Author: Nanette Neal

SBA Relief Still Available to Ohio Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by September Drought

Deadline to apply for economic injury loans approaching

ATLANTA—The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Ohio of the June 2 deadline to apply for low-interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the drought beginning Sept. 24, 2024.
The disaster declaration covers the Ohio counties of Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Coshocton, Guernsey, Hamilton, Highland, Holmes, Knox, Licking, Montgomery, Muskingum, Pike, Preble, Scioto, Tuscarawas and Warren and Dearborn, Franklin, and Union in Indiana as well as Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Kenton, Lewis, Mason, and Pendleton in Kentucky.

Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs with financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.

EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster, even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

“Through a declaration by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, SBA provides critical financial assistance to help communities recover,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “We’re pleased to offer loans to small businesses and private nonprofits impacted by these disasters.”

The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. For more information on SBA, applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Consider attending a “New Sprayer Technologies and Best Practices for Vineyards and Orchards” workshop on August 12.  

This workshop allows you to learn the best spraying practices using conventional sprayers and the new technology available to growers to make the pesticide application more precise and cost-effective. For example, you will see an “intelligent sprayer” with an AI application (developed here in Ohio several years ago) that detects the existence of targets to be sprayed and varies the application rate on the go depending on the canopy characteristics (size, canopy leaf density). Another new technology gaining popularity is using drones to spray pesticides. These new technologies and several types of conventional orchard/vineyard sprayers will be demonstrated in the afternoon part of the workshop. There will be plenty of time to talk with the presenters of talks and the vendors who will bring their sprayers to the site for demonstrations.

The attached flyer provides detailed information about this workshop, including location, agenda, and registration, but here is the key information you should know.

DATE: August 12, 2025

TIME: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Quarry Hill Winery & Orchard, 8403 Mason Rd #2, Berlin Heights, OH 44814

REGISTRATION COST (includes lunch and refreshments): Early Registration: $45 per person until July 1; Late Registration: $60 per person, July 2 until August 1

REGISTER at https://go.osu.edu/spray2025

FLYER  

The morning part of the workshop will be indoors, with limited seating capacity. Registration will be closed once the seating capacity is reached, so please consider registering early.

This event is a collaboration between Ohio State University Extension, Michigan State University Extension, Pennsylvania State University Extension, and the USDA-ARS Application Technology Research Unit.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the following organizers of the workshop:

Erdal Ozkan: ozkan.2@osu.edu

Maria Smith:  smith.12720@osu.edu

Frank Becker: becker.587@osu.edu

Tick Webinar on May 7th

Join Ohio State tick experts on Wednesday, May 7, at 4 p.m. to learn more about the growing public health concern caused by the exploding tick population in the Buckeye State.

Meet the experts:

Risa Pesapane, PhD

Associate professor, College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

 

Tim McDermott, DVM

Assistant professor, Ohio State Extension, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

The webinar will highlight:

  • Tick species
  • Tick pathogens
  • Tick-borne diseases
  • Tick bite prevention
  • Proper tick removal
  • Buckeye Tick Test, Ohio State’s new tick-borne pathogen testing service

Buckeye Tick Test Flyer

Register Here

The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Infectious Diseases Institute are partnering to host a webinar that highlights this important public health issue.

Farm Office Live

OSU Extension will offer a Farm Office Live webinar on Friday, April 25, at 10:00 a.m. Farm Office Live is a monthly webinar of updates and outlooks on legal, economic, and farm management issues that affect Ohio agriculture.

Our featured guest this month is Dr. Margaret Jodlowski, Assistant Professor in the Department 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.

Just-in-Time or “Gig” workers Survey

A research team from OSU (Extension, ATI, and AEDE) is surveying the role that just-in-time or “gig” workers could play in the agricultural labor force across Ohio. Please consider filling out this survey, regardless of your current role in an agricultural operation. Your responses will contribute valuable insights into this ongoing issue in the state’s farm economy. The survey is confidential and should take no more than 10-15 minutes.

April’s Women in Ag Wednesday Webinar

Join us on April 2, 2025, for the next session on… Tips and Tricks for Building Healthy Soils

Join Manbir Rakkar, OSU Assistant Professor of Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management, for a session that will discuss the importance of soil health and outline strategies for promoting healthy soils. 

Register for the entire series using this link once. go.osu.edu/wiawednesdaywebinars2025  

The 2025 Series will take place on the first Wednesday of each month.​

10:30 am – 11:30 am​

Via Zoom Platform

​

Tri-State High Tunnel School

Friday, March 14, 2025
9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Eastern
Cost: $25 per person
Pesticide Credits Pending

Register: go.osu.edu/htschool

Join us for an exciting new endeavor: the Tri-State High Tunnel School. This school is focused on high tunnel production and offers information to benefit commercial growers, beginning farmers, and educators, among others. Lunch is included with your registration.

Join us in person at one of several host locations:

Ohio – Piketon, Chillicothe, Wooster, Tiffin

Indiana – Goshen, Richmond

Michigan – Ann Arbor

Hosted by Extension Specialists and Educators from Michigan State University, Purdue University, and The Ohio State University.

QUESTIONS: Bradford Sherman (sherman.1473@osu.edu)

 

Event Sponsors:

Ohio Agroforestry Summit

Agroforestry is the intentional combination of trees and shrubs with other agricultural products. That could be planting trees in your pasture, growing crops between rows of nut trees, cultivating medicinal plants in your woods, and many other land management practices!

Friday, March 7, 2025

9:00 am

Shisler Conference Center, 1860 Madison Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691

Register at go.osu.edu/AFsummit

OSU Extension offering virtual Farm Transition and Estate Planning Course in February

If you and your family are grappling with the critical issue of transitioning farm operations and farm assets to the next generation, OSU Extension is here to help. Producers are encouraged to attend a four-evening virtual “Planning for the Future of Your Farm” workshop on February 3, 10, 17, and 24, 2025, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. via Zoom.

This workshop challenges farm families to actively plan for the future of the farm business. Learn how to have crucial conversations about your farm’s future and better understand the strategies and tools that can help you transfer your ffarm’sownership, management, and assets to the next generation. We encourage parents, children, and grandchildren to attend together to develop a plan for the future of the family and farm. The teaching faculty for the workshop are David Marrison, an OSU Extension Farm Management Field Specialist, and Robert Moore, an attorney for the OSU Agricultural & Resource Law Program.

Pre-registration is required so that a packet of program materials can be mailed to participating families in advance. Electronic copies of the course materials will also be available to all participants. The registration fee is $99 per farm family. Register by January 24, 2025, to receive course materials in time. Register at go.osu.edu/successionregistration. If you have questions about the workshop, do not hesitate to contact David Marrison at marrison.2@osu.edu or 740-722-6073.