We would like to take a minute to say THANK YOU!!! We want to express our thanks to James Morris, Garth Ruff, Stan Smith, and Ted Wiseman, for taking time out of their day to come down present and share their knowledge optimizing forage fertility, planning cow management & feeding material, body condition scoring & facilities, and feed sampling & nutrient analysis. We also want to say a huge thanks to Erik, Fred and Frankie Scott for not only allowing us to host this event at Scott’s Farm here in Georgetown, but also sharing their knowledge on feedstuff evaluation and processing. In addition to everyone listed above we want to give a huge thanks and shout out to Caleb Grooms and Georgetown Farm Supply for providing lunch for everyone who attended the event. Last but certainly not least we want to send a HUGE THANK YOU to our PARTICIPANTS!! Without you all we would not be able to have these events!

It is that time of year to mark your calendars for the 12th annual FARM AND FAMILY NIGHT! This event will take place on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 from 4:30pm-9:00pm. There is something there for EVERYONE! The evening starts off with dinner being served from 4:30-6:00 (They will serve until there is no more).  After dinner Russ C. Ward, who is the Interim President/CEO MCTC, and Mary Jane Cannon will have the opening session. During this session is when the early bird door prizes will be drawn. The Concurrent Sessions will begin at 6:45pm and goes until 7:30pm. There will be over 40 exhibitors and 30 concurrent sessions to attend. There will then be a Cookie Break beginning at 7:30pm. The Bookie Break is presented by the MCTC Culinary Program and milk will be provided by the Dairy Farmers of America. The Concurrent Sessions will continue until 8:30pm. After the Concurrent Sessions the remaining door prizes will be drawn followed by the closing ceremony at 9:00pm. The GRAND PRIZE is a DEEP FREEZER donated by Rural King! (This is valued over $200) This event is FREE!! You do NEED a TICKET for dinner. The Brown County Extension Office in Georgetown currently has tickets for pickup.

The 2022 OSU Beef Team Virtual Beef School will take place over 4 Monday evenings. The first two live sessions have already passed by there is still time to register and attend the last two sessions. The third session will take place on March 21, 2022 and will cover Herd Health Management and Updates with Dr. Justin Kieffer DVM OSU Animal Sciences. The last session will take place on April 11, 2022 with the Beef Team Live Roundtable. During this session you will be able to ask questions and discuss answers with OSU Extension Beet Team Members. If this is something that you are wanting to attend you can register by clicking here. It is one registration for all Zooms. Any questions can be directed to Garth Ruff at rudd.72@osu.edu

Do you have apple trees, grapes, or raspberries? This online school is just for you then! The Online Fruit Pruning School will be held in a 3 part series on March 1 and March 8, 2022. The first session will cover Apple Tree Training and Pruning from 9:30am-10:45am. The second session will take place the following Tuesday (March 8) from 9:30am-10:45am and will cover Grape Vine Training and Pruning. This three part series will wrap up on Tuesday March 8 with the third and final session taking place from 11:00am-12:15pm and will cover Raspberry Bush Pruning. In addition to attending these sessions for FREE, there will also be drawings for locally produced goodies. (You must be present to win) These sessions will have both live presentations and pre-recorded videos. Dr. Gao Professor and Extension Specialist and Ryan Slaughter, Research Assistant are hosting this awesome event. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to Bradford Sherman at sherman.1473@osu.edu or call him at 614-247-9680. THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER FOR THIS FREE EVENT IS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2022.  You can register by clicking here.

It is that time of year to begin thinking about Quality Assurance. If you or someone in your family is thinking about taking an animal project – read carefully!

These are the dates that we have set in stone for Quality Assurance sessions:

Feb. 21, 2022- 2:00pm Virtual (http://go.osu.edu/brownqa1) pre-registration required; multiple youth may log-on from the same device.

April 30, 2022- 10:00am Virtual (http://go.osu.edu/brownqa2) pre-registration required; multiple youth may log-on from the same device.

