COLUMBUS, Ohio — The seventh annual Ohio Grain Farmers’ Symposium is scheduled for mid-month on The Ohio State University campus.

The event, sponsored by the Ohio Soybean Assoc. (OSA) and Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Assoc. (OCWGA), is Dec. 17.

The conference gives members of those organizations the chance to interact with each other and with association leaders, said Adam Graham, OSA president. The symposium is free and open to members and non-members.

“We want (attendees) to talk to us and communicate some of the issues they have,” he stated. “We also want feedback on how we as organizations are doing.” About 150 people attended last year’s conference.

The symposium agenda includes presentations on key concerns such as the current economic situation for farmers and the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Graham said. “For seven years, we’ve been doing significant adjustments to the agenda to cover what farmers are looking for,” he explained. “For the farmer who comes every year, they’re going to get something new each time.

“The current situation (in farming) is economic,” he added. “We’re all concerned with land values, cash rents, input costs and tighter margins. These are huge things in farmers’ minds. This is our livelihood.”

The TPP would lower trade barriers among 12 countries, including the United States, Mexico, Australia and Japan. “(TPP) is very important to Ohio farmers,” Graham noted. “Every other row of soybeans harvested gets exported. The export market is very huge for Ohio.”

OSU faculty will lead several presentations during the conference. Barry Ward, an assistant professor with extension, will discuss land values, cash rents, costs and margins beginning at 9:45 a.m. The session on the TPP will follow.

A 2016 grain market outlook by Matt Roberts, an associate professor in the university’s Department of Agricultural, Environ-mental and Development Economics, is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. After lunch, Brent Sohngen, a professor of environmental and resource economics, will lead a discussion on the impact of President Obama’s Clean Power Plan on Ohio. The plan, announced earlier this year, has a goal of reducing carbon pollution from power plants.

The day also includes a panel discussion among association presidents and executive directors. The panelists will probably take audience questions, Graham said. The conference will end with OSA and OCWGA business meetings.

“We encourage farmers to come,” he added. “In addition to learning about different topics, they can learn about (association) membership and why it’s important.”

Though it’s not a topic during this year’s symposium, water is also an issue for Ohio farmers, Graham said. “Whether it’s about regulations, water use or water pollution, it’s something farmers are concerned about. Not because we’re polluting, but we’re trying to figure out how to have clean water.”

The symposium will be in the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive in Columbus. The first session begins at 9 a.m.; registration starts an hour earlier. The symposium is free.

Organizers have set a Dec. 11 deadline to register. To see the agenda and register online, visit www.soyohio.org and click on “Ohio Soybean Assoc.,” then “OSA programs.” For more information or to register over the phone, call the OCWGA at 740-201-8088.