Licking County Agricultural Hall of Fame nominations due

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2020 AGRICULTURE HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES!

Is there someone you know that has demonstrated life long exemplary service to their community and the industry of agriculture?  If so, we would like to hear their story.  Please complete the nomination form and return to the Licking County Extension office by December 31, 2019.  We are glad to help you through the process.  We have created a new application this year that can be completed online and emailed to me.   Click on the following link for the application: Hall of Fame Nomination Form 11.13.19 or stop by the office.

Farm tax information and webinar

2019 Farmer’s Tax Guide
The 2019 version of the Farmer’s Tax Guide (Publication 225) has been released by the Internal Revenue Service and can be found at: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p225.pdf. Copies are also available at the Licking County Extension office.

Ohio Farm and Farmland Owner Income Tax Webinar

Are you a farmer or farmland owner wanting to learn more about the recent income tax changes? If so, join us for our Ohio Farmer and Landowner Income Tax Webinar on January 13 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Register for just $35 and if you can’t attend, you will be sent a link to view it later at your convenience.

This webinar will focus on issues related to farmer and farmland owner tax returns and the additional changes introduced in 2019.

The two-hour program will be presented in a live webinar format by OSU Extension Educators Barry Ward, Chris Bruynis and David Marrison. Individuals who operate farms, own property, or are involved with renting farmland should participate.

Click on this link for more information and registration:  https://go.osu.edu/farmertaxwebinar

Licking County is hosting 2 statewide beef programs starting in January

 

Sign up now!

Program 1:

The Ohio Beef Cattle Nutrition and Management School is targeting anyone raising, feeding, or marketing any class of beef cattle on a small or large scale.   Session 1 (6-9:00 p.m. January 30th at the OSU Newark/COTC Campus  in Licking County) will feature former OSU research nutritionist and current University of Georgia Department of Animal Sciences Chair, Dr. Francis Fluharty discussing the use of small grains, by-product feeds, and cover crop forages in both feedlot and beef cow diets.  Session 2 ( 6-9:00 p.m. February 13th at the OSU Newark/COTC Campus in Licking County) will feature talks by OSU Extension Educators on marketing strategies, feeding and managing for carcass quality, forage testing, and managing annual forages for grazing and hay.  Click this link for flyer and registration information. Ohio Beef Cattle Nutrition

Program 2:

The Ohio State University Extension Beef Team also is holding a hands-on, Ohio Beef Cow/Calf workshop at the Claylick Run Farm Sale Facility outside of Newark, in Licking County.  This workshop will be held from 10 a.m – 2:00 p.m., including lunch, with 2 different sessions, January 30th, and February 13th.  Session 1 will focus on alternative feeds and forages, and managing beef  brood cow nutrition, with discussion led by Dr. Francis Fluharty.  Session 2 will focus on herd health and reproduction with Dr. Les Anderson from the University of Kentucky and Dr. Foster Anderson with Bailey Veterinary Clinic, and will include live demonstrations from OSU Extension Beef Team members on body condition scoring, bull breeding soundness evaluation, and semen handling.  Click this link for flyer and registration information.  Ohio Beef CowCalf Workshop

I encourage you to make it a day and attend both meetings.  Hang out with fellow cattlemen in between sessions or go home and do chores in between the afternoon and evening meetings.

For more details and information, or to register, contact  Dean Kreager in Licking County at 740-670-5315 or Kreager.5@osu.edu, or Allen Gahler in Sandusky County at 419-334-6340 or gahler.2@osu.edu.

Small Farm College coming to Licking County starting in January

Are you interested in learning how to make the most out of your acreage.  If so this eight-week course is just for you.  Classes will meet at OSU Newark/COTC on Wednesday evenings starting January 22, 2020.  Our instructors will bring the knowledge you need to get your small farm up and going or improve the profitability of your existing farm.  We will introduce you to a wide variety of topics and help answer questions specific to your situation.  Details and registration information are in this flyer: Licking Small Farm College 2020  Registrations will be limited to insure interaction with instructors.  Please call 740-670-5315 with any questions.

2020 Agronomy School Slated for January 28 (one day – Dresden)

The OSU Extension offices in Coshocton & Muskingum Counties are pleased to be offering the “2020 Agronomy School” on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. This school will be held at the Dresden United Methodist Church located at 1014 Main Street in Dresden. This school will focus on topics to increase corn profitability, improve grain crop nutrient management, and understand new trends in Ohio weather. Participants will also learn more about the farm bill, commodity prices, and trade issues.

