Hardin County – The fifth annual Hardin County Goat Banquet will be held on Saturday, April 6 at the Family Center of the Christian Missionary Alliance Church located at 15436 State Route 309 in Kenton. Registration and seating will open at 5:00 pm with the public invited and the meal will begin at 5:30 pm. There is no cost, as each family is asked to bring a side dish and/or dessert. The main dish, drinks, and table service will be provided. There is no need for tickets, but pre-registration is encouraged by contacting the OSU Extension office at 419-674-2297 by April 1st.

There will be crowning of the 2024 Hardin County Fair Goat Royalty and announcing of the winner of the Hardin County Goat Boosters Scholarship. The evening will conclude with lots of fun door prizes, sponsored by businesses and individuals in the surrounding communities. There will be a silent auction, 50/50 drawing, and other raffles. Come join us for a fun evening! Questions about the Hardin County Goat Banquet can be directed to Jamie Ferguson at jamie.hazelton2020@gmail.com or by visiting the Hardin County Goat Banquet Facebook page.

Hardin County – The 2024 Hardin County Poultry Banquet will be held Saturday, March 30th at the Family Center of the Kenton Christian & Missionary Alliance Church located at 15436 State Route 309 in Kenton, Ohio.

Chicken will be provided as the main course. Each family attending is asked to bring their most requested, best-tasting side dish and dessert to share. There will be no charge for the evening, but reservations are necessary. Doors open at 5:00 pm, dinner will begin at 6:00 pm. Table service will be provided.

The 2024 Hardin County Fair Poultry King and Queen will be crowned and winners from the 2023 Poultry Department will be recognized. Enjoy a wonderful time of fellowship and delicious food along with awesome gift baskets and raffle prizes! Prepare your favorite dishes and come join us for a pleasant and fun-filled evening celebrating all things poultry in Hardin County!

The reservation deadline for this year’s Poultry Banquet is Saturday, March 16th. Please call, text, or email Catherine Scharf at (419) 996-9234 or ceoscharf@gmail.com to make a reservation. Reservations can also be made through the Hardin County OSU Extension office.

Hardin County – Should I plant corn or soybean first in the spring? What crop has the smallest yield penalty for delayed planting? Can you adjust your management practices to mitigate losses due to late planting? How are diseases affected by planting date? OSU Extension is bringing this “Battle for the Belt” program to the Hardin County OSU Extension office, 1021 W Lima Street, Kenton, on Wednesday, March 20 from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm.

We will answer these questions and more during our Battle for the Belt Winter meetings. Come hear OSU Extension State Corn Specialist Osler Ortez and State Soybean Specialist Laura Lindsey provide the first year’s results of this statewide research project along with graduate student Taylor Dill’s field observations.

Agronomic Field Specialist Stephanie Karhoff will provide corn disease and planting considerations. State Soybean Disease Specialist Horacio Lopez-Nicora will provide soybean disease and planting considerations. There will be follow-up questions and applications facilitated by research specialist Luke Waltz.

Find out the results of this year’s research and discuss them over a catered lunch made possible by the Ohio Soybean Council and Ohio Corn & Wheat. Registration is $10 per person at https://go.osu.edu/2024hardinbattleforthebelt or call 419-674-2297.

Hardin County – The Hardin County Cattle Producers will hold their annual Beef Banquet on Saturday, March 23 in the Community Building at the fairgrounds, starting at 6:30 pm. Pre-sale tickets are $20 ($25 at the door), kids ages 7-10 are $10, and kids ages 6 and under are free. The 2023 Hardin County Junior Fair Beef Barn Exhibitors are free with a reservation given to any Cattle Producers Director or the Hardin County OSU Extension office.

Tickets can be purchased from the following county Cattle Producers Directors: Madisen Jolliff, Mackenzie Wallace, Dustin Badertscher, Adam Billenstein, Jeff Oestreich, Justin Eibling, Stacia Hall-Boughan, Derek Dunson, Kristie Royer, Brieanne Sullivan, Deana Gibson, and Dick Cronley by March 15.

Scholarship winners will also be announced the night of the banquet. The Hardin County Cattle Producers are offering $500 scholarships to qualified students for the 2024-25 school year. Scholarships will be awarded to applicants who themselves or their parents are current members of the Hardin County Cattle Producers or currently have a beef cattle project in either 4-H or FFA. Applicants for the Cattle Producers scholarships can go to go.osu.edu/2024beefscholarship to apply online by the March 15 deadline.

