Audience: Specialty Grower

2025 East Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference on March 21, 2025

East Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference Celebrates 10 Years

 

WOOSTER, OHIO-For the 10th year, Ohio State University (OSU) Extension will empower women, high school-age and beyond through its East Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference. The event will take place on March 21, 2025, from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at the Shisler Conference Center 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691.

 

This year’s program will feature 24 break-out sessions in 6 tracks including: Plants, Animals, Business & Marketing, Home & Family, Special Interest, and Personal Development. These informative and interactive sessions are presented by Ohio State University Extension educators, farmers, industry professionals, and partner agencies.

 

We are thrilled to have international speaker, author, and farm coach, Elaine Froese, at our conference this spring. She’s on a mission to guide farm families, across North America, to get unstuck, communicate better, find harmony through understanding, and secure a profitable farm legacy. Elaine is traveling from her home farm in Manitoba, Canada to speak with us! She will share a special keynote about Living an Intentional Life, will teach a breakout session to help tackle tough family conversations, and will have Coach on Call individual sessions available throughout the day. Every participant will also receive two of Elaine’s books in electronic format and a hard copy of Elaine’s book, “Farming’s In-Law Factor.” You can learn more about Elaine Froese at elainefroese.com.

 

“This conference connects women of all ages to not only each other but also to meaningful informational resources for their journey in agriculture.” Kelsie Mannasmith, Ohio State student said, “Through Elaine Froese and other guest presenters the 10th anniversary will help women continue, or even begin their paths in agriculture.”

Registration information can be found at: go.osu.edu/eowiareg25. Cost of the conference is $70 for adult participants and $35 for students, including participation, breakfast, lunch and conference materials. Deadline for registration is Friday, March 7.

 

Learn about sponsorship opportunities at go.osu.edu/eowiasponsor25 or contact Emily Marrison with sponsorship questions at 740-622-2265 or marrison.12@osu.edu.

Stay connected with the Ohio Women in Agriculture Leaming network on Facebook at @OHwomeninag or subscribe to the Ohio Women in Agriculture blog site at u.osu.edu/ohwomeninag.

For more information about this conference contact Kate Shumaker, Extension Educator, at 330-674-3015 or shumaker.68@osu.edu.

Check out the session descriptions below.

Click here to view, download, or print the flyer –> 2025 EOWIA Conference Flyer

Click HERE to register

Online Ohio Berry Production Series on February 20th

My colleagues at OSU South Centers will be hosting a free online webinar series on berry production.  See the details below, plus registration link to get access to the webinar.

Click Here for the flyer –> Ohio Berry Field Night 2025

CLICK HERE to Register

2025 Urban Agriculture Critical Infrastructure Grant Applications are OPEN!

The Franklin County Urban Agriculture Critical Infrastructure grant opened on January 3rd, 2025 and will close January 31st, 2025 at 11:59PM, with grant awards in mid February. The application can be accessed HERE.

Please read all grant resources and info below before submitting your application. Incomplete applications or applications that do not follow directions will not be considered for funding.

Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District is excited to announce another year of the Franklin County Urban Agriculture Critical Infrastructure Grant in partnership with Franklin County Economic Development and Planning! This grant makes $285,000 of federal ARPA funding available to local growers. Each individual organization may apply for up to $15,000 of grant funding or up to $20,000 for water line installation. This grant seeks to strengthen the local food supply chain and support local farmers and is available to both for-profit and non-profit farms, including community gardens and other types of growing operations. Growing operations 5 acres or less are eligible to apply, with additional consideration given to operations under 1 acre. Eligible uses of this grant include infrastructure that helps local farms and community gardens scale up their production and distribution, with examples including but not limited to high tunnels, water service, cold/dry storage, and market stands.

FSWCD would like to thank Franklin County Board of Commissioners, City of Columbus, Franklin Park Conservatory, OSU Extension, Osteopathic Heritage Foundation, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Columbus & Franklin County Local Food Board for their partnership throughout the planning process. This grant was financially assisted by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and builds on and contributes to the ongoing efforts to implement the Columbus & Franklin County Local Food Action Plan.

Visit the grant page at the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District website to learn more.

Columbus Expands Composting Program

Food Waste Drop-Off Pilot Program

Nearly 1 million pounds of food waste goes to the Franklin County landfill every single day.

Food waste in the landfill generates potent methane gas — a powerful greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to climate change. Waste diversion is the most efficient way to reduce the amount of emissions generated by landfills, and to reduce demand for landfill space.

Reducing organic waste, specifically food waste, from entering the landfill is a major goal of the Columbus Climate Action Plan. The plan sets ambitious goas to achieve a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.

To help reach these goals and make it convenient for residents to compost food scraps, the city is launching a Food Waste Drop-Off Pilot Program with the help of a Community Waste Reduction Grant from the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO).

As an avid composter I applaud the City of Columbus!  Click HERE to learn more about this program.

