OSU Extension

Backyard Poultry Certification Course

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It is chick season and backyard poultry keepers are looking to start their flocks for eggs, meat, or 4-H youth livestock projects. Tim McDermott, ANR Educator in Franklin County, has created a Backyard Poultry Online Certificate Course to train the new to intermediate poultry keeper.  You can find it HERE or at go.osu.edu/chicken

Backyard Poultry Certificate Course $25

For a variety of reasons, there is an increase in interest in keeping backyard poultry. Backyard flocks provide the opportunity for people in rural and urban areas alike to produce tasty eggs and meat for personal and family food security. You might want egg layers. You might want to raise meat birds for a harvest in your freezer. You might even have a youth interested in raising chickens for their 4-H or FFA project, as these lower maintenance livestock can be kept in a fraction of the space for a fraction of the cost when compared to other species.

Whatever your reason for raising poultry, this course is designed to provide you with the knowledge and resources you will need to get your backyard flock off to a great start.

This self-paced course is expected to take 2-3 hours to complete and includes the following 6 modules:

  • Getting Started
  • Brooding, Basic Husbandry & Nutrition
  • Housing
  • Egg Production
  • Maximizing Health
  • Biosecurity

All About Goats Webinar

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The Ohio State University Extension Small Ruminants Team is hosting a 6-part All About Goats! spring webinar series. This webinar series is going to answer producers burning questions concerning their own herd and help new producers start their herds. Whether you are thinking about raising Dairy or Meat goats- this webinar is for you! All youth livestock exhibitors are encouraged to attend. Registration is required and can be completed by visiting go.osu.edu/allaboutgoats

All webinars run from 7:00-8:00pm

March 11th- Getting Started with Goats
March 25th- Live Animal Evaluation
April 8th- Goat Management
April 22nd- Feeding Your Herd
May 6th- General Reproduction
May 20th- Estrus Synchronization & AI

2024 Small Farm Conference

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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

We’re Hiring! Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator

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If you’ve been to our office, you may have met Lori Swihart, our Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator. After 15 years of serving in that role, Lori will be retiring in March. She is looking forward to having time to work in her own gardens during the busy summer! We will miss her greatly and wish her all the best in retirement.

Our office is looking to fill this part-time (20 hours) position. Licking County has a very active and enthusiastic group of Master Gardener Volunteers to work with. If you, or anyone you know is interested, you can read more about the position and apply by visiting: https://osu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/OSUCareers/job/Satellite-Campus/Extension-Educators-Coordinator-3–Horticulture—Licking-County_R97931-1

Those who are already Ohio State University employees or students can search for the job in Workday using the code R97931.

 

2024 CFAES Farm Bill Summit

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Ever wondered how the Farm Bill affects our food and agricultural landscape? The Farm Bill, a substantial legislative package passed by the federal government every few years, impacts how funds are allocated for various crucial aspects of agriculture, nutrition, conservation efforts, natural resource protection, and support systems across the nation. To delve deeper into this vital legislation and its implications, we invite you to join us at our upcoming event, the 2024 CFAES Farm Bill Summit, on February 23 from 1 – 3:30 p.m. at the Fawcett Center. Engage in discussions led by CFAES and industry experts, unravel the complexities, and understand how this bill shapes the future of farming and related industries. This summit offers a unique opportunity to gain insights, network with others in the industry, and comprehend the far-reaching impact of the Farm Bill on our agricultural ecosystem. Learn More and Register: https://cfaes.osu.edu/news/events/2024-cfaes-farm-bill-summit 

OSU Extension Offices Closed for the Holidays

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All OSU Extension Offices will be closed December 25th through 26th and on January 1st. We will be open for normal business December 27th through 29th. We hope you and your families have a wonderful holiday season and we look forward to continuing to serve you in 2024!

2024 4-H Family Guides Available Online

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The 2024 Family Guide is available online at https://ohio4h.org/familyguide. Each family that had a member or advisor enrolled in 4-H in 2023 will receive a print copy by mail in mid to late January. Ohio 4-H is able to provide these copies directly to our members through the support of Kroger and the Ohio 4-H Foundation.

Now is a great time to start looking and which projects your 4-H members plan to take in 2024.

Please also remember to utilize Project Central when searching for projects. You can search by topic, keyword, name, or skill/age level. You can view sample pages of the project book and read reviews written by members/parents/advisors who have taken/worked with that project. If you haven’t already, please go to the projects that you took last year and write a review of that project. It helps future members as they search for projects.

OSU Pre-Vet Day for High School Juniors and Seniors

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Hosted by the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), Pre-Vet Day is for high school juniors and seniors who are interested in becoming a veterinarian!

This event is an opportunity for students to tour the Veterinary Medical Center learning facilities on Ohio State’s campus and to learn more about the undergraduate degree in Animal Sciences and the Ohio State admissions process. This event will include:

  • Tours of the food animal, equine, and companion animal areas
  • Interactions with current veterinary students and veterinarians
  • Overview of the undergraduate Animal Sciences major in CFAES
  • Undergraduate admissions overview
  • Optional CFAES campus tour

Details: Saturday, Oct 28, 2023, from 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. with optional CFAES campus tour ending at 4:00 p.m.

Location: Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center

Registration closes on 10/22 at 12 p.m. Register Here!