July/August 2025 Our Ohio
Protecting Ohio agriculture is deeply woven into the fabric of what Ohio Farm Bureau does day in and day out. The theme of this edition is ag and the law.
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Half the farmland in the U.S. is owned by individuals who are at least 65 years old, and many families don’t have a farm transition plan in place – or even know where to start.
Ohio Farm Bureau has information on programs and tips on how to start the farm succession conversation, as do several of the organization’s partners. Our legal team can point members in the right direction.
Land As Your Legacy
As Ohio Farm Bureau’s Heritage Partner, Nationwide helps protect the financial security of farms, families and futures with its Land As Your Legacy transition plan program.
The Land As Your Legacy team partners with a farm family’s team of financial, legal and tax professionals to help map out a plan for future generations. At no cost, Nationwide will develop a transition plan focused on helping protect the future for the business and the family.
Nationwide’s team of legal and tax professionals can help ensure the successful transition of a family business from one generation to the next and preserve the legacy that’s been built.
Ohio Farm Resolution Services
If it was as simple as everyone with a vested interest in the family farm coming together to plan the next steps for its future, everyone would do it. Often, it’s not that simple.
With over 76,000 farms and 13 million acres of diverse farmland in Ohio, conflicts commonly arise that can lead to disputes within families and can cause harmful effects that threaten the viability of Ohio agriculture.
The goal of Ohio Farm Resolution Services at The Ohio State University is to cultivate solutions to the conflicts that impact Ohio’s farms and farm families.
Established in October 2023 with funding from the USDA Farm Service Agency’s Certified Mediation Program, the program serves Ohio agriculture with a three-pronged approach to helping resolve farm conflicts that includes educational resources on Ohio farm conflict issues, conflict resolution and consultation services by OSU Extension legal and farm management specialists, and formal mediation services by trained mediators.
KEY POINTS
- More than half of the nation’s farmland is owned by those 65 or older.
- Farm transition planning is essential to the future of a farm and the industry.
- Farm families have resources to help them establish transition plans.
WHAT’S NEXT
While the transfer of assets is often talked about when it comes to creating a succession plan, the transfer of knowledge is equally as important. A recent Ohio Farm Bureau Podcast featured experts from Wright and Moore who shared tips on successful succession plans and the timing for moving assets to the next generation.
My first recommendation in your journey is to start out with a local farming friend or mentor along with joining an organization like Ohio Farm Bureau.
We’re just so thankful for the Farm Bureau and the foundation for helping put this together. And of course, the Boyert family for the vision they had with this grant. It’s jumping us forward 10 years. It’s unbelievable.
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
It wasn’t until I joined the Wilmington College Collegiate Farm Bureau that I truly saw how my passion could translate into leadership, advocacy and a career.
The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
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Legalities of leaving a family legacy
Ohio Farm Bureau has information on programs and tips on how to start the farm succession conversation, as do several of the organization’s partners.
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