costs.  Additional farm management information is available here: https://farmoffice.osu.edu/ and by contacting your local Extension Educator.

 

Watch “Farm Office Live” Live from Farm Science Review on September 19

The fifth season of our Farm Office Live webinar will kick off at the Farm Science Review next Thursday, September 19, 2024.  Grab a cup of coffee and join us from 10:00 a.m. to Noon for updates from the legal and farm management experts on OSU’s Farm Office team.

Here are the topics we’ll address live from the Farm Science Review:

  • Extreme Weather Management
  • USDA Drought Assistance Programs
  • Legal Update
  • Crop Inputs and Budgets Outlook for 2025
  • Ohio Farm Custom Rates
  • Quarterly Fertilizer Price Summary
  • Retirement Planning
  • 1099 Employees
  • Quicken vs QuickBooks

Featured speakers include guest Aaron Wilson, OSU’s Ag Weather and Climate Field Specialist and our entire Farm Office Team consisting of Bruce Clevenger, Peggy Hall, Jeff Lewis, David Marrison, Robert Moore, Eric Richer, Clint Schroeder and Barry Ward.

Register for our Farm Office Live webinars, which will continue through next April, through this link on farmoffice.osu.edu.

Ask The Experts: Sit Down Break & Learn at Farm Science Review

By: Wm. Bruce Clevenger, OSU Extension Field Specialist, Farm Management and Josh Winters, OSU Extension Agriculture & Natural Resources Educator, Jackson County

Successful farm managers surround themselves with the best people and information.  Expertise comes from study and experience.  Agriculture is information driven and from year to year the questions and answers change due to production and economic forces.  Who should you ask for trusted answers?  Ask The Experts at Farm Science Review!

Three days of Experts have been scheduled to take center stage again this year at the 2024 Farm Science Review.  This conversational dive explores hot/current topics between the moderator, Experts, and the audience.  The 30-minute sessions give 15-20 minutes of information from the Experts and 5-10 minutes of Q&A with the audience.  It is the best place to stop and take a sit-down break at FSR.  Grab some food and enjoy.  Experts include ag economists, weather scientists, Women in Ag leaders, veterinarians, ag attorneys, agronomists, animal scientists, and farm management specialists.

Topics include: weather, grain markets, pastures and livestock, today’s women farm mangers, corn mold and feed, carbon markets, farm financial conditions, saving taxes at retirement, hiring farm labor, farm accounting, artificial intelligence technology, outlook on crop inputs and farmland values.

New for 2024!  Student spotlight hour from 10:00 am to 11:00 am.  Youth will learn about livestock evaluation, career exploration, soil health and agronomy pest management.

Plan you day(s) at Farm Science Review at:

