The Farm Science Review (FSR) was a great success and literally thousands of farmers, youth, and agricultural enthusiasts attended this past week.
While I was working at the FSR, I was able to see several from Clinton County in attendance.
One of the popular areas was the Small Farm Center. As in the past, this area had many small farm topics throughout the week. If you did not attend this year, I encourage you to next year.
There is another great opportunity coming this fall for Small Farm Land owners to participate in. The Extension offices in Coshocton and Greene counties will be hosting the 2022 Beginner & Small Farm College on October 24 and 31 and November 7 from 6:30-9 p.m.
This college is designed to help landowners examine potential ways to increase profits on their small acreage properties.
The program is open to all new or aspiring farmers, new rural landowners, small farmers, and farm families.
During this college, participants will be challenged to develop realistic expectations for their new farm business. They will receive information on getting started, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of their property, and developing a farm business plan.
Information on farm finances, insurance, liability, labor and marketing will be covered during the college. The topics included in this workshop include:
October 24 — Getting Started on Your New Farm Business
• Developing real-life expectations for your farm.
• Examining the available resources and opportunities for your property.
• Developing a farm business plan, including setting your family and farm mission, goals and objectives.
• An introduction to marketing and selling agricultural products.
October 31 – Money, Money, Money! Managing your Farm Finances
• Developing a family and farm balance sheet.
• Using enterprise budgets to project farm income.
• Recordkeeping for farm businesses and farm taxes.
• Managing family and farm income and expenses.
November 7 – There’s More to Farming than Just Growing Stuff!
• Farm Management for New Farms
• Setting up your farm business, including choosing a business entity and obtaining employer identification numbers.
• Farm taxes.
• Obtaining farm financing.
• Insurance and liability for farms.
• Licenses and permits needed for a small farm business.
• Employer responsibilities related to farm labor and labor laws.
Farm Tour (Date & Location TBD)
Each site host will be planning a farm tour so participants can visit with a successful local farming operation to learn how they started and what they have learned during the development of their farm business.
Registration
The cost is $30 for the first person and $15 for each additional. Registration is limited to the first 50 registrants per location. Registration deadline is October 17.
There are two methods to register for this college. Registration online can be made at go.osu.edu/smallfarmcollegeregor.
Registration can also be made by mailing in a registration form to the site host for the location you plan to attend. You can request a registration flyer by calling the Clinton County Extension office at (937) 382-0901 or emailing Tony Nye at [email protected]
Mail registrations for Coshocton County site to: OSU Extension-Coshocton County, c/o David Marrison, 724 South 7th St., Room 110, Coshocton, OH 43812.
Mail registrations for Greene County Site to: OSU Extension-Greene County, c/o Trevor Corboy, 100 Fairground Road, Xenia, OH 45385
For more information about the Coshocton County location, contact David Marrison at [email protected] or (740) 722-6073.
For more information about the Greene County location, contact Trevor Corboy at [email protected] or (937) 736-7203.
Tony Nye is the state coordinator for the Ohio State University Extension Small Farm Program and has been an OSU Extension Educator for agriculture and natural resources for over 30 years, currently serving Clinton County and the Miami Valley EERA.
