LONDON, Ohio – Whether it’s learning how to navigate new tax laws, mitigating landowner liability or preserving cattle value from farm to market, attendees of this year’s Farm Science Review will likely have a lot of questions on their minds.

The 60th Farm Science Review is Sept. 20-22 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London.

Faculty and staff from Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) will answer those questions and address some of the top farm management and veterinary medicine challenges facing Ohio farmers at the show’s “Ask the Expert” workshops. These 20-minute workshops will feature discussions aimed at helping farmers mitigate these challenges and other issues forefront on farmer’s minds.

“Our experts will share science-based recommendations and solutions to the issues growers are facing regarding weather impacts, tax issues and many others,” said David Marrison, OSU Extension educator and one of the many panelists at the show. Marrison will be discussing dysfunction in family business succession at this year’s show.

“We encourage farmers, growers, people in the ag industry, to attend these quick-hitting 20-minute sessions, where they’re able to speak one-on-one with experts in farm management to help them with their specific needs,” Marrison said.

One of the hottest topics in agriculture today is carbon sequestration and carbon markets. Carbon stored in the soil may soon become the newest commodity crop in agriculture. The idea is to farm in a manner that allows crops to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in the soil, thus reducing the amount of greenhouse gases contributing to atmospheric warming.

Mike Estadt, of CFAES, is an expert in this area and he will explain how new carbon markets are emerging that give farmers a financial incentive to store carbon.

Another topic that is hot on the minds of food animal growers is the scarcity of veterinarians. Jack Advent, executive director at the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association, will lead discussions with his topic, Will There be a Vet When My Animals Are Sick?

“I would not call it a dire situation, but there is a shortage of veterinarians right now and we do feel the veterinarian shortage in certain rural pockets across the state,” Advent said. “The challenge is that we don’t have enough vets to meet demand, whether it be dog, cat or bird.”

During Advent’s Ask the Expert segment, he will outline things that are being done across the state to address this dilemma and help turn things around, such as state and federal loan repayments, and recruiting young people specifically for rural areas.

“Part of the challenge is when vets go into small communities, they need enough business to sustain an active practice,” Advent said. “In many ways it’s an issue of food animal population density. On top of that, vets coming out of Ohio State University will be $200,000 in debt.”

Dr. Gustavo Schuenemann, of Ohio State’s Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, will discuss the latest issues in dealing with over-the-counter antibiotics.

“In June, the FDA announced that all medically important antimicrobials will move from over-the-counter to prescription with a two-year implementation period,” Schuenemann said. “By June of 2023, all medically important antibiotics currently available at most feed or farm supply stores will now require veterinary oversight to be used in animals, even if the animals are not intended for food production.”

In all, there are 45 Ask the Expert segments, each 20 minutes long with a wide variety of enticing and pertinent topics.

Stephen Boyles, a livestock extension specialist who now deals with animal welfare, will discuss how to preserve cattle value from farm to market. Ian Sheldon, who serves as Ohio State’s Andersons Chair of Agricultural Marketing, will talk about agricultural trade in the shadow of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Margaret Jodlowski, an ag economist who focuses on agricultural labor and risk management, will lead a discussion on “Agriculture Labor: Who will Work on my Farm.” Seungki Lee, whose expertise is in the areas of agricultural economics, environmental and resource economics, will offer a grain marketing outlook.

David Apsley, who has 30 years of experience in forestry and natural resources education and management, will explain how to maximize income from timber sales.

Ani Katchova, farm income enhancement chair in OSU’s Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics, will discuss where Ohio farms are financially. Barry Ward, director of OSU’s Income Tax School for OSU Extension, will discuss the farm profitability outlook with projected input costs and land values.

Other topics include mitigating and managing landowner liability, current disease challenges and future risks, dangers of ticks, long term care, improving soil health, farm safety and tips on recordkeeping.