Month: April 2019

Cloverbud Corner

Looking for new ideas for Cloverbuds in your club?  Mark your calendars for the Cloverbud Creativity Workshop!  Please join us on April 24th from 6:30-9pm in the County Administration Building in the large meeting room.  To register, please contact Danielle at combs.311@osu.edu or call 937-393-1918.

Wanting to stay updated?  The Cloverbud Connections Newsletter can be found at: http://www.ohio4h.org/families/cloverbuds/ohio-4-h-cloverbud-connections

4-H Quality Assurance Dates

Quality Assurance Training is right around the corner.
Please mark your calendars so you can complete this important class in understanding quality animal care. This is a requirement for all market exhibitors.

April 24th   6pm Bright Local High School
May 2nd    6pm Poultry QA Wharton Building
May 8th     6pm Lynchburg Clay HS Cafeteria
May 14th   6pm Greenfield School
May 21st   6pm Leesburg School
May 25th   8:30am Rabbit QA Wharton Building
May 29th   6pm Hillsboro High School

Members of OSU Extension met the new Director of ODA at the Open House in Brown County. In the picture left to right are: James Morris, Brooke Beam, Senator Joe Vecker, ODA Director Dorothy Pelanda, David Dugan, Doug Green, Kristy Watters and Kathy Bruynis.

Beef Quality Assurance, Forages, and Climate Change Programming Scheduled for April

Brooke Beam, PhD

Ohio State University Extension, Highland County

Agriculture and Natural Resources/Community Development Extension Educator

April 8, 2019

 

Before everyone gets into full swing with spring preparation and planting, there are a few upcoming programs to add to your schedule to help make your farm and garden better prepared for the future.

On April 23, 2019, the ninth Beef Quality Assurance training will be held in Hillsboro, Ohio. The training workshop will be held at Union Stock Yards. Dinner will be served at 5:30 P.M. and the program will be held at 6:30 P.M. Please RSVP to Union Stock Yards to reserve your seat. So far, the Highland County Extension Office has helped certify 680 beef producers. If you do not want to take the Beef Quality Assurance training online, make sure to attend this upcoming training session at Union Stock Yards.

On Thursday, April 25th, Dr. Thomas Blaine will be presenting on Global Climate Change and its impacts predicted through 2050. Dr. Blaine is an Associate Professor at The Ohio State University. Dr. Blaine will discuss the history of climate change, current trends, and outlook. He will discuss how climate change is and will apply to everything from our lawns, to our farms, and our everyday life through 2050. This program is free to attend, however, RSVP to reserve your seat by calling 937-393-1918.

On Tuesday, April 30, 2019, a live-broadcast forage webinar with Christine Gelley, ANR Extension Educator from Noble County, will be held at 5 P.M. in the Large Meeting Room in the basement of 119 Governor Foraker Place, Hillsboro, OH. Gelley will discuss a variety of forage-related topics to help you prepare for the 2019 growing season and upcoming winter. This program will be useful for livestock owners and hay producers alike. This program is also free to attend, but RSVPs are encouraged to reserve your seat by calling 937-393-1918.

For more information about these upcoming programs, contact the Highland County Extension Office at 937-393-1918.

 

Upcoming Programs:

A Hands-on filmmaking workshop will be held on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, at 3 P.M. at the Lynchburg Library. Bring your own camera and tripod for this walking filmmaking workshop. RSVP to the Highland County Extension Office at 937-393-1918.

A Video Editing Workshop will be held on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, at 3 P.M. at the Lynchburg Library. This workshop will teach basic editing principles on both laptops and mobile devices. Bring your own computer or mobile device to participate. RSVP to the Highland County Extension Office at 937-393-1918.

The Germinate International Film Fest will be accepting submissions through June 30, 2019. The festival will be held on August 16 & 17, 2019, in Hillsboro, Ohio. For more information or to apply visit https://filmfreeway.com/GerminateInternationalFilmFest. Contact Brooke Beam at the OSU Extension Office of Highland County at 937-393-1918.

Gardening in 2019 at the Ohio Veterans Home

Submitted by Faye Mahaffey

OSUE Brown County Master Gardener Volunteer

OSUE Brown County Master Gardener Volunteers meet monthly during the growing season with an enthusiastic group of Veteran Gardeners at the Ohio Veterans Home at Georgetown, Ohio. Large raised beds in the courtyard are accessible to gardeners that have limited movement capabilities. We help amend the soil, till, plant, mulch, or complete any other jobs as needed by the Veteran gardeners. Most of all we look forward to making new gardening friends as the summer growing season progresses.

We met in March with twelve Ohio Veterans Home residents that were ready to talk about planting their raised bed gardens. We like to take time to interview each gardener to find out how long they have been interested in gardening, who taught them how to garden, what is their favorite vegetable to plant and eat, and what benefits they gain from gardening.

Most of the Veteran gardeners started gardening with their parents or grandparents when they were youngsters. Some gardeners simply taught themselves through trial and error. Several Veterans didn’t become interested in gardening until they became residents. Stories were shared about the family working together in the garden raising all the food they would eat.

When asked what are the benefits they gained from gardening, the answers included: 1) Feel good inside, 2) Gives a sense of accomplishment, 3) Exercise, 4) Fresh air, 5) Doing something productive, 6) Getting away from the TV, 7) Keeps them busy, 8) Being able to eat what you grow, 9) Doing something with your own two hands, 10) Helps make them healthier, 11) Watching the miracle of Nature, and 12) It beats lying around in bed.

When I looked around the room on that March day, the room was alive with conversation about growing tomatoes, how to keep weeds out of the garden, tips for growing the best carrots or corn, and the simple love of gardening.

What is the favorite vegetable to plant? The most popular answer was tomatoes. One Veteran gardener told me that for every cherry tomato he stood and ate in the garden, he had to toss one to his old hound dog who was eagerly awaiting his favorite treat from the garden!

What is your favorite vegetable to eat? The answers included: tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, onions and peppers. One gardener said his favorite was that first “mess” of green beans, with potatoes and a ham hock! I must admit that I was hungry after that comment.

One of our favorite discussions with the Veteran Gardeners is the string bean versus the string-less bean. I don’t care what you say about how good those string beans are, I can’t stand that string!

We shared stories about our biggest tomato harvest and one of the Veteran Gardeners shared that he had won first place at the Brown County Fair with his prized zucchini!

One of our Master Gardener Volunteers, Susan Barber, will be starting tomato plants again this year for the Ohio Veterans Home gardeners. She has been donating her plants and time for 9 years.

We started working with the Veteran Gardeners in 2010. There were 8 gardeners that year, and since then we have averaged about 13 gardeners a year.

We meet on the third Tuesday of the growing season (rain or shine). Working with these Veteran Gardeners provides opportunities for education and conversations. Gardens are planted and cared for; friendships are formed, and spirits are raised.