Following the previous post, we received some updates on lettuce from T. Burger. Enjoy these pics of Breen and Freckles.

Freckles Leaves

Freckles Lettuce

Breen Letuce

The 2023 Home Garden Vegetable Trials and the photos are starting to come in from around the state. Here are just a few.

One gardener had a little problem with rabbits and deer eating her seedlings last year. This year she added some protection.

All of these are from early in the growing season. Send your photos in to let us know how things are growing.

Freckles Lettuce_T.Burger

Breen Lettuce_T.Burger

Deer and Rabbit protection_T.Burger

Seedling protection_T.Burger

Lettuce_G.Banziger

Spinach_G.Banziger

Peas_G.Banziger

Beets_G.Banziger

Ohio State University (OSU) Extension will host the 8th Annual East Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference. The conference is planned for Friday, March 24 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Shisler Conference Center, 1680 Madison Ave, Wooster, OH 44691. All women and young women (high school age) who are interested, involved in, or want to become involved with food, agricultural, or natural resources production or small business are encouraged to attend.

The conference program features a networking fair and sixteen breakout sessions presented by OSU Extension educators, producers, and partner agencies. Sessions this year are focused around four themes Business & Finance, Plants & Animals, Home & Family, and Special Interest (includes break-out with Ohio FFA State Officers). The conference keynote will be led by Rebecca Miller, Farm and Dairy Editor-in-Chief. Her keynote presentation “Clinging to context in a noisy world: don’t lose sight of the “why” in what you do” will.  Agriculture is often so much more to us than a job, which makes it hard when we face push back — from people around us and from influences outside of our control.  Rebecca will share her path through farming and journalism and how she’s grappled with the questions.  New this year is a Youth Symposium opportunity for high school and college students to present their research, SEA, capstone, thesis, or other study projects. Continue reading →

Ohio State Extension announced plans to host a Small Farm Conference in Mansfield Ohio on March 11, 2023.  The theme for this year’s Mid-Ohio Small Farm Conference is “Sowing Seeds for Success.”

Conference session topics are geared to beginning and small farm owners as well as to farms looking to diversify their operation.  There will be five different conference tracks including: Farm Office, Horticulture and Produce Production, Livestock, Agritourism/ Marketing, Natural Resources.

Some conference topic highlights include: How to purchase our family farm, food animal processing, bee keeping, sweet corn, blueberry and pumpkin production, small ruminant nutrition, agritourism laws, fruit tree pruning and cut flower diseases.

Anyone interested in developing, growing or diversifying their small farm is invited to attend including market gardeners, farmers market vendors, and anyone interested in small farm living.

Attendees will have the opportunity to browse a trade show featuring the newest and most innovative ideas and services for their farming operation. The conference provides an opportunity to talk with the vendors and network with others.

The Conference will take place from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Mansfield OSU Campus in Ovalwood Hall, just minutes from I-71 and US Rt 30.

For conference and registration call OSU Extension Morrow County 419-947-1070, or OSU Extension Knox County 740-397-0401. Please follow this link to register for the conference: https://go.osu.edu/2023osusmallfarmconf

It’s time for another Master Gardener Volunteer Training class. This year we are excited to announce that we will be joining with Hocking County for classes. The class will be held as a hybrid class. This means that there will be online learning modules to complete each week. In addition, we will meet on Zoom each Wednesday night at 7 PM. We will have a time of discussion, meet the rest of the class and other Master Gardeners, and answer your questions. Finally, there will also be several hands-on labs throughout the course. The cost of the class is $120.

Important dates include:

• January 8, 2022 – application deadline
• January 19 – In-person orientation
• January 19 – April 6 Class

To learn more about what it means to be a Master Gardener Volunteer and complete the application, visit our Master Gardener page on this site.

This marks the second year of the statewide Home Garden Vegetable Trials.

Be a citizen scientist and contribute to our vegetable trials for Ohio. We are looking for people excited about growing vegetables in their home gardens and then letting us know what they think. Youth and adults are welcomed to participate. Each trial contains two varieties that you will grow side by side to compare throughout the season. You can select multiple trials. For each trial you will get:
• seed for two varieties
• Row markets
• A garden layout plan to prepare your rows or beds
• Growing information specific to the crop species you selected, including planting date, plant spacing, nutrient requirements, etc.
• an evaluation sheet

You may participate in up to 5 trials. Select from Cool-season vegetables and Warm-season vegetables.
Now we are asking you to complete the sign up and send payment. Below is a list and description of each variety that will be used this year. Some are from organic sources, but a few are not. The vegetables are not experimental, but some have been released in the last few years. Others are old favorites being compared to new varieties to see if they still stand the test of time. All seeds are non-GMO (as all vegetable seeds available are non-GMO)
Each trial is $3. We have created a payment site. Please go through the sign-up process and select your vegetables. On the payment page, you can choose to pay by card or check. If you choose check, the details for filling out and sending the check will be displayed. Please send that in as soon as possible. You will also see the $8 charge for home delivery added to your bill. We have had to do this because our Extension Offices have been temporarily closed. You also have the option of registering and paying for more than one person while visiting the site. The deadline for ordering is February 28 for guaranteed participation and March 15 while supplies last. Visit the trial website for ordering information.

