Legal Issues

Planning for the Future of Your Farm Online Farm Transition and Estate Course Now Available

OSU Extension is pleased to announce that a new online self-paced course titled “Planning for the Future of Your Farm” is now available through OSU’s Professional and Continuing Education platform. This course is designed to help farm families navigate the complex process of farm transition and estate planning.

Using OSU Extension’s structured five-phase approach, participants explore strategies for transferring ownership, management, and assets to the next generation. The course emphasizes effective family communication, legal and financial planning tools, and proactive decision-making.

Whether your farm is large or small, this course provides the guidance that will help you to create a customized transition plan that reflects your family’s goals and values. Families are encouraged to participate together to develop a shared vision for the future.

Specifics of the Course

This course is organized into the following four modules:

  • Introduction to the Course
  • Farm Transition Planning
  • Legal Tools for Farm Transition Planning
  • Farm Transition Strategies

The course is available fully online with no scheduled class sessions or fixed due dates. Coursework can start at any time and be completed independently within the timeframe designated. Online modules include readings, lecture videos, assignments, quizzes, and more. In this course, participants will:

  • Apply the OSU Extension Farm Transition Planning Approach across the Discovery, Dream, Dialogue, Design, and Destiny phases
  • Evaluate the legacy, structure, and future goals of the farm business using reflection and strategic planning tools
  • Facilitate effective family communication and establish practices for family business meetings
  • Design and implement a transition plan including managerial succession, contingency planning, and asset distribution
  • Identify and apply legal tools such as powers of attorney, wills, trusts, and probate-avoidance tools
  • Assess risks to keeping farmland in the family and maintaining a viable farm operation
  • Evaluate estate planning strategies to minimize tax liabilities and protect farm assets
  • Conduct long-term care risk assessments and explore strategies to protect farm and family assets

Instructors

The instructors for this course are David Marrison, OSU Extension Field Specialist in Farm Management and Robert Moore, Attorney with the OSU Agricultural & Resource Law Program. Both are nationally recognized for their work in farm transition planning.

Cost and Registration

Full access to the course videos and materials is $149. Enrollment for this section of the course will closed on September 14, 2026 and enrolled participants will have until March 14, 2027 to complete the course.

Enroll in this course at go.osu.edu/MyFarmsFuture

Thank you

OSU Extension is thankful for the financial support which Ohio Corn and Wheat provided for the development of this course. Members of Ohio Corn and Wheat can receive an $100 enrollment discount code by contacting Ohio Corn and Wheat prior to enrolling.

 

2025 Southern Ohio Small Farm College to be held in Piketon

By Amanda Perkins, OSU Extension Educator – Pike County

OSU Extension invites small farm owners to attend the 2025 Southern Ohio Small Farm College this fall in Piketon, Ohio.

The Small Farm College is a 10-hour college designed to help landowners examine potential ways to increase profits from their small acreage properties. The program is open to all new or aspiring farmers, new rural landowners, small farmers and farm families looking for new ideas. During this college, participants will be challenged to develop realistic expectations for their new farm business. They will receive information about getting started, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of their property, and developing a farm business plan. Five sessions are planned:

  • Session I: October 15, 2025 – “Getting Started on Your New Farm Business”
  • Session II: October 22, 2025 – “You Can’t Measure What You Don’t Track” (Farm Recordkeeping, Budgets and Taxes.)
  • Session III: October 29, 2025 – “The Legal Side of Small Farm Management”
  • Session IV: November 5, 2025 – “Money, Money, Money! The Financial Side of Small Farm Management”
  • Session V: November 12, 2025 – “Small Farm Reality Simulation”

All sessions will be held from 6:30p m to  9:00 pm at OSU South Centers located at 1864 Shyville Rd, Piketon, OH 45661.

The cost to attend is $80 for the first family member; additional family members can attend at a reduced cost of $40 per person. Each family receives only one binder of resources.

Click here for a program brochure

Registration can be completed at go.osu.edu/southernohiosfc by October 10, 2025.

Additional information about this program can be obtained by contacting Amanda Perkins, Extension Educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources OSU Extension Pike County at perkins.715@osu.edu or by calling OSU Extension Pike County at 740-289-4837.

Ask the Expert Sessions at the 2025 Farm Science Review

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

Reliable and trusted advisers.  Farm managers need to seek out the best people and gather tailored information for their own farm operation.  Seldom does one answer fit all.   Agriculture is impacted by local, regional, and global forces that are often unforeseen leaving the farm manager with mixed messages. 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 2025 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, forestry specialists, agronomists, animal scientists, and farm management specialists.

