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Farm Bill Education for Ohio’s Producers and Agribusinesses

Ben Brown, Christopher Zoller, and Mary Griffith

Summary

The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (The 2018 Farm Bill) reauthorized the risk management programs offered to producers in the Commodity Title (ARC-IC, ARC-CO, PLC, and DMC). In order to utilize these programs to effectively address risk, producers need a working knowledge of the structural changes to the programs and how they will function under current commodity price forecasts and yield scenarios. Ohio State University Extension partnered with the USDA Farm Service Agency in Ohio to provide a series of educational programs to help producers make informed decisions related to enrollment in commodity programs.

A team at OSU Extension developed a curriculum package including presentations, activities, handouts, and decision tools intended to help producers assess which program best fits the risk management needs of their operations. The team trained Extension educators to deliver informational programs and consult with producers throughout the state. Following train-the-trainer in-services, OSU Extension provided Ohio dairy producers with 31 local meetings covering the Dairy Margin Coverage Program, and has offered over 120 opportunities for crop producers interested in ARC/PLC programs to date. Additionally, distance learning has been available through recorded presentations and webinars.

Voluntary surveys are administered as part of each Farm Bill program to evaluate attitudes towards risk, as well as learning as a result of the program. This presentation summarizes survey results and lessons learned which will guide the team’s Farm Bill programming efforts in the future, as producers will have the option to make annual program election beginning in 2021.

Details

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