COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio farmers saved an average of $2,400 last year using Ohio State University Extension's Ohio Ag Manager newsletter as a farm management resource tool, according to an OSU Extension survey.
The survey was intended to capture the value of the newsletter and continue to address the needs of its subscribers through research-based and educational information. The Ohio Ag Manager newsletter, launched in 2004 from the OSU Extension team of the same name, provides farmers and agribusinesses the latest and best management and marketing information, as well as issues and trends impacting the agricultural industry.
"The $2,400 average savings was through tax savings, finding ways to cut costs, or through improved marketing," said David Marrison, an OSU Extension educator and an Ohio Ag Manager newsletter editor. "Based on our calculations, our subscribers, as a whole, saved an estimated $1.4 million."
According to the survey results, respondents believe that the Ohio Ag Manager newsletter is important to their agricultural business. Nearly 70 percent indicated that their business saved money or their profits increased through use of the newsletter. Consultants responding to the survey indicated that their clients saved an average of $1,500.
Subscribers taking part in the survey included farmers, educators, lenders, consultants, ag suppliers and landlords. Over 80 percent of participants indicated that they were able to make more-informed business decisions by using the newsletter. Other benefits of subscribing include: learning about Extension workshops, improved budgeting, cutting costs, time savings, improved marketing, saving tax dollars, and improved employee management skills.
The most popular topics of the Ohio Ag Manager newsletter included: farm business planning, financial management, management strategies, new technology, marketing, enterprise budgeting, tax management, estate planning, retirement planning, transition planning, investment planning, and employee management.
Authors of the Ohio Ag Manager newsletter include OSU Extension educators and Extension specialists from the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics.
The newsletter currently has 550 subscribers from across the country, including Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota, Minnesota, West Virginia, Nebraska, Missouri, Virginia, Kansas, Wyoming, Oklahoma and New York.
The free newsletter is published monthly. It's been recognized for excellence by the National Association of County Agricultural Agents and selected as a North Central Region winner in the NACAA Communications Contest. To access the newsletter, log on to http://ohioagmanager.osu.edu.