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Using Grain Marketing Workshop Curriculum to Build an Online Course and to Expand Teaching Capacity of County Extension Educators

Agricultural Economics & Community Development

Wm. Bruce Clevenger
Associate Professor and Field Specialist, Farm Management
Ohio State University Extension
Napoleon

Abstract

An intentional, three-part strategy was developed to strengthen grain marketing education for producers while simultaneously expanding the knowledge, capacity, and confidence of County Extension Educators. Recognizing that few Ohio State University Extension Educators were actively teaching grain marketing, the program leveraged in-person workshops, an online course, and a new educator teaching team to address this gap. Tactic One: In-Person Workshops. “The Basics of Grain Marketing” workshops were delivered in February 2024 and January 2025 at OSU Extension County offices with support from Ohio’s grain check-off programs. A multidisciplinary team of university specialists—joined by out-of-state experts and private-sector panelists—collaboratively designed and taught the curriculum. Both years, the 2-day, 10-hour workshops reached full capacity with 85 grain producers in attendance. Participants represented 31 counties and managed more than 75,000 acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat. Top learning gains included improved understanding of risk management, hedging, and crop insurance. Reported behavior changes were significant: 82% planned to check market information daily or weekly; 84% intended to analyze historical basis; 71% planned to independently monitor futures and basis; and 73% committed to writing a farm-level grain marketing plan within 21 days. Tactic Two: Online Course Development. Building on the workshop curriculum, “The Basics of Grain Marketing” online course launched for open enrollment from December 2025 through April 2026. OSU Extension Learning and Organizational Development staff produced 12 recorded modules, adapted worksheets into interactive assignments, and converted workshop quizzes into online knowledge checks. To date, 23 learners have enrolled in the online course. Tactic Three: Extension Educator Capacity Building. A core group of seven County Educators and Specialists formed the Grain Marketing Teaching Team to enhance internal expertise by utilizing the workshop and online course content materials. The team established a professional development plan centered on 12 essential grain-marketing competencies and meets monthly to refine curriculum, practice teaching, publish scholarly outputs, fulfil educational requests, and build collective confidence. Together, these integrated tactics demonstrate a scalable model for producer education that simultaneously strengthens Extension’s statewide teaching capacity.

Authors: Wm. Bruce Clevenger, Seungki Lee, Grant Gardner, Ben Brown, Garth McDorman, Amanda Douridas, Amanda Bennett, Ken Ford, John Yost, Wayne Dellinger
  1. Wm. Bruce Clevenger Associate Professor and Field Specialist, Farm Management, The Ohio State University, Ohio, 43545
  2. Seungki Lee Extension Specialist, The Ohio State University, Ohio, 43210
  3. Grant Gardner Extension Specialist, University of Kentucky, Kentucky, 40546
  4. Ben Brown Extension Specialist, University of Missouri, Missouri, 65211
  5. Garth McDorman Extension Educator, The Ohio State University, Ohio, 45804
  6. Amanda Douridas Extension Educator, The Ohio State University, Ohio, 43140
  7. Amanda Bennett Extension Educator, The Ohio State University, Ohio, 45373
  8. Ken Ford Extension Educator, The Ohio State University, Ohio, 43160
  9. John Yost Extension Educator, The Ohio State University, Ohio, 44691
  10. Wayne Dellinger Extension Educator, The Ohio State University, Ohio, 43040