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 Events in February offers something for Everyone →

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 Ohio’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) →

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 2021 Agricultural Policy and Winter Outlooks a Must Attend Event for Anyone Working in Agriculture →

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.

Tackling Spring Operations with Reduced Working Days

Changing weather patterns have led to fewer days available in the spring to complete planting, spraying, and fertilizing. University and industry experts will share research results and technology available to help you work smarter and more efficiently.

January 5th Gambling with Planting Decisions
Drs. Aaron Wilson and Bob Nielsen

January 12th Planter Placed Fertilizer
Matt Bennett and Dr. John Fulton

January 19th Pre-season Crop Protection Decisions
Drs. Mark Loux and Scott Shearer

January 26th Sprayer Technology to Improve Field Performance
Dr. Joe Luck

WHEN: Tuesday, January 5, 12, 19 and 26
10 – 11 AM

WHERE: Virtual Zoom Webinars

HOW: Registration Cost: FREE

RSVP at: go.osu.edu/precisionu

CONTACT: Amanda Douridas douridas.9@osu.edu 937-484 1526

Farmers checking cereal grains planted in sod.

This year between January and March in 2021, the Pastures for Profit curriculum will be offered as a virtual course. One live webinar will be offered per month along with “work at your own pace” videos and exercises that accompany each webinar. The Pastures for Profit program is a collaboration between Ohio State University Extension, Central State University, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Ohio Department of Agriculture, and the Ohio Forage and Grasslands Council.

Each webinar will be offered live on Zoom at 7 P.M. and feature three presentations in a 90-minute span. Attendees will be able to interact with the speakers and ask questions in real time. Once registered, attendees will be granted access to the online course including the webinars and complementary resources. Participants that attend all three webinars will have the opportunity to earn a certificate of completion. Registered participants will also receive their choice of a curriculum binder or USB drive of the traditional course by mail.

The webinar schedule and topics are as follows.    Continue reading Pastures for Profit →

Vegetables are on trial in Southeast Ohio. Residents are being invited to join with the Ohio State University Extension in putting vegetables to the test in their home gardens. Growers will choose between five different vegetables to grow in their gardens. Each vegetable will have 2 varieties to grow side by side. They will make observations on how well the plants grew be asked to give feedback on the quality and taste of each. The results will be compiled and published for others trying to decide which varieties they might want to try. If this sounds interesting and you would like more information about the project, visit the Vegetable Trials home page. Deadline to sign up is April 12.     

The latest Edition of Growing Athens County has just hit the presses. Take a look at what is happening in Athens County.

GAC November 2018