Month: August 2021

OSU EXTENSION CERTIFIED MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER TRAINING

| Nanette Neal

Butler County Starts in September 2021

 

 

 

To Become a Master Gardener:

  • Complete 50 hours of training in the area of soils and fertilization, annuals and perennials, fruit and vegetable production, etc.
  • Volunteer 50 hours of horticulture assistance to the County in which you hold membership, on approved projects. ie. Take the class in Butler and volunteer in your home county.

Application Deadline: August 25, 2021

  • Note: $50 non-refundable deposit required with application.

Cost:

  • $150 ($50 paid with application, $100 due by the first class), plus the cost of a web-check fingerprint background check.

Mandatory Orientation Meeting:

  • August 25, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.

Class Schedule:

  • Classes will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
  • Class Dates • Monday, September 20, 2021 (First Class)
  • Tuesdays, starting September 28, 2021, to November 16, 2021.

Class Location:

  • OSUE, Butler County, 1802 Princeton Road, Hamilton, OH 45011

Contact:

Livestock News

| Nanette Neal

Beef Cattle News

Six new articles have been posted in this week’s issue number 1254 of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter: http://u.osu.edu/beef/

Sometimes we end up with some ‘fall calvers’ simply because they were late to calve one of the years prior. However, maybe there’s merit in actually planning to have a fall calving herd. That’s exactly what Garth Ruff explores this week.

 

Articles this week include:

  • Fall Calving, Is It Profitable?
  • Using Nutrient Removal Rates to Improve Forage Productivity
  • Four Never Fail Rules of Grazing
  • Incorporating stockpiled fescue into the winter-feeding program
  • Hay Baler Safety
  • Factors Impacting Feedlot Placement

Sheep News

Rangeland Sheep Research

Christine Gelley, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Noble County On the border of Southwestern Montana and Eastern Idaho lay the rangelands that comprise the United States

Nuts and Bolts of Wool

Sponsored by the American Sheep Industry Association, Dr. Lisa Surber of LM Livestock Services discusses several topics in the wool industry including potential contaminates, how

Why Test Forage Quality?

Justin Brackenrich, Field and Forage Crops Extension Educator, Penn State University Andrew Sandeen, Extension Educator, Penn State University (previously published with Penn State Extension: June 30,

Ohio New and Small Farm Colleges Set for 2021

| Nanette Neal

Bringing small farms in Ohio to life is the theme of the New and Small Farm College program that has been offered to farm families since 2005. The program focuses on the increasing number of new and small farm landowners that have a need for comprehensive farm ownership and management programming.

The mission of the college is to provide a greater understanding of production practices, economics of land use choices, assessment of personal and natural resources, marketing alternatives, and the identification of sources of assistance.

The New and Small Farm College has three educational objectives:

  1. To improve the economic development of small farm family-owned farms in
  2. To help small farm landowners and families diversify their opportunities into successful new enterprises and new
  3. To improve agricultural literacy among small farm landowners not actively involved in agricultural

Since the program began, the New and Small Farm College has now reached over 1175 participants from 57 Ohio Counties representing almost 900 farms.

If you are a small farm landowner wondering what to do with your acreage, ask yourself these questions:

Are you interested in exploring options for land uses but not sure where to turn or how to begin?

Have you considered adding an agricultural or horticultural enterprise, but you just aren’t sure of what is required, from equipment, labor, and/or a management perspective?

Are you looking for someplace to get some basic farm information?

If you or someone you know answered yes to any of these questions, then the Ohio State University New and Small Farm College program may be just what you are looking for.

The Ohio State University New and Small Farm College is a 7-session short course that will be held one night a week.  The 2021 Ohio New and Small Farm College program will be held in three locations across the state including:

  • Pike County area, to be held at the OSU South Centers facility, 1864 Shyville Road, Piketon, Ohio 45661, (Located off US 32 – Appalachian Hwy). Classes will be held on Wednesday evenings beginning August 18 and concluding September 29, 2021. For more information contact Pike County Extension Office at 740-289-4837. Brochure
  • Fayette county area, Fayette County Extension Office, 1415 US Route 22 SW, Washington Court House, Ohio 43160. Classes will be held on Thursday evenings beginning August 19 and concluding on September 30, 2021. For more information contact the Fayette County Extension Office at 740-335-1150. Brochure
  • Wayne County area, to be held at the OSU Wooster Campus, The Shisler Conference Center, 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, Ohio 44961. Classes will be held on Tuesday evenings beginning August 31 and concluding October 12, 2021. For more information, contact Wayne County Extension at 330-264-8722. Brochure

All colleges will start each evening at 6:00 pm with a light dinner with the nightly presentations beginning at 6:30 pm and concluding at 9:00 pm.

Topics that will be covered in the Small Farm College course include:

  • Getting Started (goal setting, family matters, resource inventory, business planning)
  • Appropriate Land Use -Walking the Farm
  • Where to Get Assistance, (identifying various agencies, organizations, and groups)
  • Financial and Business Mgmt.: Strategies for decision-makers
  • Farm Insurance
  • Soils
  • Legal Issues
  • Marketing Alternatives

In addition to the classroom instruction, participants will receive tickets to attend the 2021 Farm Science Review (www.fsr.osu.edu ), September 21, 22, & 23 Located at the Molly Caren Farm, London, Ohio. A soil sample analysis will also be provided to each participating farm.

The cost of the course is $125 per person, $100 for an additional family member.  Each participating family will receive a small farm college notebook full of the information presented in each class session plus additional materials.

Registrations are now being accepted. For more details about the course and/or a registration form, contact Tony Nye, Small Farm Program Coordinator at 937-382-0901, or email at nye.1@osu.edu.

