Author: Nanette Neal

Backyard Poultry Certification Course

Flyer

For a variety of reasons, there is an increase in interest in keeping backyard poultry. Backyard flocks provide the opportunity for people in rural and urban areas alike to produce tasty eggs and meat for personal and family food security. You might want egg layers. You might want to raise meat birds for a harvest in your freezer. You might even have a youth interested in raising chickens for their 4-H or FFA project, as these lower-maintenance livestock can be kept in a fraction of the space for a fraction of the cost when compared to other species.

Whatever your reason for raising poultry, this course is designed to provide you with the knowledge and resources you need to start your backyard flock well.

This self-paced course is expected to take 2-3 hours to complete and includes the following 6 modules:

  • Getting Started
  • Brooding, Basic Husbandry & Nutrition
  • Housing
  • Egg Production
  • Maximizing Health
  • Biosecurity

Quality Assurance

  • 12-14-year-old and 15-18-year-old 4-H and FFA members may test out of their annual quality assurance (QA) program
  • Tests are given based on age group and large or small animals shown
  • These ages are as of January 1, 2024 – a youth’s 4-H age.
  • Youth ages 12-14 who pass the QA test can test out of their annual QA program for up to 3 years.
  • Youths ages 15-18 years who pass the QA test can test out of their annual QA program permanently.

All exhibitors in the following categories must complete an approved QA program in Ohio County before June 1 of the current year to compete at the Clermont County Junior Fair or the Ohio State Fair.

  • lactating dairy cattle (cows NOT heifers)
  • lactating dairy goats (goats that are producing milk, even if they are in their dry phase)
  • market beef (steer or heifer), NOT beef or dairy feeder calves
  • market goats
  • market hogs
  • market lambs
  • market poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese)
  • market rabbits (NOT breeding or fancy)

FAMACHA Certification and Egg Floats/Counts for Small Ruminants

Friday, May 31st, 2024, from 9:00 A.M. –3:00 P.M.

Location:

Small Ruminant Research Unit

5651 Fredericksburg Road

Wooster, OH 44691

Cost: $40 at the door

Meal: Lunch will be provided

Space is limited to 20 participants.
Pre-registration is required

Speaker Topics:

  • FAMACHA Certification, Fecal Egg Floats/Counts- Braden Campbell, State Small Ruminant Extension Specialist
  • Pasture Management – John Yost, ANR Educator, Wayne County
  • Blood Sampling- Shelby Tedrow, Program Assistant, Wayne County

This program is a mixture of lectures and hands-on activities. For questions and to pre-register, please get in touch with Shelby Tedrow
330-264-8722 or tedrow.28@osu.edu

 

Pesticide Container Recyclcing Collection August 20, 2024

DATE:

Tuesday, August 20, 2024
TIME:

8:00–11:00 a.m.
LOCATION:

Nutrien Ag Solutions     6704 E US Highway 22     Wilmington, OH 45177

 

CLEAN SWEEP PROGRAM Ohio Department of Agriculture
Do you have unwanted, unused, or unknown FARM chemicals?
The pesticide collection and disposal services are FREE OF CHARGE, but only farm chemicals will be accepted. Paint, antifreeze, solvents, and household or non-farm pesticides will not be accepted.

What can be recycled? Agriculture pesticide containers –jugs, drums (up to 55 gallons), and mini bulks (if cut into strips) will be accepted. FREE OF CHARGE

REQUIREMENTS

• All containers must be triple rinsed
• Remove caps from jugs and lids from drums
• Remove loose leaf labels
• MUST BE DRY!
• Mini bulks must be cut into 2×2 foot sections with no lid, no valve, and no screws

STRICTLY ENFORCED! If containers are not clean, dry, and in small sizes (mini bulks), they will not be accepted.

SIGNS WILL BE POSTED TO DIRECT YOU TO THE CORRECT AREA OF RECYCLING

RURAL RECYCLING GRINDING LLC will be the recycling company.