 

The food scraps drop-off collection sites for Columbus residents’ use are located at:

  • Bill McDonald Athletic Complex, 4990 Olentangy River Rd., 43214
  • Dodge Park and Community Center, 667 Sullivant Ave., 43215
  • Scioto Southland Park, 3901 Parsons Ave., 43207
  • Beatty Park Community Recreation Center, 247 N. Ohio Ave., 43203
  • Northeast Park and Howard Recreation Center, 2505 Cassady Ave., 43219
  • Linden Park Community Center,  1350 Briarwood Ave., 43211
  • Carriage Place Park Community Center, 4900 Sawmill Rd., 43235

Farm Resource Class Series from OSU Extension – How to Lose Less on the Farm

My OSU Extension colleagues will be hosting both an online and in-person series of classes titled How to Lose Less on the Farm. The five part class series stretches from December to February and includes topics such as budgets, record keeping, alternative crops, taxes, and more. There is no charge for the class but they do ask for registration for planning and require registration if you wish to attend online.

 

CLICK this LINK to register.  The online link will be sent shortly before the class.

For questions please contact the Madison County Extension Office at 740-852-0744

Home Hydroponics Class at the Urban Farm Church on Wednesday November 13th, 2024 at 6pm

Home Hydroponics is one of the most popular classes I get asked to teach.  I get lots of questions from clients on this topic including what can I grow, what kind of lights do I need, how does this system work.  It can be a little bewildering but the benefits are amazing!  All this will be addressed at The Urban Farm Church on 11/13 at 6pm.  This class is free and open to the public but does require registration (so they know how many snacks to make!) so bring your friends and your questions!  If the weather is nice we can do a little garden walk too!

Table top unit growing eight heads of lettuce in less than a month!

CLICK HERE to Register

You can learn more about The Urban Farm Church HERE plus find directions to the class (lots of free parking!) HERE

Growing Garlic Class at Mt. Carmel Healthy Living Center on Wednesday October 16th @ 1pm

I will be teaching a class on Growing Garlic in the Home Garden in partnership with the Mt. Carmel Healthy Living Center, 777 West State St.,  on Wednesday October 16th @ 1pm.  The class is free and open to the public but they do ask for registration to ensure there is enough space.  Bring your friends and your questions and hope to see you there!

Heads of garlic, shown at the top, are separated into individual cloves. Select large healthy cloves to use as planting stock. Photo by Timothy J. Malinich, Ohio State University Extension.

Click Here for a Garlic Fact Sheet from OSU Extension

Check out the registration link below to register for this class as well as view a ton of other free learning opportunities.

CLICK this LINK to Register

CLICK HERE for directions to the center

Making Food at Home to Sell: Virtual Q & A Sessions

My colleagues at OSU Extension are hosting a series of virtual Q and A Sessions on the topic: Making Food at Home to sell.  This is a topic of interest to many urban farmers and is sure to provide a wealth of knowledge.  The series is free but does require registration. The registration link is below.

Here are the topics and dates/times:

Register here: go.osu.edu/virtualQA24

Each virtual Q&A session will begin with a 5–10-minute presentation.

You do not need to come prepared with questions. Feel free to drop in to listen!

*Please note that these virtual Q&As solely pertain to foods approved to be made at home (in Ohio) with the intention to sell them (e.g., cottage foods and home bakery products).

Learn more about Controlled Environment Agriculture

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is where we grow faster and more efficiently, using less water and nutrients by controlling the inputs such as light, temperature, pH, water, and nutrient delivery.  A lot of people know about CEA as hydroponics.  Ohio’s #1 industry is agriculture and our fastest growing segment is controlled environment agriculture.  Ohio is now the number TWO state in the nation in the indoor production of fruit, vegetables, and herbs!  There is a lot of opportunity in agriculture.  My largest program is engaging youth in agriculture in workforce development in their classrooms so they can see if agriculture is something they enjoy as a possible career.  I have a ton of information to share about CEA for you to learn more.

Growing Teachers Throughout the Seasons is a USDA NIFA grant project that created a guidebook with supplemental online modules to engage teachers and students in schools in agriculture.  It was pilot tested by 46 teachers from Columbus City Schools so it is data-driven and teacher informed. Reach out to me at mcdermott.15@osu.edu if you would like to get GTS into your schools to engage your kiddos in agriculture.

Hydroponics at Home! Did you know you can grow all year long using hydroponics in your home?  It is fun and easy.  Check out this video to learn more about Home Hydroponics.

 

Extension Today at Howlett – OSU’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences has classes on controlled environment agriculture in our Horticulture and Crop Sciences Department. Learn more about what the students are doing in this video.

 

Extension Today at the CEARC – come take a tour of OSU’s brand new research greenhouse, the CEARC!

 

Want to learn more? Email me at mcdermott.15@osu.edu