https://fsr.osu.edu/

2024 Ask The Expert Schedule

Date Time Speaker Topic
9/17/2024 10:00 Garth Ruff Student Spotlight: Livestock Evaluation
10:30 Lyda Garcia, PhD Student Spotlight: Carcass Evaluation
11:00 Seungki Lee, PhD & Barry Ward Farm Margins: Prospects and Coping Strategies for Lean Times Ahead
12:00 Aaron Wilson, PhD Cultivating Resilience: Are You Prepared for Extreme Weather?
12:30 Mike Estadt Carbon Markets, Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Climate Smart Ag….Oh My!  Similarities, Differences, Should I Care?
1:00 Seungki Lee, PhD Grain Market Outlook: Insights from a Cloudy Crystal Ball
1:30 Robert Moore, JD Saving Taxes at Retirement
2:00 Ani Katchova, PhD How are Ohio Farms Doing Financially?
2:30 Kane Lewis & Bruce Clevenger Quicken vs. QuickBooks for Farm Accounting
9/18/2024 10:00 Luciana da Costa, DVM Student Spotlight: Animal Care/Veterinary Careers
10:30 Tim McDermott, DVM Student Spotlight: Have You Considered a Career in Extension
11:00 Aaron Wilson, PhD Cultivating Resilience: Are You Prepared for Extreme Weather?
11:30 Jeff Lewis, JD Farm Labor: Am I Hiring an Employee or an Independent Contractor?
12:00 Chris Dean Will Artificial Intelligence mean Smarter Farming? Innovative Applications in Agriculture
12:30 Barry Ward Outlook on Inputs & Farmland: A View From The Farm Gate
1:00 Seungki Lee, PhD Grain Market Outlook: Insights from a Cloudy Crystal Ball
1:30 Amanda Bennett Fertilizer Prices in 2024: Comparisons Across Ohio
2:00 Christine Gelley Pastures for Profit
2:30 Brady Campbell, PhD I Want Sheep or Goats, Will I Be The One Fainting?
9/19/2024 10:00 Sarah Noggle & Rachel Cochran Student Spotlight: Soil Health is for the Worms!
10:30 Stephanie Karhoff, PhD & Amanda Douridas Student Spotlight: Who-dunn-it? Diagnosing Field Crop Issues
11:00 Aaron Wilson, PhD Cultivating Resilience: Are You Prepared for Extreme Weather?
11:30 Robert Moore, JD Saving Taxes at Retirement
12:00 Chris Bruynis, PhD Farming Full-Time Without Adding Acres
12:30 Barry Ward Outlook on Inputs & Farmland: A View From The Farm Gate
1:00 Gigi Neal & Sarah Noggle Today’s Women in Ag – Farm Managers & Operator/Owners
1:30 Jason Hartschuh Can I Avoid Corn Ear Mold with Hybrid Selection?

 

Ask The Experts is located at the corner of Kottman and Friday Avenues, Exhibit Area 425, across from the Firebaugh building.  Seating is available under the tent.

In addition to the Ask The Expert sessions, Review goers can explore OSU Extension Farm Management Resources in the Firebaugh building across from Ask The Expert area all-day, each day of the Review.  OSU Extension Farm Management resources can also be found online at: https://farmoffice.osu.edu/

 

 

Agricultural Land Lost to Development in Ohio

By: Mujahidul Islam (PhD student), Ani Katchova (Professor and Farm Income Enhancement Chair) and Carl Zulauf (Professor Emeritus) in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics (AEDE) at the Ohio State University.

Click here to access the pdf version of the report

A topic of increasing interest in Ohio, conversion of agricultural land to developed land is examined. Highlights of this report are:

  • Between 2001 and 2021, agricultural land in Ohio has declined by 268,430 acres or 2.04%.
  • Development accounted for 48% of the decline in agricultural land.
  • Ohio’s loss of agricultural land is close to the 55% average for eight Midwest states examined by Islam, Katchova, and Zulauf (2024).
  • Conversion of agricultural to developed land is concentrated in Ohio’s 14 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). They accounted for 78% of all Ohio’s agricultural land lost to development.
  • Franklin and Delaware Counties within the Columbus MSA lost the most agricultural land to development during the 21st Century: 13,170 and 9,547 acres, respectively.
  • Within the City of Columbus, 19,670 agricultural acres were lost to development inside a 3-mile distance from the city boundary. The cities of Toledo and Dayton had the next highest ag-to-development loss inside the 3-mile distance: 1,976 and 1,901 acres, respectively.

 

 

Ohio Farmland Trends and Preservation

By:  Xiaoyi Fang and Zhining Sun, Ph.D. students and Ani L. Katchova, Professor and Farm Income Enhancement Chair in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at The Ohio State University and Rabail Chandio, an Assistant Professor and Extension Economist in the Department of Economics at Iowa State University.

Click here to access the pdf version of the report.

