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.

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.

 

The Case for an Outside Board of Directors for Closely Held Farm and Agricultural Businesses

Published as part of the Farm Financial Management and Policy Institute’s Manager’s Library Series

Written by:

John Foltz, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University; and Dean Emeritus, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and Professor Emeritus, Agricultural Economics, University of Idaho

Lance Woodbury, Principal, Pinion (formerly KCoe Isom, LLP)

Jay Akridge, Trustee Chair, Teaching and Learning Excellence and Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University

Many closely held or family businesses make the decision to incorporate for the positive benefits provided by a corporate legal structure. These benefits include corporate personal liability limits and the potential for a corporation to survive the departure of a principal member of the business due to their decision to leave the business or their death. One of the requirements for incorporation in many states is the establishment of a board of directors.

Some owners of closely held companies view incorporating as unnecessary and overreaching. These companies may have a “compliance” board that fulfills legal requirements but has little input in strategic business decisions. While a compliance board may give the owner a greater sense of control, it also has downsides. As Harvard University professor Noam Wasserman describes in his book The Founder’s Dilemmas, “Most entrepreneurs want to make a lot of money and to run the show.” Wasserman’s research indicates, “It’s tough to do both. If you don’t figure out which matters most to you, you could end up being neither rich nor king.”

This publication delves into the composition of boards of directors—how the right board members can benefit closely held farm and agricultural corporations.

The Founder’s Dilemmas

In The Founder’s Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup, Wasserman states that entrepreneurs “face a choice between making money and controlling their business. And each choice comes with a trade-off” (Table 1).

Click here to access PDF of The Founder’s Dilemmas. Source: The Founder’s Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup, Noam Wasserman, 2013.

This publication focuses on the board of directors: the role it will play and who serves on the board. According to Wasserman, decisions about the board are heavily dependent on the ambitions and goals of the founder/owner of the farm or agricultural business.

Types of Boards

Edward Robson of Robson and Robson, a Pennsylvania law firm, writes about types of boards in his blog Prepare to Be Boarded! Robson’s key types of boards are outlined below.

COMPLIANCE BOARD

At one end of the continuum is the compliance board. A compliance board is a nonfunctional board meant to meet legal requirements. In fact, it may comprise only the owner(s) of the closely held business. Nonfunctional means the board has no material influence on the decisions of the organization and exists to satisfy legal requirements.

INSIDER BOARD

One step away from a compliance board, and as Robson states, “toward a functioning board,” is the insider board. This type of board may be established by the founder but is designed to involve the family and senior management in big-picture planning. However, the owner(s) retain ultimate decision-making authority.

INNER CIRCLE BOARD

Moving closer toward a more independent board, the inner circle board contains directors the founder(s)/owner(s) know well but who bring perspective and knowledge that is different from, and beyond that, of the owner. This type of board can provide important guidance on growth and profitability, as well as other strategic issues—and perhaps challenges the thinking of the owner(s)—but the owner retains the authority to make decisions.

INDEPENDENT BOARD

With this type of structure, outside/independent directors have no tie (employment, familial, or otherwise) to the company aside from their role as directors. The goal for these directors is to be more objective and less deferential to ownership than members of the previous types of boards. They expect their input to be considered and acted upon, and the owner(s) may not retain full decision-making authority as they would with the other board structures.

The Case for the Independent Board

Figure 1 (click graphic to view enlarged image). The “Ladder of Professionalism.” Source: Pinion, LLC.

Pinion, LLC, a food and agricultural consulting firm, has developed a “ladder of professionalism” of the closely held firm that outlines a range from “survival” to “institutional.” This ladder describes a firm’s growth towards more formal governance as it adds new skill sets as well as plans for generational transitions (Figure 1). From an initial start-up where the farm or agricultural business focuses on survival and securing financial stability, the firm progresses to stability and growth in net worth. Pinion describes the next stage beyond stability as a move to a more professional business, where nonfamily management, policies, and formalized roles are introduced. The ladder culminates in an institutional business with a potential mix of family and nonfamily shareholders, the addition of outside managers, a board of directors as a governing body, and the board’s duty to hire and evaluate a CEO (who may or may not be the founder of the business).

Where Is Your Farm Business on the “Family Business Continuum?”

An important point for consideration is where the family/closely held corporation sees itself in terms of emotion versus logic. Closely held family businesses can span two ends of a business continuum (Figure 2). At one end of this continuum is the choice of the family to focus more on the emotional or “family-oriented” nature of the business. This type of business might allow family members to join and/or remain in the business even if their performance would be characterized as “poor” or “needs improvement” by an impartial observer. Other traits might be “making room” for children, nieces, or nephews whose addition places strains on cash flow or profitability. The overarching point is that emotion and/or familial ties weigh heavily on the firm’s goals and decisions.

Figure 2 (click graphic to view enlarged image). The Family Business Continuum. Source: Pinion, LLC.

