OSU Extension Launches New Food Business Central Online Course

Are you a baker ready to sell your home-baked goods? Are you a farmer looking for value-added opportunities for crops you’ve grown or livestock you’ve raised? Are you an entrepreneur aiming to use local agricultural products to make value-added foods? The new Food Business Central online course through Ohio State University Extension can equip you with knowledge and strategies to launch a successful farm-raised or home-based food business in Ohio.

Navigating food regulations, establishing a new business, and applying best practices for food safety can be challenges for food entrepreneurs. “Many people interested in starting a food business aren’t sure where to turn first,” says Emily Marrison, OSU Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Educator and course development team member. “This course is designed to serve as a centralized hub to connect participants to information and resources regarding all types of food products they might want to make and sell.”

OSU Extension experts will help you develop a Food Business Action Plan and learn what you need to start off organized, safe, compliant, and strategic. The self-paced course focuses on several food types including cottage foods and baked goods, canned foods, meat, poultry, eggs, and more. Throughout the course participants will consider key questions and develop action steps to take on their journey to start a food business. As food entrepreneurs complete the course, they will have the answers they need to complete a business plan with help from their local Small Business Development Center. The cost of the course is $25, and registration is at go.osu.edu/foodbusinesscentral .

The development of the Food Business Central online course has been funded through a grant from North Central Extension Risk Management Education. This assistance comes from the United States Department of Agriculture through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop resources that help farmers and ranchers effectively manage risk in their operations.

Click here for flyer: Food_Business_Central_Course_Promotional_Flyer

Grain Marketing Meeting to be Held in Zanesville on March 14

A grain marketing meeting will be held in Zanesville, OH, March 14, 2024, 6:00 PM at the OSU Extension Office, 225 Underwood St, Zanesville, OH.  This workshop will focus on grain marketing and grain storage considerations for the upcoming cropping year with a focus on grain storage opportunities for the farm.  More details will be released shortly.

Contact the OSU Extension Muskingum County office with questions.

Like gardening, working with Master Gardeners, and the opportunity to work for OSU Extension in Licking County? Join our team!

Due to the coming retirement of our current Coordinator we have a great employment opportunity.  Candidates would be responsible for assisting with the Licking County Master Gardener program. We are looking for the ability to organize and coordinate activities of a large volunteer organization. Previous teaching experience and knowledge of horticulture are desired. Must be able to work with diverse clientele. Must be able to work independently with minimal supervision as well as be a member of a team setting.

Requirements: High School diploma or GED. Certification or vocational training may be required. Associate degree in relevant field may be preferred. 2 years of relevant experience required. 4-6 years of relevant experience preferred.

Application deadline is February 22, 2024.

Click here for the application

Feel free to contact Dean with questions.  740-670-5315

Licking County Corn, Soybean, Soil Health, and Grain Storage Economics meeting

Battle for the Belt Winter Meeting. 

What crop has the smallest yield penalty for delayed planting? Can you adjust your management practices to mitigate losses due to late planting? How are diseases affected by planting date?

Have you been following the “Battle for the Belt” through this last crop season. We are bringing this discussion to Licking County on March 6th.  The morning sessions are a statewide program offered in 3 locations and we have added lunch and afternoon sessions that address a concerns in our part of the state.

This will take place at OSU Newark / COTC.

Cost is $10 and includes a meal.

Call the office 740-670-5315 to register or register here go.osu.edu/24battleforthebeltlicking

4 hours CCA credits available

Speakers include:

Laura Lindsey  – OSU Professor Soybean and Small Grain Production

Osler Ortez – OSU Assistant Professor – Corn & Emerging Crops

Horacio Lopez-Nicora – OSU Assistant Professor Soybean Pathology and Nematology

Eric Richer – Assistant Professor Field Specialist, Farm Management, OSU Extension “Good Questions to Ask when Investing in On-Farm Storage”

Jim Ippolito – The Rattan Lal Endowed Professor of Soil Health and Soil Fertility, Ohio State  speaking on “Soil Health Perspectives from the New Guy”

Thank you to the Ohio Soybean Council, Ohio Corn and Wheat, and North Central Extension Risk Management for their support of this program.

Ohio Beef Cow/Calf Workshop – Optimizing Herd Reproduction and Genetics – In Licking County

This event will be hosted at Claylick Run Farm.  Lunch will be provided by the Licking County Cattlemen.  Join us for some great education and fellowship with other cattle producers.

Reproduction and genetics are important factors for a cow-calf operation. The long-term investment of genetics plays a critical role in the development and management to ensure longevity within a herd. Join OSU Extension in Licking County to discuss and demonstrate the practices that you might apply on your farm to improve your operation with regards to optimizing reproduction and genetics.

Friday, March 8, 2024, 9:00 am – 2:30 pm,

Claylick Run Farm 11970 Cross Rd., Newark, OH, 43056

Cost: $10 per person. RSVP to OSU Extension Licking County at 740-670-5315 by March 4, 2024. Limited to first 50 attendees

Lunch and Materials included. Dress for hands-on demonstrations.