The featured speakers for this event include: Aaron Wilson, Atmospheric Scientist, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center; Ben Brown, Program Manager for Farm Management; Glen Arnold, Field Specialist, Manure Management; and Harold Watters, Field Specialist, Agronomic Systems; Clifton Martin, OSU Extension Educator and David Marrison, OSU Extension Educator.

This is event is being co-sponsored by the Ohio Soybean Council.

Pre-registration for this school is required and the fee is $30 per person. Make checks payable to Ohio State University Muskingum County. Mail to 225 Underwood Street, Zanesville, OH 43701. The registration deadline is Wednesday, January 22, 2020. This fee includes refreshments, lunch, handouts, and a copy of Bulletin #969 – A Field Guide to Identifying Critical Resource Concerns and Best Management Practices. Pesticide and Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) credits have been applied for. More information can be found at muskingum.osu.edu/agronomyschool. More information can be obtained by contacting the Muskingum County Extension office at 740-454-0144.

Click on this link for more details: https://muskingum.osu.edu/sites/muskingum/files/imce/2020%20Agronomy%20School%20Flyer%20Final.pdf

What’s on our Christmas wish list? More written farmland leases in 2020

Wednesday, December 18th, 2019

Written by Peggy Kirk Hall, Associate Professor, Agricultural & Resource Law

Christmas is a good time to make wishes for the peace and well-being of others.  One of our top wishes this year does that:  we hope for all Ohio farmers to have written farmland leases.  It’s an odd wish, we know.  But putting leases in writing can help landowners and farm tenants live in peace, and we like that.

Farm leases have always been prone to being verbal agreements, sealed with a handshake.  Simplicity and trust are two plausible reasons we’ve done business that way.  But a written farm lease can be simple, and using one doesn’t have to mean that the parties don’t trust each another.  Instead, a lease can keep distrust from arising between the parties by anticipating needs and foreclosing uncertainties and disagreements.

One of the strongest disagreements we hear about verbal farm leases is whether one party can terminate the lease without giving the other much notice of that termination.  For example, if Riley has rented land from Dale every year for the past ten years, can Dale terminate the lease for the 2020 planting season in February of 2020?  What if Riley has already purchased inputs, added nutrients, or planted a cover crop?  Or perhaps Dale passes away at the end of the year.  Will Riley lose the lease if Dale’s children sell the land before planting season begins?  These are the uncertainties that can lead to fighting, distrust, and sometimes, costly and difficult litigation.

A written farmland lease can prevent these uncertainties that can arise with verbal leases.  A written lease can state how much notice is required in order for one party to terminate the lease.  It can address other potentially problematic issues, such as who repairs drainage tiles, fences and access points, how to address new subsurface drainage and soil fertility needs, and whether and how to adjust annual lease rental rates.  When an issue or question about the arrangement develops, the written farm lease can provide the already agreed-upon answer or solution.

When it comes to the peace and well-being of farmers, written farmland leases are a good thing to wish for.  So let’s keep the Grinch of uncertainty from showing up in 2020, and put those farmland leases in writing.   For our resources on what to include in a written farm lease, how to create an enforceable lease, and other farm lease needs, please visit this page

OSU Extension to Host 2 winter Beef Programs in Licking County

 

Program 1:

Mark your calendars now for the Ohio Beef Cattle Nutrition and Management School, targeted for anyone raising, feeding, or marketing any class of beef cattle.   Session 1 (6-9:00 p.m. January 29th at Luckey Farmers Inc. main office in Sandusky County, and January 30th at the OSU Newark Campus in Licking County) will feature former OSU research nutritionist and current University of Georgia Department of Animal Sciences Chair, Dr. Francis Fluharty discussing the use of small grains, by-product feeds, and cover crop forages in both feedlot and beef cow diets.  Session 2 (February 12th in Sandusky County, and February 13th in Licking County, both 6-9:00 p.m.) will feature talks by OSU Extension Educators on marketing strategies, feeding and managing for carcass quality, forage testing, and managing annual forages for grazing and hay.  Click this link for flyer and registration information. Ohio Beef Cattle Nutrition

Program 2:

The Ohio State University Extension Beef Team also plans to hold a hands-on, Ohio Beef Cow/Calf workshop at the Claylick Run Farm Sale Facility outside of Newark, in Licking County.  This workshop will be held from 10 a.m – 2:00 p.m., including lunch, with 2 different sessions, January 30th, and February 13th.  Session 1 will focus on alternative feeds and forages, and managing beef brood cow nutrition, with discussion led by Dr. Francis Fluharty.  Session 2 will focus on herd health and reproduction with Dr. Les Anderson from the University of Kentucky and Dr. Foster Anderson with Bailey Veterinary Clinic, and will include live demonstrations from OSU Extension Beef Team members on body condition scoring, bull breeding soundness evaluation, and semen handling.  Click this link for flyer and registration information.  Ohio Beef CowCalf Workshop

I encourage you to make it a day and attend both meetings.  Hang out with fellow cattlemen in between sessions or go home and do chores in between the two sessions.

For more details and information, or to register, contact Allen Gahler in Sandusky County at 419-334-6340 or gahler.2@osu.edu, or Dean Kreager in Licking County at 740-670-5315, or Kreager.5@osu.edu.

9 Tips for Keeping a Christmas Tree Fresh

Given good hydration and other proper care, a cut Christmas tree should stay fresh indoors for at least a month, said Kathy Smith, forestry program director in the college’s School of Environment and Natural Resources.  That’s true at least for the Christmas tree species commonly sold in Ohio, Smith said.

Smith, as part of her work, leads the Ohio Woodland Stewards Program, a statewide educational effort aimed at helping people take care of trees, forests and wildlife. The college’s outreach arm, Ohio State University Extension, runs the program.

Below, Smith shares key tips for keeping one’s tannenbaum in possession of its needles.

  • Make sure the tree is fresh. Cut it yourself at a cut-your-own Christmas tree farm. Or, if you shop at a retail lot …
  • Take a light grip on one of the tree’s branches. Then pull the branch lightly through your hand. A fresh tree will lose few, if any, green needles. Two other options are to …
  • Hold the tree by its trunk and shake it. Or bounce the bottom of the trunk on the ground. Again, a fresh tree should lose few, if any, green needles.
  • Keep the tree in a cool, protected place if you don’t plan to take it indoors right away. Put it under an overhang, say, or in an unheated garage or porch.
  • If you’re going to store the tree outside for a couple of days, put the end of its trunk in a bucket of water. But first …
  • If the tree has been cut for more than 6-8 hours — and so has been out of water that long — make a new, straight cut at the bottom of the trunk. Use a saw to cut an inch or so off the end. Otherwise, during that time, sap will have started to seal the original cut. The tree won’t take up water as well, or maybe not at all, and will dry out sooner than it should.
  • Keep the room cooler than normal, if possible, once you set up the tree. If you can, turn down the thermostat, or close or partly close the room’s heat vents. This slows down the tree’s drying out.
  • For the same reason, locate the tree away from heat vents, fireplaces, radiators and windows that get direct sunlight.
  • Last but not least, keep the tree, yes, watered. Ideally, use a tree stand that can hold at least 1 gallon of water, and more for bigger trees. The key: Keep it filled. Don’t let the water get lower than the end of the trunk. If the water gets too low, the end will seal with sap. And you know what happens then: Less or no uptake of water; premature drying out.

Regarding the second and third tips: Brown needles are another story. Every year, a growing Christmas tree normally sheds some of its needles. Thousands of these dead brown needles may collect in the branches.

That’s why Christmas tree sellers often give a tree a good shake — either by hand or by using a special machine — when someone buys the tree: to get rid of these perfectly normal but still possibly carpet-messing brown needles.

Original article by Kurt Knebusch

Farm Bill Update Meetings are scheduled for Licking County

Do you have questions about your selection options available in the new Farm Bill?  The 2018 Farm Bill allows the choice to enroll in ARC or PLC for 2019-2023.  These programs are designed to help provide protection in case of yield losses or loss of markets.  Enrollment for 2019 is currently open with the deadline set as March 15, 2020. Join OSU Extension and the Farm Service Agency for an informational meeting to learn about changes to the ARC/PLC, important dates and deadlines, crop insurance – supplemental coverage option, and using decision tools to evaluate program choices to make informed program decisions. Click on this link for dates and locations. Farm Bill Flyer