At the other end of the continuum are “business-oriented” firms whose primary approach is to make logic-based, rational decisions. This type of firm focuses on achieving key performance indicators (KPIs), maximizing profitability, and achieving strategic goals—family considerations have much less impact on decisions.

While most family businesses are not on one end or the other, the continuum helps a manager/owner reflect on the general weight that emotion and logic play in the firm’s decision-making processes. In reality, almost all firms operate somewhere between these two extremes. However, if your closely held business has grown in size (measured by sales, profitability, assets, and number of employees, among other measures) and complexity, it may be time to consider a more professional governance structure. Such a decision is heavily dependent on some degree of consensus among key family or business members as they explore a more professional approach to business governance. Some key points to consider and ways to start this process are outlined below.

The Benefits of an Independent Board of Directors

Robson states, “Good business decisions can’t be based on fleeting passions and grievances. They should be grounded in a rational and impersonal assessment of the situation. An (independent) board can help ensure that such an assessment is the norm.” This is good advice but it is typically easier said than done within the confines of the closely held farm or agricultural business. “One can’t flip a switch and instantly separate business from emotion,” says Robson. “But a Board of Directors is tremendously helpful in creating that separation. A healthy separation between closely held companies and their owners reminds owners they are not their companies, and vice versa.”

Another important reason to consider an outside board is that it broadens the firm’s access to expertise. It’s important to ask a number of questions to achieve this goal. What are the areas of the business/industry where family members excel? What are the expertise gaps that external directors could fill? Can someone with deep financial insights add value? Or is there someone with extensive technical knowledge, or policy/regulatory knowledge, or just someone who ‘knows business’ in an entirely different industry that can offer expertise?  Diverse perspectives provide a rich base of insights to draw from as the firm sets its strategy for the future.

Some farm and agricultural business owners may still have doubts and perceive the drawbacks of installing an independent board. With proper planning many concerns can be addressed, but a competent attorney or a consultant with expertise in this area should be engaged. According to Robson, owners who fear giving up control of their business can maintain control as long as they are the controlling shareholders. Owners who are afraid of sharing confidential information with an independent board can have directors sign nondisclosure agreements. Owners who fear they’re going to have to waste time on the formalities of having a board can bring in a co-worker to compile agendas and materials and take meeting notes. According to Robson, owners who fear they’d have to waste money on compensating directors can provide equity (rather than cash compensation) to their directors—and hopefully the directors create the kind of value that dwarfs their compensation.

If a fully independent board is a step too far for a closely held family business, the firm can add an independent director/advisor to their family board and obtain at least some of the benefits of an independent board. This individual can be selected based on the specific expertise they would bring to the firm. It is also important to develop a set of expectations for an independent director/advisor:

  • What role do you want them to play?
  • How much time are they expected to spend?
  • What authority, if any, do they have in decision processes?

These individuals can serve in the role of an outside advisor, providing insight into areas not well addressed by family board members. And, in some cases, it is possible this will be a reciprocal relationship—the individual can serve as the owner’s outside adviser if the owner serve as theirs. This external board member/adviser may provide a more palatable alternative to an independent board and could also serve as a first step toward such a board, allowing the family to evaluate the benefits and costs of an outside, independent board.

Food for Thought—and Possible Action

The adoption of an independent board is not a decision to be undertaken without thoughtful discussion and assent from most or all members of a closely held corporation. However, the benefits to the firm that have been reviewed provide “food for thought,” and possible action. Action to move in this direction includes discussion of the topic among the members and owners of a firm. Many closely held/family-based farm businesses find that a consultant can assist in these challenging discussions. If the decision is to move in this direction, then it is also important to work with an attorney well-versed in these types of dealings. A checklist is provided below that may prove helpful in this decision process.

In the end, ask yourself if your farm or agricultural business can benefit from “hybrid vigor,” the scientific principle that the offspring of genetically different parents (in this case, the owners and the independent board members) exhibit increased vigor, yield, and general health, which translates to improved business growth and profitability.

Checklist 1 – click here to download PDF of the checklist to use when considering the move to utilize an independent board for the closely held farm or agricultural business.

Some of the ideas and thoughts in this publication were generated at a Table Talk held at the Farm Foundation Roundtable meetings in Kona, Hawaii on January 19, 2024. The authors also appreciate the review provided by Duane Grant of Grant 4-D Farms in Rupert, Idaho. Portions of this publication were originally published by WATT Global Media in Feed & Grain Magazine at feedandgrain.com/15669768.

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.

 

 

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

OSU Extension Farm Office Live to be held on Friday, March 15 from 10:00 to 12:00 noon

This month’s webinar will feature the following topics:

  • 2nd Marriages and Transition Planning
  • Legislative Update
  • New Rule for Independent Contractors
  • 2024 Crop Input Outlook
  • Industry Panel on WASDE and Strategies for the 2024 Grain Marketing Plan
  • Hot Topics
  • Upcoming Programs

Featured presenters will include: Robert Moore and Peggy Hall (OSU Ag and Resource Law Program), Barry Ward and Jeff Lewis (OSU Income Tax School Program), and Bruce Clevenger  (OSU Field Specialist -Farm Management).