2025 Topics include:

Beginner and Small Farm Colleges, Cattle Markets, Global Trade, Ohio Farm Income, Weather Risk, Crop Inputs, Farmland Values/Rents, Tax Law, Farm Lease, Harvesting Timber, Solar Grazing research,  Labor Laws, Farm Legacy Planning, Ohio Quarterly Fertilizer Price Survey, Grain Markets, Farm Diversification with Specialty Crops, Network Building, Using Incentive Trusts in Farm Succession, and much more!

Returning for 2025!  Student spotlight hours on Tuesday and Wednesday from 10:00 am to 11:00 am.  Youth will learn about getting started in a farm business, beef economics, and career exploration in veterinary medicine.

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

https://fsr.osu.edu/

2025 Ask the Expert Schedule
Time Speaker Topic
9/16/2025
10:00 Trevor Corboy Student Spotlight Hour: Getting Started in a Farm Business – Beginner and Small Farm College
10:30 Garth Ruff Student Spotlight Hour: Beef-o-nomics: Understanding Cattle Markets
11:00 Seungki Lee, Margaret Jodlowski, Ian Sheldon; mod Amy Ando Economic Crosswinds: What’s Driving Your Bottom Line?
12:00 Dr. Ani Katchova Ohio Farm Income & Financial Conditions
12:30 Dr. Aaron Wilson Weather Risk & Resilience in 2025
1:00 Barry Ward Crop Inputs, Farmland Values/Rents, Tax Law – 2025 & Looking Ahead
1:30 Peggy Hall Farm Smarter: Farm Lease Lessons That Pay Off
2:00 Jim Downs Harvesting Timber – What You Need to Consider
2:30 Dr. Brady Campbell Harvesting Sun and Grass: New Insights into Solar Grazing
9/17/2025
10:00 Dr. Luciana Da Costa Student Spotlight Hour: Education Requirements for Veterinary Medicine
10:30 Dr. Luciana Da Costa Student Spotlight Hour: Careers in Veterinary Medicine
11:00 Jeff Lewis Know the Farm Labor Laws: Stay Legal, Safe, and Productive
11:30 David Marrison Beyond the Land: Preparing Leaders for the Next Generation of Farming
12:00 Amanda Bennett Ohio Quarterly Fertilizer Price Survey
12:30 Dr. Aaron Wilson Weather Risk & Resilience in 2025
1:00 Barry Ward Crop Inputs, Farmland Values/Rents, Tax Law – 2025 & Looking Ahead
1:30 Clint Schroeder Profit-Driven Farming: Navigating Financial Health in Ohio Agriculture
2:00 Dr. Seungki Lee Grain Market Crossroads: What’s Now, What’s Next
2:30 Dr. Logan Minter Farm Diversification: Specialty Crops to Strengthen your Bottom Line
9/18/2025
10:00 David Marrison Stepping Up or Stepping Aside: Readiness for Farm Succession
10:30 Marlene Eick How to Network Like a Pro
11:00 Robert Moore Using Incentive Trusts in Farm Succession: Cultivating Good Decisions
11:30 Christopher Dean LIVE! Field Data/Monitoring: Real-time from FSR Demo Plots to Ask The Expert Tent
12:00 Barry Ward Crop Inputs, Farmland Values/Rents, Tax Law – 2025 & Looking Ahead
12:30 Dr. Aaron Wilson Weather Risk & Resilience in 2025
1:00 Gigi Neal & Heather Neikirk A Decade of Outreach and Impact: Ohio Women in Agriculture Network
1:30 Dr. Laura Lindsey, Taylor Dill, Barry Ward Agronomy + Economics = Agronomics. What Should Come First?

 

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/

 

 

Watch Farm Office Live Webinar – Live from the 2025 Farm Science Review on September 18

The sixth season of our Farm Office Live webinar will kick off at the Farm Science Review next Thursday, September 18, 2025.  Join us from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon for updates from the legal, tax, and farm management experts on OSU’s Farm Office team.