What is the WASDE Report and Why is It Important?

| Nanette Neal

by: Chris Zoller, Extension Educator, ANR, Tuscarawas County

Click here for PDF of this article

The World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report is prepared monthly by the Interagency Commodity Estimates Committees (ICECs) which are chaired by representatives from the Agricultural Marketing Service, Economic Research Service, Farm Service Agency, and Foreign Agricultural Service.  The National Agricultural Statistics Service provides data about U.S. production and each ICEC (one for each of nine commodities) compiles and analyzes data from U.S. and foreign sources to produce the report.

The WASDE report is prepared under very tight security in a “lock-up” area inside a USDA building.  On the day of the report release, doors in this room are secured, window shades are closed, and telephone and internet communication are blocked!  Analysts attending the meeting must present their credentials to a guard before entering to finalize the report.  The WASDE report is released at 12:00 noon Eastern time, and not a minute sooner.

Who Provides Information?

The Interagency Commodity Estimates Committees described earlier use information from a variety of USDA sources.  The National Agricultural Statistics Service provides data related to U.S. crop and livestock production.  The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, official data from foreign governments, satellite imagery, and weather data is also provided about foreign crop and livestock production and use.

All of this information is reviewed by ICEC members with broad expertise and perspective.  To arrive at a consensus about the forecasts, the committee considers alternate assessments of domestic and foreign supply and use.

Commodity Balance Sheets

Do you remember back to your introductory economics class?  One of the basic principles taught was supply and demand (see graph below).  Those who develop the WASDE report use information to provide the agricultural industry with a baseline for the supply and demand of given commodities.  If a large supply is anticipated (think of it as a bumper yield), but domestic or foreign demand is not high, the result is lower prices. On the flip side, a poor harvest (lower quantity) combined with increased demand results in increasing commodity prices.  We have seen commodity markets move up or down within minutes of a WASDE report being released.

A balance sheet for the U.S. and world wheat, rice, coarse grains, oilseeds, and cotton is provided.  Coarse grains include corn, barley, sorghum, and oats).  Oilseeds include soybeans, rapeseed, and palm).  The U.S. also reports sugar, meat, poultry, eggs, and milk on the balance sheet.   Separate estimates are provided for components of supply and demand and domestic use is divided into major categories (for example, corn for feed and corn for ethanol use).

Of interest to many is the reported season-average farm price for farm commodities.  Price forecasts are made by experts who carefully analyze the supply and demand sides of the balance sheet, along with commodity models, and in-depth research of domestic and international issues.

Why is the WASDE Important?

Agriculture operates in a global market and supply and demand are constantly changing.  A monthly balance sheet of major commodities provides farmers, industry professionals, and others a current source of information.

Not everyone agrees with every number reported in each WASDE, but everyone should feel confident that a tremendous amount of research and time is invested to provide the most accurate report possible.

Where Can I Read the WASDE Reports?

Current and historical (since 1974) WASDE reports are available here: https://www.usda.gov/oce/commodity/wasde.  These reports are approximately 40 pages in length, but an approximate five-page summary of coarse grains, oilseeds, and cotton is provided at the beginning of the report.  Detailed data tables accompany the report.

Sources:

WASDE FAQs, United States Department of Agriculture, https://www.usda.gov/oce/commodity-markets/wasde/faqs

WASDE Report, United States Department of Agriculture, https://www.usda.gov/oce/commodity/wasde

Forage Field Day

| Nanette Neal

Do you have questions about your forage stand health and fertility management strategies? If so, you’re not alone. These images show before and after comparisons of a field that benefited from an updated fertility plan. Did you know that for every ton of grass hay harvested 12lbs of Phosphorous and 48lbs of potassium are removed from the soil? How can this information be used to increase stand health, yields, and profitability?

Join us for our Forage Field Day on Saturday, August 28th to get the answers to these questions and more! Fertilizer (Category 15) and private pesticide category 2 (Livestock & Forage Crops) recertification credits will be available. Additional information is included on the flyer. Reserve your spot soon at go.osu.edu/forageFD!

More on nutrient removal rates: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-96

Upcoming Hops Research Field Nights

| Nanette Neal

Join us at the Agriculture Incubator Foundation in Bowling Green, Ohio for an in-person Hops Field Night and hop yard tour on Wednesday, August 11th! Hear from OSU hop researcher Brad Bergefurd and Agriculture Incubator Foundation hop yard managers Dick Bostdorf (President) and David Little (Chairman) to learn about hop production and integrated pest management in Northwest Ohio. This session is free and there is no registration required. Food and drink will not be provided so please plan accordingly. More information can be found in the attached flyer.

Then join us the following week on August 17th for another field night at OSU South Centers in Piketon, Ohio! Brad Bergefurd and the research team will present on hop production and pest management in Southern Ohio. This session is free and there is no registration required. Food and drink will not be provided so please plan accordingly. More information can be found in the attached flyer.

If you have any questions about either field night, please contact Brad Bergefurd at bergefurd.1@osu.edu or call 740-289-2071 x136.  

   Bowling Green Field Night             OSU South Centers Field Night

                       

Cattle Handling Workshop and BQA Recertification

| Nanette Neal

OSU Extension Adams County and Cherry Fork Farm Supply will be presenting a workshop on September 14, 2021, on “Proper Handling, Loading, and Hauling Cattle”. Beef Quality Assurance will also be covered during the presentation for recertification.

Dr. Steven Boyles, OSU Beef Extension Specialist, and Keith Trimble of WW Manufacturing will be the guest speakers for the event.

The workshop will be held at the Adams County Fairgrounds in the show arena from 5:30 pm-8:00 pm. This session is free and a meal is included, but registration is required and limited to the first 100 registrants. Register by contacting Richard Purdin at 937-544-2339.