The Cattle Producers Service Award will be presented as well at the annual Beef Banquet. The Service Award is presented to a person or organization that has demonstrated dedication to the mission of the Hardin County Cattle Producers.

Hardin County – The Conservation Tillage & Technology Conference (CTC) will be held in- person March 12-13 at Ohio Northern University in Ada. The first day of this year’s conference will feature Alex Harrell, Soybean Yield Champion from southwest Georgia with a yield of 206 bushels per acre. His presentation has been made possible by sponsor Brandt Professional Agriculture.

Shawn Conley, Extension Soybean Specialist, University of Wisconsin, will return and be paired with Alex Harrell and Laura Lindsey, OSU Extension, during the Agronomic Crop Management session after lunch, Tuesday. Shawn Conley is always one of the conference’s most popular speakers.

Paul Jasa, Extension Agricultural Engineer, University of Nebraska, will return to CTC as another one of the main speakers, sponsored by Calmer Corn Heads, he will speak four times. Pioneer is sponsoring Dr. Nicolas Martin, University of Illinois, speaking on “Do Management Zones Increase Yields?”

With about 60 speakers total, CTC gives plenty of opportunities to gain valuable information. Among the speakers are Barry Fisher, a soil health expert; Dan Quinn, Purdue University; Kevin Erb, University of Wisconsin; Bill Lehmkuhl, Precision Agri Services; Jane Fife, 3 Bar Biologics; Laura Johnson, Heidelberg University; Shawn Lucas, Kentucky State University; Terry Hofecker, Soil 1; and about 25 OSU Extension Educators and campus faculty.

Connect with other farmers and CCAs, experience new ideas, and increase your net income. Historically over 800 individuals will attend each day of this two-day conference, making it the largest agricultural meeting in northwestern Ohio. Plenty of CCA and CLM credits will be available. Take advantage of the opportunity to discuss one-on-one with speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and other participants. Bring a friend and/or family members.

The meeting and program have been developed by The Ohio State University Extension Specialists along with Agriculture and Natural Resources Educators in local counties with assistance from local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Ohio Department of Agriculture, and United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Farmers, consultants, industry representatives, and government officials will meet each day to listen to university specialists, industry representatives, and producers discuss new products and ideas for agriculture. Master Farmer Awards and the Ohio CCA of the Year will be announced.

Tuesday sessions will include No-till, Cover Crops, and Soil Health; Nutrient Management; Agronomic Crop Management; and Precision Ag & Technology. Wednesday sessions will include No-till, Cover Crops and Soil Health; Agronomic Crop Management; Water Quality; Climate, Carbon, and Soil Health.

Registration is $100 (https://www.allenswcd.com/cttc/) and is a flat rate of $100 if postmarked before March 1, 2024 and then $150. (On-site registration will be $150.) Registration will include access to all recorded presentations from about April 15 to July 1, including CCA and CLM credits. QR codes will be active for those weeks. (Crop Consultants must register individually to receive CCA credits.) For more information about the conference, go to https://ctc.osu.edu.

Hardin County – The Hardin County Pork Producers will hold their annual Pork Banquet on Saturday, March 16 at the Upper Scioto Valley School auditorium in McGuffey, starting at 6:30 pm. The evening will include naming of the Hardin County Pork Industry Queen and Pork Producers Scholarship Recipients, as well as pork dishes and door prizes. Adult and non-exhibitor ticket prices are $8, fair workers from the Pork Producers Pavilion are $4, and free for 2023 Hardin County Junior Fair Swine Exhibitors.

All Hardin County Junior Fair Swine Exhibitors attending the banquet will receive a hoodie from the Hardin County Pork Producers. When calling in reservations, you must give shirt sizes for the swine exhibitors by March 1^st to receive your hoodie.

The banquet is open to all interested people, but advance tickets are required. Tickets can be purchased through March 8 from the following county Pork Producers Directors: Tyler Skidmore, Steve & Kelly Searson, Doug & Christine Heilman, Tim Holbrook, Mark Watkins, Matt Holbrook, LeVern & Nancy Weaver, Nathan Weaver, Rusty Bingham, Wes VanScoy, Ranae Sherman, Alyson Purcell, Jody Dye, and Dillon Rall. Tickets can also be reserved from the Extension office by calling 419-674-2297.

