“As a child I participated in a theatrical production about fire. The production has three movements. At one point we danced around a pile of TVs on stage to represent a large bonfire. Later we were asked to escape a burning building. When asked what I would take from my home in a fire I quickly answered car keys. Apparently at 8-years-old I was going to drive away from that burning mess.” – Tony Staubach, Extension Educator, Hamilton County
Hamilton County
High Tunnels New for Cincinnati Area
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will offer a new opportunity to those interested in growing urban and rural produce in the Greater Cincinnati area to apply for financial and technical assistance for high tunnel systems, commonly referred to as hoop houses. Imagine the delicious taste of baby spinach freshly harvested from your own garden, in Cincinnati, all winter long. Impossible, right? Not anymore. High tunnels make growing vegetables possible long after the first frost. A high tunnel sits over top of the garden. Arch shaped aluminum poles support removable heavy plastic sheets that trap heat from the sun, warming the air. Most have a peak height that allows an adult to stand easily with room to spare. They look similar to greenhouses except plants grow in the ground instead of in pots. Follow this link to learn more.
Sourced from: Morning Ag Clips
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Sustainable Urban Landscapes Symposium
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is hosting its 9th Sustainable Urban Landscapes Symposium as part of its Excellence in Horticulture Series of Symposiums. Speakers will tackle various talks under the loose headline of “Success Stories in Sustainable Horticulture.” The lineup this year includes: Peter MacDonagh, an internationally renowned expert in green infrastructure; Dr. Jamie Strange, Entomologist at Ohio State University and an expert on bumblebees; Joe Boggs, Hamilton County OSU Extension; and from the CZBG, Mark Fisher, Steve Foltz, and Scott Beuerlein. The event will be held on Thursday, March 12, 2020 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. Registration closes March 6, 2020. 
Follow this link to learn more.
Follow this link to learn more about the presenters.
Follow this link to join the Facebook event.
Sourced from: The Cincinnati Zoo
Strengthening Hamilton County 4-H: By Tony Staubach
The most powerful leaders are those who can exercise humility. This past month I was at a conference at The Ohio State University for Urban Serving Universities. The messages from all the speakers were robust and powerful but none more than a panel I attended on issues of poverty, race, class, and discrimination in our education system. The leaders on this panel all had different perspectives and views, but no one could deny the reality that humbling one’s self and exercising humility did the most to foster a mutually respectful and academically successful system.
My own experiences mirror this realization. As an educator I have found that bonds between the student and teacher should never be forged as a hierarchy. Rather the success of the student and teacher are linked in the ability to be vulnerable with each other. To share perspectives and thoughts. This great success has been modeled throughout history and is often replicated in higher education. It is not a mentor role (thought that does happen), it is not rooted in paternalism. It is a true bond of teacher and student. The reality is that we are all teachers and students at different times in our lives.
It isn’t a secret that I have learned a great deal from my students, I have probably learned more from them than they have ever learned from me. To teach is to love success. I am thankful every day for the amazing work of teachers, but also of the 4-H advisors, volunteers, and parents who humble themselves and exercise humility in their attempt to serve our youth as positive adult role models who foster a culture of success and service.
Thanks,
Tony Staubach
Learn more about Hamilton County Extension Below:
Partner Highlights:
Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County:
The public is invited to take part in a series of free workshops on the ins and outs of being a landlord. This nationally recognized program discusses crucial issues related to managing a rental property. Topics discussed at each training include applicant screening and avoiding fair housing issues, crisis resolution and the eviction process, property maintenance and working with Code Enforcement, and the importance of a preventive maintenance schedule, fire safety and prevention.
Dates and locations:
Wednesday, February 26th, 9am-2pm: Main Library
Monday, March 9th, 6-9pm: Main Library
Wednesday, March 11th, 6-9pm: Main Library
Saturday, April 18th, 10am-3pm: Clifton Branch
Friday, May 15th, 10am-3pm: Corryville Branch
Tuesday, August 18th, 3-6pm: Pleasant Ridge Branch
Thursday, August 20th, 3-6pm: Pleasant Ridge Branch
Monday, September 21st, 6-9pm: Main Library
Wednesday, September 23rd, 6-9pm: Main Library
Saturday, October 17th, 10am-3pm: Corryville Branch
Monday, November 16th, 1-6pm: Oakley Branch
Follow this link to learn more.
Cincinnati Museum Center:
Grab your lunch and join us! Our popular Brown Bag Lecture Series take place at the Forest Park Senior Center. With an emphasis on Cincinnati history, these informative and exciting lectures will inspire you to be more curious about the community around you.
Brown Bag lectures are free and open to the public. Reservations are not required, but space is limited.
Lectures all take place at the Forest Park Senior Center, located at 11555 Winton Road, Cincinnati, Ohio. Lectures run from noon to 1 p.m. on the third Friday of the month.