BQA certification provided

Presentation Topics:
Breeding Season Management
Cow Longevity and Culling Decisions
EPD’s in Action
Synchronization Strategies
Bull Evaluation and Facilities Tour

 

Click here for flyer and registration form: Licking Cow Calf Workshop Flyer 3 8 2024

What is up with Dicamba use for 2024?

A week ago a federal district court in Arizona has vacated the registrations for dicamba products XtendiMax, Engenia, and Tavium, finding that the U.S. EPA violated pesticide registration procedures when it approved the product registrations in 2020.  Now the EPA issued “existing stocks” order for over-the-top dicamba use.  Read here to get a better understanding of this situation.  I am sure more information will be coming soon.

Click here for the ag law blog post detailing the case history.

For the response click here EPA issued “existing stocks” order for over-the-top dicamba use.

The Economics of Solar Development in Ohio

The Economics of Solar Development in Ohio

By Grayson Penland and Brent Sohngen

This report examines a number of economic aspects of solar development in Ohio. Here is a summary of the findings. A PDF of the report can be downloaded here.

  • Solar energy constitutes about 1.4% of electricity production in Ohio, but this number is set to grow to 10% in the next decade as many new facilities are either being built or in the planning stages.
  • The growth of solar is driven by increasing demand for renewable energy by consumers, businesses, and communities, falling costs, and federal subsidies.
  • Solar renewable energy credits, or SRECS, are bought and sold in separate markets from electricity and provide solar energy a higher price than traditional fossil electricity simply because some people want to consume their electricity knowing it is produced with lower environmental impact.
  • Federal subsidies have a large impact on the returns to solar, lowering costs of production, and increasing the overall private investment.
  • The value of land in solar electricity production is at least ten times greater than the value of the same land used for typical crop production in Ohio.
  • Solar energy will not increase jobs in rural Ohio, but by providing renewable energy, could spur new job creation by businesses that locate here because of access to low-cost renewable energy.
  • Local tax revenues in rural areas with solar development should increase substantially in the coming years.

To view the complete report click  here

If you have questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact Grayson or Brent.

Ohio Farmland Leasing Update webinar is March 1

As we enter the 2024 crop season, it’s time for an update on economic and legal information that affects Ohio farmland leasing. Join our Farm Office team members on March 1, 2024 from 10 a.m. until noon for a special edition of our Farm Office Live webinars.  In the Ohio Farmland Leasing Update, we’ll share the latest information on these leasing topics:

  • Cash Rent Outlook – Key Issues and Survey Data
  • Negotiating Capital Improvements on Leased Farmland
  • Dealing with Conservation Practices in a Farmland Lease
  • Executing and Recording Farm Leases
  • Legal updates and new Farmland Leasing Resources

Our speakers for the webinar include:

  • Barry Ward, Leader, OSU Production Business Management
  • Peggy Hall, Attorney, OSU Agricultural & Resource Law Program
  • Robert Moore, Attorney, OSU Agricultural & Resource Law Program

There is no cost to attend the Ohio Farmland Leasing Update, but registration is necessary unless you’re already registered for our Farm Office Live webinars.  To register, visit go.osu.edu/register4fol.

 

 

Ohio Small Farm Conference – April 6, 2024

OSU Extension to host Eastern – Ohio Small Farm Conference – April 6, 2024 at the Mid – East Career Technical Center Buffalo Campus, Senecaville, Ohio

By: Julie Wayman

Community Development Educator

OSU Extension Ashtabula County

____

Ohio State Extension announced plans to host a Small Farm Conference in Senecaville, Ohio on April 6, 2024. The theme for this year’s Mid-Ohio Small Farm Conference is “Sowing Seeds for Success.”

Conference session topics are geared to beginning and small farm owners as well as to farms looking to diversify their operation. There will be five different conference tracks including: Horticulture and Produce Production, Business Management, Livestock, Natural Resources and new this year The Farm Kitchen.

Some conference topic highlights include: Raising Meat Rabbits, Making Goat Milk Soap, Timber Harvesting and Marketing, Basics of Growing PawPaw’s, Food Preservation Basics, Herb Vinegars, Organic Pest Management, Growing Produce with Hydroponics, Starting and Setting up a business, Solar and Wind Leasing.

Anyone interested in developing, growing or diversifying their small farm is invited to attend including market gardeners, farmers market vendors, and anyone interested in small farm living.

Attendees will have the opportunity to browse a trade show featuring the newest and most innovative ideas and services for their farming operation. The conference provides an opportunity to talk with the vendors and network with others.

The Conference will take place from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Mid – East Career Technical Center Buffalo Campus 57090 Vocational Road Senecaville, Ohio 43780

For conference and registration information call OSU Extension Morrow County 419-947-1070, or OSU Extension Knox County 740-397-0401. Please follow this link to register for the conference: https://go.osu.edu/2024osusmallfarmconference

For the flyer with conference session topics click here.  2024 SF Conference Brochure