Ohio: Moving From the Eastern Edge of the Corn Belt to the Western Edge of the Population Belt Regio

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Ohio Moving From the Eastern Edge of the Corn
Belt to the Western Edge of the Population
BeltRegional Sustainability ForumOARDC, Wooster

• Mike Hogan
• Extension Educator Co-Coordinator
• Sustainable Agriculture Team

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Sustaining Family Farms in Northeast Ohio

• Old Thinking New Thinking
• -Commodity focus -Customer focus
• -Conquer nature -Work in harmony
• with nature
• -Always add inputs -Cycle inputs
• -Maximize production -Optimize pro-
• duction

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Sustaining Family Farms in Northeast Ohio

• Old Thinking New Thinking
• -Get big or get out -Get different or
• get out
• -Industrial model -Entrepreneurial
• model
• -Farmer laborer -Farmer manager
• -Ohio a livestock -Ohio a crop and
• state livestock state

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Sustaining Family Farms in Northeast Ohio

• Old Thinking New Thinking
• -Inexpensive land - -Expensive land
• own it control it
• -Specialize -Diversify
• -Global -Local
• CONVENTIONAL SUSTAINABLE
• AGRICULTURE AGRICULTURE

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Sustaining Family Farms in Northeast Ohio

• Three groups of alternatives for farm families
• Alternative enterprises
• Alternative production systems
• Alternative marketing systems

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Sustaining Family Farms in Northeast Ohio

• 1. Alternative Enterprises
• -fruits and vegetables
• -livestock
• -aquaculture
• -green industry
• -agritourism/agritainment
• -lots more!

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Sustaining Family Farms in Northeast Ohio

• 2. Alternative Production Systems
• -organic systems
• -grass-based systems
• -reduced-tillage systems
• -season-extension w/tunnels
• -cover crops

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Sustaining Family Farms in Northeast Ohio

• Alternative Marketing Systems
• -Market directly to consumers
• -Farmers Markets
• -On-Farm Markets
• -CSAs
• -Over the Road (Schwanns)
• -Web-Based Markets

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Sustaining Family Farms in Northeast Ohio

• Alternative Marketing Systems
• -Market to institutions
• -Restaurants
• -Grocery stores
• -Schools universities
• -Government

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Sustaining Family Farms in Northeast Ohio

• Alternative Marketing Systems
• -Niche markets
• -Organic and natural markets
• -Identity preserved grains
• -Ethnic markets
• -Branded products
• -Functional foods
• -Food grade grains

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Sustaining Family Farms in Northeast Ohio

• Alternative Marketing Systems
• -Add value to your product
• -Processed foods
• -Services
• -Agritourism

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Sustaining Family Farms in Northeast Ohio

• Alternative Marketing Systems
• -Cooperatives and alliances
• act bigger without getting bigger

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Sustaining Family Farms in Northeast Ohio

• Challenges in Northeast Ohio
• -Urban Sprawl
• -Population increases
• -Education of non-farm public
• -Farmland preservation/zoning
• -Recognition of ag as economic devt.
• -Need to pay for stewardship

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