Author: Nanette Neal

Urban Farm Education Field Day

| Nanette Neal

Cohosted by The Ohio State University’s Student Farm and Urban Ag. Team, the Urban Farm Education Field Day will offer demonstrations and presentations to support small-scale and urban farming. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from Ohio State University Extension professionals about a variety of topics, including the use of low tunnels for season extension and insect exclusion, high tunnel ventilation management, artificial intelligence-enabled robotic weeders for vegetable production, USDA funding to support urban high tunnels, and more. Program details are below and in the attached file; growers, producers, farmers, students, extension educators, and community members are all welcome to join the event!

Attendance is free. Mark your calendars and register here by September 14.

Urban Farm Education Field Day Flyer

Women Who Hunt: Navigating Ohio’s Laws and Outdoor Safety

| Nanette Neal

WOMEN IN AG WEDNESDAY WEBINARS

The 2025 Series will be on the 1st WEDNESDAY of each month.

10:30 am – 11:30 am

Via Zoom Platform

Join us on September 3, 2025, for the next session on…

Women Who Hunt: Navigating Ohio’s Laws and Outdoor Safety

It is a webinar designed to empower women with the knowledge and confidence to hunt safely and legally in Ohio. Participants will explore essential hunting regulations, safety practices, and resources tailored to support women in the outdoors.

Register for the entire series using this link once. go.osu.edu/wiawednesdaywebinars2025  

Are you raising a backyard flock? This survey is for you!

| Nanette Neal

Since March 2024, 70 cases of avian influenza A(H5) (H5 bird flu) have occurred in humans in the United States, mostly among workers exposed to infected dairy cows and commercial poultry farms. However, cases have also occurred among people exposed to birds kept in non-commercial, backyard flocks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Ohio Department of Health (ODH) are interested in learning more about backyard flock owners and their flocks to improve H5 bird flu prevention messaging. The anonymous survey asks about:

  • Characteristics of backyard flock owners, their families, and their flocks.
  • Knowledge of H5 bird flu and signs and symptoms of H5 bird flu in birds and humans.
  • Perceived risk of and concern about H5 bird flu to their backyard flock and themselves/families.
  • Attitudes towards reporting sick or dead birds and protective measures like vaccination of their flock.
  • Practices they use to protect their flock and themselves from H5 bird flu.

CDC will use the survey results to help make sure that backyard flock owners have the information they need to protect themselves from H5 bird flu. Questions about this survey can be sent to h5flustudy@cdc.gov.

For questions about steps backyard flock owners can take to protect themselves from H5 bird flu, please visit odh.ohio.gov/hpai or contact your local health department.

For questions about protecting your flock, please visit the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA)’s HPAI Poultry webpage or contact ODA at 614-728-6220.

QR code to the survey:

URL link to the survey:

https://redcap.link/backyardflock

Wednesday Women in Ag Webinar – Aquaculture is Agriculture!

| Nanette Neal

Join us on August 6, 2025, for the next session of Wednesday Women in Ag Webinars with Herbert Quintero, OSU Program Director for Aquaculture Extension, on the topic of:

Aquaculture is Agriculture – Ways to Engage!

Aquaculture offers dynamic, hands-on learning opportunities that connect science, sustainability, and food systems. This session will explore how aquaponics facilities can play a vital role in enhancing food security while promoting environmentally responsible practices. Participants will gain insights into sustainable aquaculture methods and how they can be integrated into educational programs, community initiatives, and local food systems.

Register for the entire series using this link one time. go.osu.edu/wiawednesdaywebinars2025  

Beef Cattle Artificial Insemination School

| Nanette Neal

Registration for the Jackson Agricultural Research Station Beef Artificial Insemination School is now open!

Are you looking to implement more effective reproductive strategies to your cattle herd? This Artificial Insemination
School is for you!

Ohio State University Extension educators and faculty members will share information and instruction critical to the process each day. Space is LIMITED to the first 20 applicants! Registration fees are non-refundable. Registrants will be notified when they are accepted into the class.

  • DATE: September 30th – October 2nd
  • TIME: 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
  • LOCATION: Jackson Agriculture Research Station, 17 Standpipe Road, Jackson, OH, 45640
  • Cost: $150 per person (includes program materials and meals)

Scan the QR code to register, or visit:  https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cNN3gnDxfCBKDie

Invasive and Woodland Management

| Nanette Neal

Join us on September 10th at Ohio State’s Mansfield Campus for this evening of woodland management and invasives. We will examine our grapevine control and crop tree management demonstration plots on campus while exploring the invasive species issues that can occur with these practices.

Registration is $10 and available here.

FREE FARM PESTICIDE DISPOSAL COLLECTION EVENTS AVAILABLE IN FULTON, LAKE, AND GREENE COUNTIES

| Nanette Neal

The Ohio Department of Agriculture(ODA) will be sponsoring three collection events for farmers to dispose of unwanted pesticides. This year, the collections are available in Fulton, Lake, and Greene counties on the following days and locations:
August 13 – Fulton County Extension, 8770 State Route 108, Wauseon, Ohio 43567, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
August 14 – Perry Coal and Feed (Lake County), 4204 Main Street, Perry, Ohio 44081, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
August 27 – Greene County Fairgrounds, 100 Fairground Road, Xenia, Ohio 45385. 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

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.

ODA sponsors the pesticide collections in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. To pre-register or for more information, contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture at (614) 728-6987.