2021 Trial website

Programs and Events include

• Farm & Home
• Forestry
• Gardening
• Farm Management
• Specialty Crops

Farm & Home

2021 Tree and Wildlife Packet Sale

The Athens Soil and Water Conservation District is taking orders for the 2021 Tree and Wildlife Packet Sale! Orders will be taken until Friday, February 12, 2021. Tentative order distribution date is the last Friday in March. A postcard or email will be sent to confirm exact pick up date, location, and times. Be sure to include the number of packets ordered and your correct address and telephone number on the order form. Please complete the order form and mail it with your payment to: Athens SWCD 69 S. Plains Road The Plains, Ohio 45780.

Tree and Wildlife Packet Sale Brochure 
Ohio Pollinator Seed Mix and Ohio Pollinator (No Grasses) Seed Mix Information
Wildflower and Grass Seed Mix Information

Forestry

Registration is now open for “Advice from the Woods” a Q&A session with professional foresters and wildlife biologists (February 12- 10 am)

Registration is open for our 2nd Virtual A DAY in the WOODS program for 2021,   “ADVICE from the WOODS”.

“ADVICE from the WOODS” will take place from 10 AM to noon on Friday, February 12 in the form of a Virtual question and and answer session with professional foresters and wildlife biologists including Stephanie Downs (ODNR-Division of Forestry), John Morton (ODNR-Division of Wildlife) and Dave Apsley (OSU Extension).  Other foresters and NR professionals will be recruited to assist depending on expertized needed to answer questions submitted in advance.

The program will be offered via ZOOM Webinar.  Click here to register!

Submit your forestry, wildlife and other natural resources related questions to Dave Apsley ( apsley.1@osu.edu) on on before February 5, 2021.

Gardening

Backyard Wildlife – Backyards play an increasingly important role in wildlife conservation. Learn to help reduce the negative effects of habitat loss on birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife species in your area by creating a favorable landscape.

Marne Titchenell is a Wildlife Program Specialist with OSU Extension. She works to provide a variety of educational programs, workshops, conferences, and publications centered on wildlife ecology and biology, habitat management for wildlife, and managing nuisance wildlife species.  Continue reading →

EQIP is a voluntary conservation program which helps producers make conservation work for them. NRCS provides agricultural producers with financial resources and one-on-one help to plan and implement improvements, or what NRCS calls conservation practices. Using these practices can lead to cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife habitat, all while improving agricultural operations. Through EQIP, you can voluntarily implement conservation practices, and NRCS co-invests in these practices with you. Together, NRCS and producers invest in solutions that conserve natural resources for the future while also improving agricultural operations.

Financial assistance is now available in a variety of agricultural categories such as cropland, pasture operations, and organic.  Several special projects are also available which address water quality, forestry management, improving pollinator populations and wildlife habitat, pasture improvements and many more.  Friday, January 15, 2021, is the deadline to submit applications Continue reading →

A core mission of Land Grant institutions like The Ohio State University is to take research and knowledge from the university and share it with those in the communities they serve. The 2021 Agricultural Policy and Outlook winter meetings, hosted by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics (AEDE) and OSU Extension will offer much-needed industry news and insight to those involved in the agricultural industry during a time marked with so much global uncertainty.

“The summary of last year’s events along with key aspects to monitor for the up-coming year allows everyone to gain insight into an area of focus, while providing new topics to learn from,” says Craig von Stein, Producer and Vice President/Business Banking Officer at Citizens National Bank.

Even though social distancing measures prevent large group gatherings, outlooks on a variety of topics will be presented virtually to provide understanding of what markets and policy may look like moving forward so businesses and organizations can make sound decisions.

2021 Winter Outlook Meetings Schedule:  Continue reading →

Six, 1-hour, interactive sessions covering 12 topics important to many
growers. All sessions held 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm ET on Tuesdays in January
and February. Sign-up for as many sessions as you wish and bring questions!

January 12. Beginner: High Tunnels and Other Season Extension Options (Mike Hogan, Tim McDermott)
January 19. Beginner: Starting Right with High Tunnel Production (Brad Bergefurd, Matt Kleinhenz)
January 26. Intermediate: Pesticide Selection and Tomato Foliar Diseases (Melanie Ivey, Sally Miller, Francesca Rotondo)
February 2. Intermediate: Common Issues and Next-level Environmental Management (Frank Becker, Matt Kleinhenz)
February 9. Advanced: Year-round Harvest, Marketing, Irrigation and Fertility Essentials (Brad Bergefurd)
February 16. Advanced: Soil Biology, Chemistry, and Tilth Holding You Back? (Matt Kleinhenz, Anna Testen)

Please register here: https://go.osu.edu/high-tunnel-school-21
CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For more information, visit cfaesdiversity.osu.edu.
For an accessible format of this publication, visit cfaes.osu.edu/accessibility
Please contact Matt Kleinhenz (kleinhenz.1@osu.edu; 330.263.3810) for more information.