Gaining various perspectives on agricultural policies can be a never-ending process, especially as we enter the 2012 election year. A good place to start might be by attending the Dec. 15 Ohio Grain Farmers Symposium in Wilmington, Ohio, hosted by the Ohio Soybean Assoc. and the Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Assoc. Federal and state government as well as farm organization leaders head the speaker corps for the event.

Come as early as 7 a.m. to the Roberts Centre and Holiday Inn, located at 123 Galina Road in Wilmington, Ohio, to register and enjoy a sponsored breakfast while engaging with trade show participants. Take advantage of the “Early Bird Marketing Report” at 8:30 a.m. for insight on grain production economics in 2012.

After a brief welcome at 9 a.m., Joe Shultz, from Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office, will give a “Farm Bill Update.” Shultz, who grew up on a Logan County farm, advises the Senate Ag Committee member on agricultural issues. Listen to and meet Joe, so you can find out how to contribute your ideas for the bill writing process.

Newly-appointed as director to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Jim Zehringer is looking forward to sharing a “Water Quality Update” with the grain producer audience. Zehringer moved to his new position after initially serving as director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA). A number of farmers have openly expressed a desire for more practical leadership in ODNR, and believe the former ODA director is an excellent leadership choice.

A National Wheat Growers Assoc. update from Dana Peterson and Paul Penner follows on the agenda. Next up, “Image of Farming: Why Farmers Should Care?”, is presented by Ladonna Lee from the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance. The USFRA is a recently formed alliance consisting of a wide range of prominent farmer- and rancher-led organizations and agricultural partners. The group is collaborating to lead the dialogue and answer Americans’ questions about how we raise our food – while being stewards of the environment, responsibly caring for our animals and maintaining strong businesses and communities.

Following lunch, breakout sessions from 1:15 to 2 p.m. include: “Water Quality Concerns: Threatening your right to farm?” “2012 Market Outlook for Inputs, Land and Rent Values” and “Shale Gas: What’s in it for you?”

After another trip to the trade show, the breakout sessions are repeated until 3:45 p.m. Awards and the annual business meetings of the host organizations wrap up the day from 4 to 4:45 p.m.  

The cost?  Members $35. Non-members $45. To pre-register, call OSA at 888-769-6446 or visit online at www.ohiograinfarmerssymposium.org/ for a registration form and full symposium agenda. Make all checks payable to the Ohio Soybean Assoc. and send to the OSA at 918 Proprietors Road, Suite A, Worthington, Ohio 43085; or pay at the event.

Mark your calenders for the Jan. 9, 2012 West Ohio Agronomy Day at Ft. Loramie, Ohio. Daytime and evening sessions are highlighted by Ohio State and Purdue University Extension and other experts. Nearly 300 farmers and agri-business representatives have attended in recent years to learn more about crop production, environmental challenges, and grain marketing. 

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Roger Bender may write to him in care of this publication.