COLUMBUS, Ohio — Wondering what’s going to happen with the next U.S. Farm Bill? Want to know more about consumers, shopping and local foods? Or do you have questions regarding the U.S. trade policy and what the prospects are for agricultural trade?

Answers to these questions and more can be found next week at the Agricultural Policy and Outlook Conference Nov. 18–19 offered by agricultural economists at The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). The conference is a series of one-hour webinars focused on Ohio’s agricultural and food industry. It is hosted by experts with the CFAES Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics.

The conference will be held virtually over two days, with experts covering issues important to producers, agribusinesses, and elected officials. CFAES agricultural economists will speak along with other experts from Washington, D.C., other leading land-grant institutions, and the Federal Reserve System. Each webinar begins at 9 a.m. and will include an opportunity for audience members to ask questions.

Speakers at the conference will offer their recap of 2021 and forecasts for 2022 at the national, regional, and local levels, event organizers said.

On Nov. 18, talks will include the following:

• Session One (9–10 a.m.): “Consumers, Shopping, and Local Food: What’s Next?” presented by Zoë Plakias, a CFAES assistant professor of agricultural, environmental, and development economics.
• Session Two (11 a.m.–noon): “Now Hiring: An Ohio Food and Agricultural Labor Update,” presented by Margaret Jodlowski, a CFAES assistant professor of agricultural economics and policy.
• Session Three (1–2 p.m.): “US Trade Policy and Prospects for Agricultural Trade,” presented by Ian Sheldon, a CFAES professor and the Andersons Chair of Agricultural Marketing, Trade, and Policy.

The Nov. 19 lineup includes the following:

• Session One (9–10 a.m.): “Agricultural Commodity Markets: Trends and Prospects,” presented by Seungki Lee, a CFAES assistant professor of agricultural, environmental, and development economics.
• Session Two(11 a.m.–noon): “Ag Finance Recovery,” presented by Nathan Kauffman, the vice president and an Omaha branch executive with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
• Session Three (1–2 p.m.): “A Conversation About the Next U.S. Farm Bill,” presented by Jonathan Coppess, an assistant professor and the director of the Gardner Agriculture Policy Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

To register and for more information about the conference, visit go.osu.edu/2021_aedeconference. This site also has links to the conferences from the past four years.

— Ohio State University CFAES