Website/Online Content

Brown, B.*¹, , Griffith, M.*², , Zoller, C.*³,
¹ Manager, Farm Management Program, OSU Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics, Columbus, OH, 43210
² Extension Educator, Agriculture & Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, London, OH, 43140
³ Associate Professor & Extension Educator, ANR, OSU Extension, Tuscarawas County, New Philadelphia, OH, 44663

The Ohio State University Extension (OSU Extension) developed several educational resources for producers  seeking information related to the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 2018 (the Farm Bill). OSU Extension’s Farm Bill coordinators developed a website compiling these resources with the objective of aiding producers in greater understanding of the programs and the tools available to help evaluate enrollment decisions.

The website, titled OSU Farm Bill Decision Central, includes seven sub-pages. The first page houses Excel based decision tools estimating payments under each program given different national prices and local yield scenarios. The tools,  downloaded 10,440 times to date, have been downloaded by producers in Ohio as well as known states of Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, and North Dakota. This page also includes decision tools developed at other universities, and instructional videos developed by program coordinators on how to utilize the decision tools.

The Commodity Program Resources page includes five recorded webinars outlining the structure and mechanics of crop commodity programsas well as important dates and deadlines. The webinars have over 6,000 views to date.

A County Meetings page lists upcoming meeting details in chronological order allowing visitors to find upcoming educational Farm Bill workshops offered by OSU Extension throughout the state. A clickable map is included enabling visitors to search for meetings by geographical area. 177 meetings have been listed on this page leading to a total of over 6,000 participants attending meetings in a three month period.

Commitment to user satisfaction and timely delivery inspired the Frequently Asked Questions page. All questions emailed or phoned into county offices and relayed to the state office were responded to directly, but also posted on this page for other acquirers. Users expressed gratitude for accuracy in fluid policy changes and for accessibility past OSU Extension business hours. Other pages include Dairy Program Resources, Farm Bill Summit, and Related Articles.

The website has been promoted by local county Extension Offices, the Ohio Farm Bureau, the Farm Service Agency, and media sources including Ohio’s Country Journal and several local papers. The site has received over 23,000 pageviews over a period of five months.

URL: https://aede.osu.edu/research/osu-farm-management/2018-farm-bill