The Hardin County Pork Producers are offering up to six $750 scholarships to qualified students. Scholarships will be awarded to high school or college students from the six county schools. Applicants must be a son/daughter of a Hardin County Pork Producer or have been a 4-H or FFA member who has/had swine projects at the Hardin County Fair. Questions about the scholarships can be addressed to Steve Searson at 937-407-0785.

The Pork Producers are also looking for 2024 Pork Industry Queen Contestants. Eligible candidates for the title of Hardin County Pork Industry Queen must be age 15 through 19 as of January 1, 2024. To be eligible for the State Pork Industry Queen contest, the entrant must be 17 prior to January 1 of the year they will be competing. Anyone qualified and interested can become Hardin County Pork Industry Queen, but only those who reside on a farm on which hogs are raised and is the daughter of parents now actively engaged in the production of pork will be eligible for the State Pork Industry District III Queen Contest in 2024. Selection will be held before a panel of judges at the Pork Banquet on Saturday, March 16. Questions about the Pork Industry Queen can be addressed to Nancy Weaver at 567-674-0559 or Alyson Purcell at 567-674-4512.

Applications and rules for both the Hardin County Pork Producers Scholarships and Hardin County Pork Industry Queen can be found at hardin.osu.edu and must be received online by March 1, 2024.

Hardin County – The 2024 Conservation Tillage Club breakfast program series will conclude Thursday, February 22 at the Plaza Inn Restaurant in Mt. Victory. The session will start at 7:30 am with a complimentary buffet breakfast followed by a drone use in agriculture program at 8:00 am.

The February 22 event will feature a program on Drone Use in Agriculture by Henry County OSU Extension Educator Alan Leininger. Drones are becoming more common in agriculture than just for scouting crops for insects, weeds, and disease. More recently, they are increasingly being used for seeding cover crops and pesticide applications in fields throughout Ohio. What types of drones are available and what are the legal and licensing requirements to use these new tools on the farm will be questions answered by Leininger.

The Conservation Tillage Club breakfast program series is jointly sponsored by OSU Extension and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Hardin, Logan, and Union Counties, and in cooperation with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Breakfast is courtesy of the generous support from agricultural lenders and agricultural businesses. All events are open to the public and no advance registration is required. Continuing education credits for Certified Crop Advisers are available.

Hardin County – The Hardin County Sheep Improvement Association will hold their annual Lamb Banquet on Saturday, March 2 at St. John’s Evangelical Church in Kenton at 6:30 pm. Tickets for the banquet can be reserved from the Extension office by calling 419-674-2297 and paid for at the door the night of the banquet. Adult tickets are $20, Children (4-8 years old) $10, and 2023 Hardin County Junior Fair Sheep Exhibitors are free with a reservation given to the Extension office by February 23.

Banquet guests are asked to arrive early to participate in the silent auction, bidding for various items that were donated to provide funds for the scholarship program. A dinner will be prepared with various cuts of lamb for the banquet guests to enjoy. A presentation on the 2023 New Zealand Sheep and Agriculture Tour will be made by Hardin County OSU Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator Mark Badertscher.

The Hardin County Sheep Improvement Association is looking for 2024 Lamb & Wool Ambassador contestants and scholarship applicants. An ambassador applicant and his or her parent/guardian must be residents of Hardin County or a Hardin County School District prior to entering the contest; and live on a farm where sheep are produced or have a sheep project in the Hardin County Junior Fair to be eligible. Applicants must be 15 to 20 years of age as of January 1, 2024. Contestants must complete an entry form and prepare a three to five-minute talk on the “Role of Youth in the Sheep Industry,” “What does being a Lamb/Wool advocate mean to you?” or “What are the positive things that you know about the Lamb/Wool industry?”

The Hardin County Sheep Improvement Association is also offering two five-hundred-dollar scholarships to students entering/attending college for the 2024-2025 school year. An applicant and his or her parent/guardian must be residents of Hardin County or a Hardin County School District prior to entering college; and must have had a sheep project and shown at the Hardin County Fair. The applicant must be maintaining a 2.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.

The application and rules for the Hardin County Lamb & Wool Ambassador and the scholarship application and rules can be found at hardin.osu.edu. Applications must be received online by February 24. For more information about the Lamb & Wool Ambassador program, contact either Melissa Gossard at 419-235-3412 or Kristen Ferguson at 567-204-9199. Questions about the Sheep Improvement Association scholarship should be directed to Bruce Oberlitner at 419-675-6272.