May 10, 2022- 6:00pm In-Person – Rhonemus Hall

*More dates are TBD

Full participation in QA is required. Youth will be required to sign-in and out. Failure to follow directions on signing in and out may result in you not receiving credit.

The deadline to have Quality Assurance completed is JULY 1, 2022.  If you are wanting to be eligible for the STATE FAIR you will have to complete your QA by JUNE 1, 2022.

Unsure if you need Quality Assurance? Ask yourself “am I wanting to take an animal that stays overnight at the fair?” If the answer is yes, then you need to complete Quality Assurance. This is an annual requirement and must be completed by the deadlines above.

Any 4-Her taking a horse project will need to complete and pass EquiSTEP by July 1st. The above trainings do not meet the horse training requirement. If you are taking projects that fall into both categories you will need to complete both.

You may complete QA through other sources. It is your responsibility to provide proof of completion. Acceptable opportunities include going to another county or at a statewide 4-H event. We will post those on our website when we are aware of opportunities.

The only acceptable online version is YQCA for completing Quality Assurance. If this is the route you choose to take there is an additional charge that will be paid out of pocket. YQCA is currently in the process of switching platforms. This means that if you are wanting to take advantage of using YQCA this year you won’t be able to get into YQCA until after they have made their switch on March 23, 2022. If you have gotten into YQCA anytime from October 3, 2021- today you will need to log-in and download the certificate if you want credit for completing it for this upcoming year. YOU WILL NEED TO HAVE YOUR CERTIFICATE DOWNLOADED BEFORE MARCH 23, 2022! Once you have it downloaded you will need to upload it to: (qualitrics insert)

Brown County is still offering a test out option for those who are 15 and older. You may attempt to test out once per year. If you successfully pass the test, you will have met the QA requirement for the remainder of your 4-H career. Test-Out is by appointment only, just give us a call to schedule a time.

All the information on QA can be found at http//go.osu.edu/brownqa

Are you someone who wants to shop locally or looking for more information on the importance of shopping locally? THEN THIS WEBINAR IS FOR YOU! Join us on Sunday, February 20, 2022 from 1:00pm-4:00pm. This is a great time to come and learn about the benefits of buying local as well as learning about some of the local producers and what products they have to offer. Participants will get to learn about:
The Benefits of Buying Local- James Morris, Extension Educator, The Ohio State University Extension Brown County

Fresh Vegetables and Canned Goods- Jeff and Sandra Ashba, Organic Farm at Bear Creek, Felicity, OH
Fresh Vegetables-  Louise Gartner, Foxtail Farm, New Richmond, OH
Fresh Vegetables, Maple Syrup, and Handcrafted Beer- Susan, Kevin and Keegan McGee, Turtleback Ridge Farm and Brewery, Ewing, KY
Honey-Gary Keuffer, Bethel, OH
Milk and Beef- Steve Hedrick, Mound View FArms, Peebles, OH
Beef-Trevor Corboy, Smokey Hollow Farms, Sardina, OH
Beef, Lamb, Pork, Chicken, and Turkey- Bill Wickerham, End of the Ridge Marketplace, West Union, OH
Berries- Rick Burk, B&D Berry Farm, Peebles, OH

Keys to Creating and Sustaining A Successful Farmers Market- Christie Welch, Direct Food and Agricultural Marketing Specialist, The Ohio State University Extension South Centers, Piketon, OH

What’s New with Local Food Councils- Denise Neu, Chair, Brown County Food Council

In order to attend this wonderful event you can register by clicking here.

Any questions contact:
Julie Kline: 937 515 1807
Sue Basta: 937 515 6900
Pat Hornshemeier 515 752 0647

If you have already registered for Weed University that was supposed to take place on February 3, 2022 it has been POSTPONED TO FEBRUARY 18, 2022. It will still take place from 9:00am-4:00pm at the Cherry Fork Community Center at 14825 St. Rt. 136 Winchester OH, 45697.