The topics which we will address live from the Farm Science Review will include:

  • Using Incentive Trusts in Farm Succession
  • Corn and Soybean Budget Outlook  – Including Input and Cash Rents  
  • Profit-Driven Farming: Navigating Financial Health in Ohio Agriculture 
  • Planning for the Future of Your Farm – New online course available 
  • Farm Smarter: Farm Leases that Pay Off
  • Highlights of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
  • Financial Recording Highlights – Quicken Workshops and Ag Lender Seminars, Importance of Financial Record Keeping going into 2026
  • Know the Farm Labor Laws: Stay Legal, Safe, and Productive

Featured speakers include  Farm Office Team members Bruce Clevenger, Peggy Hall, Jeff Lewis, David Marrison, Robert Moore, 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.

A Reminder of the Ohio September 1 Lease Termination Deadline

This  article was originally published at: https://farmoffice.osu.edu/blog/fri-08222025-710am/september-1-lease-termination-deadline-approaching-some-farm-leases

Written by: Peggy Kirk Hall, Attorney and Director, Agricultural & Resource Law Program

September 1 is fast approaching, and it’s an especially important date for landowners who lease cropland under an existing lease that does not address when or how the lease terminates. In those situations, September 1 is the deadline established by Ohio law for a landowner to notify a tenant that the landowner wants to terminate the lease. If the landowner does not provide notice by September 1, the tenant operator has a legal argument that the lease continues for another lease term because it was not terminated by the deadline.

Here are a few important provisions about the statutory termination law that are important to understand:

  1. The September 1 termination date applies only to leases that do not address when or how the lease ends–such as a verbal lease or a written lease that lacks ending date or termination provisions.  If a crop lease does include a termination date or a deadline for giving notice of termination, the statutory termination date law does not affect or change those agreed upon terms.
  2. The September 1 termination date applies only applies to crop leases.  It does not apply to leases for pasture, timber, farm buildings, horticultural buildings, or leases solely for equipment.
  3. To meet the law’s requirements, a landowner must give the notice of termination in writing and deliver it to the tenant operator by hand, mail, fax, or email on or before September 1.  While the law does not specify what the termination must say, we recommend including the date of the notice, the identity of the lease property being terminated, and the date the lease terminates.  The statutory termination law states that the date of termination will be the earlier of the end of harvest or December 31, unless the parties agree otherwise.
  4. Tenant operators of leased land are not subject to the September 1 termination deadline—the law applies only to the landowner.  Even so, it’s important for tenant operators to understand the new law because the law intends to protect a tenant if a landowner attempts to terminate a lease after September 1.  In those instances, the law gives the tenant a legal argument that the lease should continue for another term because the termination notice was provided past the statutory termination deadline.

Put leases in writing to avoid the statutory termination law. This law illustrates the importance of having a written farm lease that includes termination and renewal provisions. The parties can agree in advance when the lease terminates or renews as well as how and when to provide notice of termination or renewal of the lease.  Clearly written and detailed terms provide certainty for both parties and reduce the risk of lost inputs, lost rents and profits, and litigation due to a “late” termination. For resources on written farm leases, visit aglease101.org and refer to our farmland leasing resources in our ag law library.

Read more about the statutory termination law in our law bulletin and refer to Ohio’s “termination of agricultural leases” law in Section 5301.71 of the Ohio Revised Code

Ohio Farmland Leasing Update

Join OSU Extension on August 15 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon for the “Ohio Farmland Leasing Update”  which will be held via Zoom webinar. Topics which will be discussed include:

  • Cash Rent Outlook–Survey Data and Key Issues Impacting Change
  • Legal Issues with Terminating a Farmland Lease
  • Drafting Farm Leases for Drainage Tile Improvements
  • Leasing the Pore Space Beneath Your Farmland
  • Farmland Leasing Resources

This webinar will be taught by Farm office team members Peggy Kirk Hall, Robert Moore, and Barry Ward.

There is no fee to attend this webinar, however registration is requested. Registration can be made at go.osu.edu/register4fol

Click here for a program flyer for this event.

Farm Office Live Webinar Schedule for April 25 at 10:00 a.m.

We’re preparing for another edition of our monthly webinar, Farm Office Live, on Friday, April 25 at 10 a.m.  Our featured guest this month is Dr. Margaret Jodlowski, Asst. Professor in the Dept. of Agricultural Environmental and Development Economics, who will discuss farm labor issues with us.  Our remaining agenda features the Farm Office team addressing these topics:

  • Strategies for Developing the Next Leader of Your Farm Operation – David Marrison, Farm Management Field Specialist
  • Crop Profit Outlook – Barry Ward, Production Business Management Leader
  • Farm Business Analysis Update – Clint Schroeder, Farm Business Analysis Program Manager
  • State and Federal Legislative Update – Peggy Hall, Agricultural & Resource Law Program Director
  • New Laws: Paystub Protection Act and Operation of Drones – Jeff Lewis, Agricultural & Resource Law/Tax Schools Attorney
  • Tax Update: Are Avian Flu Indemnifications Exempt? – Barry Ward and Jeff Lewis
  • Upcoming Events and Deadlines – David Marrison

Join in for this free webinar by registering at farmoffice.osu.edu/farmofficelive, where replays of previous webinars are also available. We hope to see you there!

