Programs and Events

2021 Pesticide Disposal Dates

The Ohio Department of Agriculture will be sponsoring three collection events for farmers wishing to dispose of unwanted pesticides. This year, the collections are happening in Morrow, Portage and Butler counties on the following days and locations:

  • August 12, 8AM – 3PM: Morrow County, Morrow County Fairgrounds, 195 South Main Street, Mt. Gilead, Ohio 43338
  • August 17, 9AM – 3PM: Portage County, Deerfield Ag Services, 9041 US-224, Deerfield, Ohio 44411
  • August 24, 9AM – 3PM: Butler County, Butler County Fairgrounds, 1715 Fairgrove Avenue, Hamilton, Ohio 45011

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.

The pesticide collections are sponsored by ODA 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.

New and Small Farm College

2021 Registration is Open!

Photo of a green field with a brown rail fence and green trees in the background
“I recommend this program to anyone starting or thinking about farming in any area. The amount of knowledge presented was priceless.” -J. A.

The New and Small Farm College is a seven-week program that introduces new and seasoned farmers to a wide variety of topics. The program teaches participants how to set goals, plan, budget, and where to find resources if they choose to start a small farming operation. The course will lay out how to manage financial and farm records.

This August, three colleges are beginning in Wayne, Fayette, and Pike counties. Sessions will be held in the evenings beginning at 6:00 pm with a light dinner followed by a 6:30 – 9:00 program on a different weekly topic.

The cost to attend is $125 and includes a resource binder, meals, all programs including Farm Science Review admission, and a soil test. Additional family members can register for $100 per person (excludes binder).

PIKE COUNTY FAYETTE COUNTY WAYNE COUNTY
OSU South Centers
Piketon		 Fayette County Extension
Washington CH		 OSU Wooster Shisler Conf. Center
Wooster
Wednesdays
Begins August 18
Download flyer		 Thursdays
Begins August 19
Download flyer		 Tuesdays
Begins August 31
Download flyer

“Small Farm college provided the spark to launch my farm operation and prepared me with the resources and contacts to move forward with confidence.”-S.F.R

Extension Educators will illustrate many different enterprises that can be profitable on land as small as one acre. The educators will show the benefits and pitfalls of each enterprise so that the participant will be able to pick and choose what may work best for them and what suits their interests.

If you are new to farming or looking for that spark to make your farm resources more profitable, don’t miss the Small Farm College in your region!

“A great resource offering Pro’s & Con’s of a small farming operation. Don’t even think about starting one without taking this course first!”-D. D.

2021 Tri-State Precision Agriculture Conference

On August 11th, OSU Extension Henry County and Northwest State Community College Agricultural Department will be hosting the 2021 Tri-State Precision Agriculture Conference. Registration and Trade Show exhibits will open at 8:00 am. The conference will be held at Northwest State Community College, 22600 OH-34, Archbold, OH 43502. Registration is $20 if submitted by August 2, 2021 or $30 the day of the event; FFA members get in free. For more information and to register see the link below for  event flyer and registration. Contact Alan Leininger, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, OSU Extension Henry County – (419) 592-0806, leininger.17@osu.edu for any questions you may have.

 

FLYER

REGISTRATION

Planning To Advance Mobile Meat Slaughter and Processing in Ohio and Central Appalachia

Whether you shop for local meat, raise livestock, operate a slaughterhouse, or create value-added products, the meat processing bottleneck affects you!

The project Planning To Advance Mobile Meat Slaughter and Processing in Ohio and Central Appalachia, conducted by The Appalachian Center for Economic Networks, Inc. (ACEnet) and project consultants, aims to draft and support a plan for a possible solution.

Will you commit ten minutes of your time to share your values and needs in a short survey?

We want to hear from as many farmers, processors, and consumers in the Ohio and Central Appalachian region as we can and appreciate any feedback.

Start the survey: https://corexmsffsgb599k6k6d.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2iwNa7YVbJjpRtA

Veterans Harvest: A Virtual Conference for Veterans in Agriculture

5 consecutive Tuesdays beginning July 27, 2021    1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET

The National AgrAbility Project is pleased to present Veterans Harvest: A Virtual Conference for Veterans in Agriculture.

Click here for the registration form. All sessions are free. Those already registered for the 2021 AgrAbility National Training Workshop Virtual Sessions are automatically registered for the veterans’ conference. Register by Thursday, July 22. Instructions for accessing the session will be sent to registrants by Monday, July 26.

The current conference agenda includes the following sessions:

  • July 27: “Conference Introduction” by Cindy Chastain, National AgrAbility Project, and Jeanette Lombardo, Farmer Veteran Coalition, plus “One Veteran’s Journey from PTSD to Farmer” by Sarah Creech, Blue Yonder Organic Farm and Indiana Farmer Veteran Coalition
  • August 3: “Celebrating Veteran Total Farmer Health” by Linda Emanuel and Shay Foulk, AgriSafe Network
  • August 10: “Programming for Veterans in Agriculture: How Maine Does It” by Anne Devin, veteran outreach specialist with Maine AgrAbility
  • August 17: “Update on USDA’s support for Veterans” by Bill Ashton, USDA Military Veterans Agricultural Liaison
  • August 24: “Panel Presentation on State/Regional Programs for Farmer Veterans” moderated by Cindy Chastain, National AgrAbility Project

“Agriculture has become an important source of employment and healing for many veterans,” says Cindy Chastain, National AgrAbility’s veteran outreach coordinator. “A large percentage of veterans come from rural areas, even though not all of them grew up on farms. After leaving the military, they discover that working in agriculture fulfills them in ways that other occupations can’t.”

Groups involved with the conference include Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) and Indiana AgVets. FVC is a national organization with chapters in Indiana and 23 other states that helps veterans develop viable employment and meaningful careers through the collaboration of the farming and military communities. Indiana AgVets is a USDA-sponsored agricultural career training program, led by Hoosier Uplands Economic Development Corporation in cooperation with Purdue’s Indiana AgrAbility Project, which provides internships and other support for U.S. military veterans in Indiana or surrounding states.

Please pass on this invitation to others you believe may be interested. Contact AgrAbility at 800-825-4264 or email agrability@agrability.org if you have questions.

The National AgrAbility Project is supported by USDA/NIFA Special Project 2016-41590-25880.