  • 95% of farmland is dedicated to cropland in Ohio.
  • Cropland values in Ohio have had an upward trend, and increased by 9% in 2023, while the number of acres operated has declined over the years.
  • 85% of the total rented farmland in Ohio was owned by non-operator landlords in 2014.
  • Ohio’s operator landlords received $174.39 million in rent in 2014. Non-operator landlords received $844.62 million in rent, or 82.9% of the total rent paid in 2014.
  • 9% of Ohio’s farmland is held by individuals aged 55 and over, suggesting a significant transfer of land to the next generation is expected in the future.
  • Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Farmland Preservation Office has offered several programs to help preserve Ohio farmland.

 

Foreign Investments in Ohio Farmland

By:  Vishavdeep Sharma, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at The Ohio State University, Rabail Chandio, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at Iowa State University, and Ani L. Katchova, a Professor and Farm Income Enhancement Chair in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at The Ohio State University.

Click here to access the pdf version of the report.

In recent years, Ohio has experienced a significant increase in foreign investments in farmland resulting in 529,269 acres being held by foreign investors in 2022, contributing to the national trend of increasing foreign ownership of US farmland with 43,418,141 acres held by foreign investors in 2022.

The proportion of foreign held to privately held farmland was 2.7% in Ohio, 2.2% in the Midwest, and 3.4% in the US in 2022.

The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) is a federal law that requires foreign investors to disclose transactions of US farmland. Ohio’s legislation, named “Save our Farmland and Protect our National Security Act,” additionally maintains a registry of individuals and organizations prohibited from acquiring farmland in the state of Ohio.

In Ohio, Canada (14.9%) and Germany (14.6%) lead foreign investments in farmland. The largest proportion of foreign held farmland is by Canadian investors at 32.1% of the total foreign held farmland in the US, and at 26.5% of the total foreign held farmland in the Midwest.

 

Farm Office Live to be held on April 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

OSU Extension and the Farm Office Team is pleased to be offering the “Farm Office Live” webinar on Friday, April 19, 2024 from 10:00 to 12:00 noon

This month’s webinar will feature the following topics:

  • CAT Tax – Closing Accounts
  • Taxation of Equipment Trade-ins
  • 2024 Crop Input Outlook
  • OSU Fertilizer Survey Q2 Release
  • Dairy Margin Coverage Program
  • Beginning Farmer Tax Credit Update
  • Transferring Operating Assets
  • Beneficial Ownership Reporting Update
  • Trends in Farm Appraisals

Featured presenters will include: Jason Hartschuh (OSU Field Specialist- Dairy Management and Precision Livestock), Clint Schroeder (Program Manager – Farm Business Analysis), Robert Moore (OSU Ag and Resource Law Program), Amanda Bennett (OSU Extension Educator), Barry Ward and Jeff Lewis (OSU Income Tax School Program), and David Marrison and Eric Richer  (OSU Field Specialists -Farm Management) and special guest Tim Harpster.

To register for this program (or to access replays of previous programs):

go.osu.edu/farmofficelive

Ohio Farm Numbers, Land in Farms, and Agricultural Land Lost to Development

By: Professor Ani Katchova, Farm Income Enhancement Chair and PhD students Xiaoyi Fang and Rae Ju in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics (AEDE) at the Ohio State University.

Click here to access the pdf version of the report.

According to the Census of Agriculture, the number of farms in Ohio decreased from 77,797 farms in 2002 to 76,009 farms in 2022, a decrease of 2.3% over the 20-year period.  Land in farms in Ohio decreased from 14,583,435 acres in 2002 to 13,652,346 acres in 2022, leading to a loss of 931,089 acres between 2002 and 2022, representing a 6.4% decrease.

According to the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) of the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium using satellite imagery data (https://www.mrlc.gov/eva/), 355,085 acres in agricultural land (cultivated crops and pasture/hay) were lost in Ohio from 2001 to 2021. Specifically, 180,691 acres of agricultural land in Ohio was lost to development, which represents 51% of the agricultural land loss being attributed to development from 2001 to 2021.

Counties located in Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) had among the largest percentage declines in farm numbers (by about 35%) and land in farms (by about 35% to 65%) and among the highest percentages of agricultural land lost to development (above 65%) across the state of Ohio.