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

go.osu.edu/farmofficelive

OSU Extension to host Eastern – Ohio Small Farm Conference – April 6, 2024 at the Mid – East Career Technical Center Buffalo Campus, Senecaville, Ohio

By: Julie Wayman, Community Development Educator -OSU Extension Ashtabula County

Ohio State Extension announced plans to host a Small Farm Conference in Senecaville, Ohio on April 6, 2024. The theme for this year’s Mid-Ohio Small Farm Conference is “Sowing Seeds for Success.”

Click here to access 2024 Small Conference Brochure

Conference session topics are geared to beginning and small farm owners as well as to farms looking to diversify their operation. There will be five different conference tracks including: Horticulture and Produce Production, Business Management, Livestock, Natural Resources and new this year The Farm Kitchen.  Some conference topic highlights include: Raising Meat Rabbits, Making Goat Milk Soap, Timber Harvesting and Marketing, Basics of Growing PawPaw’s, Food Preservation Basics, Herb Vinegars, Organic Pest Management, Growing Produce with Hydroponics, Starting and Setting up a business, Solar and Wind Leasing.

Anyone interested in developing, growing or diversifying their small farm is invited to attend including market gardeners, farmers market vendors, and anyone interested in small farm living. Attendees will have the opportunity to browse a trade show featuring the newest and most innovative ideas and services for their farming operation. The conference provides an opportunity to talk with the vendors and network with others.

The Conference will take place from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Mid – East Career Technical Center – Buffalo Campus located at 57090 Vocational Road Senecaville, Ohio 43780

The registration fee for this all day conference is $100 per person. For conference and registration information call OSU Extension Morrow County 419-947-1070, or OSU Extension Knox County 740-397-0401.

Please follow this link to register for the conference: https://go.osu.edu/2024osusmallfarmconference

 

 

 

 

Regional Ag Outlook and Policy Meetings Set for 2024

By: Mike Estadt, OSU Extension estadt.3@osu.edu

Ohio State University Extension will present its 2024 Regional Agricultural Outlook and Policy Meetings starting in late January and continuing into February. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, and the main sponsor of the meetings. Economists from the CFAES Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, Extension specialists in tax policy, ag law and meteorology, along with other college specialists and invited guests, will serve as speakers.

Held throughout the state, the outlook meetings will address agricultural topics of interest not only in Ohio, but across the Corn Belt as well. Programs will include presentations on grain market outlook; the dairy industry; agricultural law updates; Ohio’s changing climate; energy outlook, international economic outlook, farm real estate values and cash rent trends; grain transportation infrastructure; agricultural input price projections; and federal tax updates. Bearish price projections, world conflicts and lower farm income projections make these program important as you plan for the year ahead. University experts and industry representatives will give the latest information on what to expect.  “Outlook meetings have useful take- aways that I have seen farm managers use directly for the upcoming season and planning for the future of the farm business.  Farmers are the CEOs of their farm and collecting unbiased information and putting it into action is essential for success”, according to Bruce Clevenger, Extension Farm Management Field specialist.

Here is a current list of Extension opportunities for ag policy, outlook and grain marketing topics. Check with the local contacts for more information regarding specific topics and times.

January 22, 2024- Friendly Hills Camp and Conference Center, Zanesville, Ohio.

Contact: Clifton Martin (martin.2422@osu.edu)

https://go.osu.edu/2024dinner

 

January 23, 2024- Jewell Community Center, Defiance , Ohio

Contact: Kyle Verhoff (Verhoff.115@osu.edu)

https://defiance.osu.edu/events/2024-farm-outlook-meeting

 

January 23, 2024- Napoli’s Pizza, Belpre, Ohio

Contact: Ed Brown (brown.6000@osu.edu)

https://go.osu.edu/SEcrops

 

January 25th, Plaza Inn, 491 S. Main St. Mt. Victory Ohio.

Contact Mark Badertscher (Badertscher.4@osu.edu)

https://hardin.osu.edu/sites/hardin/files/imce/Tillage%20Club%20Flyer%202024.pdf

 

January 30, 2024, 2022- Emmett Chapel, Circleville, Ohio.

Contact: Mike Estadt (estadt.3@osu.edu)

web: https://go.osu.edu/pickawayoutlook

 

February 6, 2024 Allen County Fairgrounds-Youth Activities Building.

Contact: Nic Baumer (baumer.15@osu.edu)

https://u.osu.edu/allenanr/upcoming-programs/ag-outlook-and-agronomy-day/

 

February 23, 2004- Der Dutchman Restaurant, Plain City, Ohio.

Contact: Wayne Dellinger (Dellinger.@osu.edu) web:

https://go.osu.edu/TriCountyOutlook