Master Your Farm Business

The Ohio Soybean Council and soybean checkoff is committed to supporting young and beginning farmers as they start to build their own successful farm operations. Out of this commitment came the concept for the GrowU program, a series of free, online master classes taught by industry experts and academics, to provide young soybean producers the foundational knowledge they need to propel their farm from a way of life to a full-fledged, growing business. In the form of short, 15-20 minute-long videos, these sessions will cover topics including farm profitability, taxes, and grain marketing. The classes are meant to serve as an introduction to these topics and provide participants with the tools to seek out further information as they continue farming. Learners will work through the three classes at their own pace to complete the program within one year.

*To receive your GrowU certificate, you must submit completed workbooks via email to Julia Brown at jbrown@soyohio.org.* 

Grain Marketing with Dwayne Wilson

Put together a marketing plan that will help you capture profitable prices to continue farming year after year.

Dwayne Wilson is a grain merchandising specialist with White Commercial Corporation. For the last 15 years, Dwayne has been helping Ohio producers successfully market their grain.

Taxes with Barry Ward

Tax management strategies to make you more profitable in the years to come.

Barry Ward is a leader for Production Business Management and Director of Ohio State University Income Tax School for OSU Extension. Barry was born and raised on a farm in Ohio. He’s been in the tax field and teaching about taxes for over 30 years.

Building a Business Plan with Dianne Shoemaker

They say the top third of farms have the most fun! Here is how you can dig into the numbers to get your farm up there.

Dianne Shoemaker is an Ohio State University field specialist in Dairy Production Economics. She is also a leader for the Ohio Farm Business Analysis and Benchmarking Program. Dianne has a passion for numbers and lives on a dairy farm in Mahoning County with her husband Steve. As her farm’s bookkeeper, Dianne lives what she teaches!