This week on the Ohio Ag Net Podcast, Matt Reese talks with Brian Baldridge, director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, about the critical issue of farmland preservation in Ohio and its impact on the future of agriculture. Do recent exceptions to farmland easements made with good intentions open up loopholes down the road? They explore the topic in depth.

Featured audio includes:

• Dale Minyo’s conversation with David Marrison of OSU Extension about key planning considerations for the year ahead.
• Brock Burcham of Farm Credit Mid-America discussing strategies for preparing for 2025.
• Joel Penhorwood catches up with Jeff Jostpille, a GrowNextGen teacher leader and science teacher at Fort Jennings High School, to talk about bringing agriculture into the classroom.
• Matt also interviews Randy Evans of Three Valley Conservation Trust about conservation efforts in the region.

Tune in for these stories and more on this week’s podcast!

In this week’s episode of the Ohio Ag Net Podcast, hosts Matt and Dusty are joined by Dee Jepsen from Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, and Ty Higgins of the Ohio Farm Bureau, to discuss the Ohio Agricultural Mental Health Alliance’s first farm stress survey results. The conversation dives into the survey's insights and what they mean for Ohio farmers' mental health and resilience.

Also in this episode:

• Dale talks with Shane Kellogg about the role of biodiesel and its benefits to Ohio agriculture.
• Matt chats with Devin Dye of Dye Real Estate and Land Co. for a look into farmland price trends and the market factors at play.
• Matt catches up with Garth Ruff from OSU Extension to cover alternative feed options for livestock this winter after the challenging growing season.

Tune in for these stories and more in this week’s Ohio Ag Net Podcast!

For many in Ohio agriculture, 2024 has been a particularly challenging year. As harvest wraps up and the season of thankfulness draws near, 2024 has offered plenty for farmers to reflect on, learn from and pray about. Please do not overlook the power of prayer in a year such as this.

On this week’s Ohio Ag Net Podcast, Matt Reese talks with Pastor Chris Reed from The Tree Church in Lancaster about the role, benefits and power of prayer in the lives of Ohio farmers agriculturalists.

Also featued in this podcast, we hear a series of beautiful farm-focused prayers from clergy from around Ohio. They include: Pastor Gregg Foxx, New Hope Church, Rawson; Pastor Dave Dooley, Napoleon Church of the Nazarene, Napoleon; an anonomous Catholic priest and pastor of a rural parish in southern Ohio; Pastor Kimberly Reese, College First Church of God, Findlay; and Pastor Wayne Downing, Goshen Friends Church, Zanesfield.