Registration is now open for the 2024 Small Farm Conference on Saturday, April 6, 2024 at the Mid-East Career Technical Center Buffalo Campus in Senecaville, Ohio. Register online: https://go.osu.edu/2024osusmallfarmconference

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Learning to manage your small farm like a small business can help you to be more profitable! Sign up today to take the Delaware, Knox and Morrow Small Farm Management College.

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Small Farm Conference Save the Date 2024

It’s time to think about making maple syrup!

Are you someone with a few maple trees and you want to make your own syrup?  This class is for you.

Backyard Maple Production will be held Jan. 29^th at the Event Center on the Warren County fairgrounds.  We will approach this class from the perspective of just a few trees on your property that you want to try to produce some syrup.  We will also have the opportunity for you to purchase a few buckets or bags with spiles and other pieces of equipment if you catch the fever and want to go home and get started.  There may even be a few maple treats to get your mind thinking about possibilities.

Registration is open here.  We hope to see you there!

Maple Enthusiasts!  We would like to draw your attention to a couple of upcoming programs being offered by our partners at Penn State University.  The two workshops are listed below with links to the registration page for each.

First, we are offering a maple grading workshop on September 6^th

https://extension.psu.edu/utilizing-the-science-behind-grading-to-enhance-quality-of-maple-syrup

Second, it is Penn State’s turn to host Maple Bootcamp.  The camp will run from September 6^th – 8^th  and cover all things maple.

https://extension.psu.edu/pa-maple-bootcamp

These are being offered as part of a USDA ACER grant between Penn State, Ohio State and Future Generations university.

Have a small herd of beef cattle, goats, or a flock of sheep? Are you a new or beginning ruminant livestock producer? If yes to either of these questions, this program is for you!

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by: Haley Zynda, OSU Extension – Wayne County

Happy Independence Day, U.S.A! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend celebrating our great nation’s independence with a good, old-fashioned cookout. To me, one of the best summer meals is a cheeseburger with all the fixings, pasta salad loaded with fresh veggies, and sweet, sun-ripened watermelon. In the midst of the thanks for our country, it’s important to also understand and give thanks for the farmers that keep food on our table and our bellies full. As my dad likes to say, “Farming is everybody’s bread and butter.” With that, let’s take a look at the history and statistics of American agriculture. The following is summarized from USDA’s “Growing a Nation.”

In 1790, 14 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed, the U.S.A was largely an agrarian society, with 90% of the workforce being farmers. The year 1790 is also significant because it is the year that potash was patented for creation by Samuel Hopkins. The formulation hasn’t changed but has certainly changed how farmers can deliver nutrients to their crops.

In 1796, the Public Land Act was created to encourage settlers to move west. Plots of a minimum of 640 acres were sold to the public at a whopping price of $2 per acre. Continue reading →