 

Farm Office Live Webinar Slated for Friday, March 28 at 10:00 a.m.

OSU Extension will be offering a Farm Office Live webinar on Friday, March 28 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. Topics which will be addressed during this webinar include:

  • Grain Contract Law and Legal Considerations
  • Legislative Update
  • Enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act
  • Crop Margin Outlook, Ohio Farm Sales Data, and Tax Update
  • Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP)
  • Payment Limitation Rules
  • Farm Asset and Resource Management Spreadsheet (FARMS)
  • Beginner’s Guide to Farmland Ownership
  • Upcoming Events and Deadlines

Featured speakers include: Peggy Hall, David Marrison, Robert Moore, Barry Ward and guest speakers Eli Earich and Tyler Zimpfer.

Register for this and future Farm Office Live webinars through this link on farmoffice.osu.edu.

Past recordings and additional information about the Farm Office Live Webinars can be accessed at:

https://farmoffice.osu.edu/farmofficelive

Southern Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference

The 2nd Southern Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference will take place on April 4, 2025, at Bell Manor in Chillicothe, Ohio. The program will commence at 9:00 AM and will feature a day of engaging speakers, valuable networking opportunities, interactive workshops, and vendor exhibits.

Click here for a program flyer

Conference Highlights

  • Grant Writing Strategies—Gwynn Stewart, Assistant Director of Community Development and author of grant writing, will provide insights on identifying funding opportunities, crafting competitive applications, and building relationships with potential funders.
  • Marketing for Agricultural Businesses – Christy Welch and Kate Hornyak from OSU Extension Direct Marketing will offer guidance on effective marketing techniques to enhance audience engagement and business growth.
  • “From Soil to Success” Panel Discussion – A panel of experienced women farmers will share their insights and expertise:
    • Mandy Way – Farmers’ Markets
    • Dana Workman – Livestock
    • Liz Fundergurgh – Agronomic Crops
    • Alanna Reisinger – Floriculture Production
  • Photography for Marketing – Jenny Stoneking and Christy Millhouse of OSU Extension will lead a session on capturing high-quality images for promotional purposes using iPads, cameras, and mobile phones.
  • Hands-on Floral Workshop: Participants will learn the fundamentals of processing tulips into a floral arrangement and layering bulbs to cultivate multi-season blooms featuring daffodils, tulips, and crocuses. Each participant will leave with a floral arrangement.

Registration Details

The registration fee is $50, and participants may register online at go.osu.edu/womeninagconf. The deadline to register is March 28, 2025.

We invite women involved in agriculture to attend this enriching event, designed to foster professional growth, enhance skill development, and strengthen connections within the agricultural community.

For additional information, contact: Ryan Slaughter, OSU Extension Ross County at slaughter.71@osu.edu or by calling 740-702-3200 or visit our website or contact the event organizers. We look forward to your participation.

Farm Office Live Webinar to be held on February 21 from 10:00 to 12:00 noon

OSU Extension will be offering a Farm Office Live webinar on Friday, February 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Farm Office Live is a monthly webinar of updates and outlooks on legal, economic, and farm management issues that affect Ohio agriculture. Topics which will be addressed during the January webinar include:

  • 2025 Farm Bill Sign-up
  • Dairy Margin Coverage Sign-up
  • Charitable Remainder Trusts and Charitable Giving Strategies
  • Legislative Update
  • Electronic Signatures in Today’s Digital Age
  • Spring Crop Insurance Update
  • Updated Outlook for Crop Margins
  • Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rents Survey
  • Upcoming Events and Deadlines

Featured speakers include: Peggy Hall, Jason Hartschuh, Jeff Lewis, David Marrison, Robert Moore, Eric Richer, Clint Schroeder, Barry Ward and John Woods – Guest

Register for this and future Farm Office Live webinars through this link on farmoffice.osu.edu.

Past recordings and additional information about the Farm Office Live Webinars can be accessed at:

https://farmoffice.osu.edu/farmofficelive