By: Tracy Turner
COLUMBUS, Ohio — At a time when tariffs, international trade shifts and climate extremes are shaping the future of food and farming in Ohio, experts and decision-makers will gather Nov. 18 at the 2025 Agricultural Outlook and Policy Conference to share the latest insights and tangible solutions for Ohio’s agricultural community in Columbus.
Hosted by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics (AEDE) at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, the annual event aims to illuminate research, policy and best practices on topics pivotal to Ohio’s agriculture and rural life.
The conference, supported by the Ohio Farm Bureau and Three Rivers Energy, begins at 8 a.m. and is free, but registration is required. Attendees will hear up-to-the-minute insights on economic and policy trends and will engage with leading researchers and voices from across Ohio’s agricultural community.
“AEDE works to understand the problems faced by Ohio agriculture and rural communities and then provide research-based insights to help people with those problems,” said Amy Ando, AEDE professor and department chair. “The Outlook and Policy Conference is a key opportunity for us to meet people in person, hear their concerns and have interactive conversations about the insights we have to share.”
This year’s conference will feature presentations on urgent topics including energy, labor markets, food systems, renewable fuels, livestock, trade policy and grain markets.
“Agriculture and rural areas face a host of challenges right now,” Ando said. “Factors like tariffs, animal diseases, weather shocks, interest rates, immigration policy and energy policy combine to create tough times but also some rays of light for many farmers and rural communities.”
International trade is among the most complex of those challenges.
“Export markets are critical to U.S. farmers,” said Ian Sheldon, holder of The Andersons Endowed Chair in Agricultural Marketing, Trade and Policy at CFAES. “Three key trade policy issues are the extent to which China meets its commitment to import 12 million tons of U.S. soybeans; the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court on across-the-board tariffs; and whether trade agreements with Japan and other partners can provide alternative export markets.”
As the trade policy landscape continues to evolve, Sheldon stressed the importance of monitoring these developments for Ohio’s producers and agribusinesses.
“Ongoing trade wars are impacting outlooks — especially for soybeans, with U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasting no exports from Ohio to China this year — which means growers in the state are relying more than ever on markets like Indonesia and Taiwan,” he said.
The conference will also analyze market trends affecting farm margins, input costs and Ohio producers’ bottom lines.
“Trade will influence the economic outlook in terms of its impact on commodity prices, farm margins and even farm inputs like chemicals and fertilizers also being affected by U.S. tariffs,” Sheldon said. “Given Mexico and Canada are the top two U.S. agricultural export markets, ongoing trade relations with them is critical — especially with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement due for review in 2026.”
In addition to Ando and Sheldon, several other CFAES and industry experts will present the latest data and analyses:
- Brent Sohngen, CFAES professor of environmental and resource economics, will discuss Ohio’s energy outlook.
- Margaret Jodlowski, CFAES assistant professor, will examine labor market trends affecting agriculture across the state.
- Jared Grant, CFAES assistant professor, will present on food systems.
- Chen-Ti Chen, CFAES assistant professor, will focus on livestock sector developments.
- Gabe Lade, CFAES associate professor and holder of the C. William Swank Chair in Rural and Urban Policy, will discuss renewable fuels.
- Seungki Lee, CFAES assistant professor, will outline new dynamics in grain markets.
- Barry Ward, director of the OSU Income Tax School and leader in production business management at Ohio State University Extension, will cover farm margins and income tax issues.
- Ben Ayers, Nationwide senior economist, will provide a macroeconomic outlook for the agricultural industry.
Behind these trends is CFAES’ essential mission to create tools, share knowledge and drive practical solutions for Ohio’s producers and agribusinesses.
“We work independently and with our Extension colleagues to help producers and agribusinesses remain profitable in challenging times while identifying strategies for agriculture to safeguard Ohio’s natural resources that are so important to rural quality of life,” Ando said.