Resolve to have OSU Extension help you find success in new year

Happy New Year! I think most were happy to see 2020 come to an end…and we all hope 2021 brings a return to more normal life. At the start of each year many people make resolutions to improve some aspect of life. Others select a word or words that will guide their thinking and actions during the year.

Did you make a resolution or pick a word for 2021? I encourage you to make (and keep) a resolution to use Ohio State University Extension resources to help you be successful in 2021 and beyond. As you read this article, reflect on how one or more of these resources can benefit you, your family, and your business. Farm Management

Farm Office is your one-stop shop for all things farm management from Ohio State University Extension. Here are some of the helpful things you can find on the Farm Office website, farmoffice.osu.edu.

Farm Office Live features OSU Extension professionals Peggy Hall, David Marrison, Dianne Shoemaker and Barry Ward. These experts address a variety of farm management topics during each broadcast.

It will broadcast live eight times from January to April: 7-8:30 p.m. Jan. 13; 10-11:30 a.m. Jan. 15; 7-8:30 p.m. Feb. 10; 10-11:30 a.m. Feb. 12; 7-8:30 p.m. March 10; 10-11:30 a.m. March 12; 7-8:30 p.m. April 7; and 10-11:30 a.m. April 9.

There is no cost to participate in these programs, but preregistration is requested. Registration information is available here: https://go.osu.edu/farmofficelive

The Ohio Ag Manager newsletter is another source of farm management information available from OSU Extension. Published monthly, this electronic newsletter focuses on a variety of timely farm management topics. It can be found here: https://u.osu.edu/ohioagmanager/

Programs

The Ohio Farm Business Analysis and Benchmarking Program offered by OSU Extension is an excellent resource for in-depth analysis of your financial records.

The goal of the program is to help farm families achieve financial success in today’s challenging markets. The program can assist with analyzing farm finances and answering questions about long-range budgeting. Additional information is available here: https://farmprofitability.osu.edu/

The most recent Farm Bill established the Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs for crop production. OSU Extension will host two educational opportunities on these options.

The virtual sessions will be held at 1 p.m. Jan. and 9 a.m. Feb. 25. The program will include a discussion of the Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs, market outlook and the decision tool available to evaluate options.

There is no cost to attend, but pre-registration is requested. Registration information is available here: http://go.osu.edu/arcplc2021

Online tools

Production budgets for corn, soybean, and wheat are published annually. These Excel-based budgets allow you to examine variable costs, fixed costs, and projected returns. Budgets are available here: https://farmoffice.osu.edu/farm-mgt-tools/farm-budgets.

Farm custom rates for a variety of production activities are available here: https://farmoffice.osu.edu/farm-mgt-tools/custom-rates-and-machinery-costs. Topics include soil preparation, fertilizer and chemical applications, manure application, planting, harvesting and more.

Ohio State University Extension maintains a dairy website, https://dairy.osu.edu/, with a tremendous amount of information and resources. The Buckeye Dairy News, Dairy Issue Briefs and the Dairy Excel 15 Measures of Dairy Farm Competitiveness are just a few of the resources on the website that may be of interest.