2020 Lecture schedule:
February 21: Union Terminal
March 20: Cincinnati and the Presidents
April 17: Up & Away to Mt. Auburn
May 15: Emery Family Legacy
June 19: USS Cincinnati Commissioning Foundation
July 17: The Cincinnati Story, 1788 to 1925
September 18: Cincinnati and the Miami & Erie Canal
October 16: Historic Hauntings
November 20: Industries that Built the Queen City
December 18: Architecture – The Art Deco Era – 1920 to 1940
Follow this link to learn more.
Hamilton County Farm Bureau:
Hamilton County Farm Bureau has multiple scholarship opportunities for students pursuing post-secondary education including FFA students.
Application Deadlines:
• Active Member Agricultural Scholarship – April 1, 2020
• Community Member Agricultural Scholarship – April 1, 2020
• FFA Scholarship – April 1, 2020
If you have any questions, contact 513-831-5870 or via email at hamilton@ofbf.org.
Hamilton County Community Fair:
Thank you must continue to be extended to the Hamilton County Community Fair for their ongoing support of Hamilton County 4-H. Hamilton County 4-H has removed the county wide membership fee. 4-H members interesting in exhibiting at the Community Fair will have the choice to purchase a Community Fair membership which will admit them to the fair every day and provide them with other benefits throughout the year. Be on the look out for more info soon!
Volunteer Needs:
Looking to volunteer with Hamilton County 4-H? We are looking for adults to serve as club advisors at our afterschool sites.
Follow this link to learn more about the job description.
Chick Quest:
It’s that time of the year. Classroom Teachers can sign up for ChickQuest. This year we are asking for a $25 donation (or whatever you can afford) to support the program payable by cash, Credit Card or Check to OSU Extension, Hamilton County. The basic kit includes, eggs, incubator, teacher manual, a cardboard brooder box, and a light. Workbooks for students cost $5 each or $50 for 25 books. Eggs will go out the first Wednesday of each month beginning in February and continuing through April.
Follow this link to learn more or to sign up.
Donate:
Thanks to the generosity of Dr. Nancy and Colonel David Bull, we can enhance the impact of the 4-H program for generations of youth to come through the establishment of an endowment to be used exclusively for 4-H programming in Hamilton County. Nancy and David Bull have a deep sense of the community of philanthropy. They would like to leverage their gift of $50,000, half the amount needed to fund the $100,000 endowment, as a challenge gift to other donors who are interested in establishing support of Hamilton County 4-H. Their gift will match dollar-for-dollar to the first $50,000 raised to establish the Hamilton County 4-H Endowment.
Follow this link to learn how you can donate.
Events:
Follow this link to view the Hamilton County 4-H 2020 Calendar.
Auricle courtesy of Tony Staubach, Extension Educator 4-H Youth Development, Hamilton County
Support for Hamilton County 4-H Showcased at the Annual Hamilton County 4-H Awards Banquet
On Sunday, January 12, 2020 4-H volunteers, members and supporters gathered for the annual Hamilton County 4-H Awards Banquet to recognize the outstanding achievements of the 4-H youth. Presented by the Hamilton County Community Fair Association at Miami Whitewater United Methodist Church the event was hosted by OSU Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development, Tony Staubach. Dinner was donated by the Hamilton County 4-H families. The highlight of the meal was the farm fresh, locally sourced chicken by the Roell and Tumlin families. Together they cared for 70+ chicks that 4-H members hatched at the Hamilton County Community Fair and the Harvest Home Fair. Following Dinner OSU Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development, Tony Staubach read his original work titled “Walk On” reminding attendees that they were on a good path to success through 4-H.
Follow this link to learn more.
Sourced from: Hamilton County Extension.
Cincinnati Buckeye Run 2019
Show your support by registering for the Cincinnati Buckeye Run. Proceeds from this race benefit Hamilton County 4-H and their efforts to provide positive youth development through community clubs, school based initiatives, after-school programs, and SPIN clubs.
Date: Sunday, September 29, 2018
Location: Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum
Check-in: 8-9 a.m.
Runners Start: 9 a.m.
Walkers Start: 9:15 a.m.
Follow this link to learn more.
Sourced from: Hamilton County Extension
New Step to Protect Against ODs: Hamilton County Offers Fentanyl Test Strips
Hamilton County Public Health is now offering opioid users a way to test their drugs for the deadly synthetic opiate fentanyl. The health department’s mobile syringe exchange program, The Exchange Project, will provide fentanyl test strips, which advocates say can prevent some overdoses. “Anything we can do to give people another chance at life and another chance to get into treatment is worth the effort,” said Hamilton County Health Commissioner Tim Ingram. Follow this link to read more.
Sourced from: Cincinnati Enquirer