 

Governor DeWine Announces Availability of $14 Million in Meat Processing Funding

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik today announced the availability of funding to support Ohio livestock and poultry producers with improvements and expansions to meat processing services.

Applications for the Ohio Meat Processing Grant Program are now available on the program webpage.

“The need for meat processing services is significant, and it’s our job to ensure that Ohio companies have the support they need to continue to feed Ohio’s families,” said Governor DeWine. “Not only that, but this program creates jobs and supports the future of an essential industry in Ohio.”  Read more here

Continue reading →

Early Registration Ends Friday, April 12 for the 2024 Urban Food Systems Symposium

Visit UrbanFoodSystemsSymposium.org for more information.

Act now to take advantage of early registration prices through April 12. Some tours are filling quickly, so don’t miss out on your first choice.

The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) hosts the 2024 Urban Food Systems Symposium in Columbus, Ohio on June 11-13. The event includes keynotes, a grower panel, 40 presentations, a reception with approximately 40 posters, a choice of six off-site educational tours, and dinner at The Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory, a unique 261-acre university facility for teaching, research, and community engagement. Take a look at the keynote and general session speakers we have lined up for the program.

This symposium will bring together a national and international audience of academic, non-profit, government, and research-oriented professionals. Join 300-400 like-minded people to share and gain knowledge on how to build coalitions to adapt to this changing world and how urban food systems contribute to these solutions.

Early registration pricing ends on April 12 at 11:59 p.m. ET, hotel reservations close on May 21, and registration closes on May 24.UrbanFoodSystemsSymposium.org

 

Extended Registration – Southwest Ohio Perennial School

April 5, 2024, get registered without a late fee.

Registration Information

In presentation order 

Joe Boggs – OSU Extension Hamilton County

What’s Real or Imagined?

Boxwoods (Buxus spp.) were one of the earliest plants used in North American landscapes, and their planting records date back to the mid-1600s. These deer-resistant evergreens are among our most popular landscape plants owing to their unique forms and functions in landscape designs. However, the long run of boxwoods in Ohio landscapes seems threatened by new and old diseases and a new non-native pest. Are the threats just a bump on the boxwood road or signs signaling the end of boxwoods? This presentation provides information and perspectives on the threats to boxwoods.

Curtis Young – OSU Extension Van Wert County

What’s All the Buzz About Cicadas Again?

This presentation will look at what cicadas are making the news, why they are in the news, where they might be seen in 2024, what impact they may have on perennials in landscapes, and what one may need to do to protect one’s landscape from injury. The presentation will look at their biology, species that could be encountered, how they produce damage to plants, and what to look for in 2024.

Carrie Brown – OSU Extension Fairfield County

Benefits of natives and trees for pollinators

We will start by exploring the benefits of incorporating native plants into your landscape. We will then take a look at a few native trees that your local pollinators are sure to love.

Marne Titchenell – OSU Extension Wildlife Program Director

The Good, The Bad, and the Hungry: Dealing with Wildlife in the Garden

Eaten plants, dug up bulbs, and holes in the lawn…if you spend time in the garden or landscape, you have undoubtedly encountered these issues. Many wildlife species live among us, our communities, and our backyards. Viewing these species can be enjoyable, but sometimes conflict arises. Fortunately, most wildlife damage can be managed with the right techniques and strategies.

Ashley Kulhanek – OSU Extension Medina County

Weird Things Bugs Do

Join us to learn about common and not-so-common insects and some of their strange and endearing behaviors happening in yards across Ohio.

All About Goats!

The Ohio State University Extension Small Ruminants Team is hosting a 6-part All About Goats! spring webinar series. This webinar series is going to answer producers’ burning questions concerning their herds and help new producers start their herds. Whether you are thinking about raising Dairy or Meat goats- this webinar is for you! All youth livestock exhibitors are encouraged to attend. Registration is required and can be completed by visiting go.osu.edu/allaboutgoats