Month: August 2020

Upcoming Agricultural Programming

Brooke Beam, PhD

Agriculture and Natural Resources/Community Development Extension Educator

Ohio State University Extension, Highland County

 

The Highland County Farm Bureau and the Highland Soil and Water Conservation District will be hosting a unique drive-thru Annual Meeting at the Good News Gathering parking lot on September 19, 2020, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Farm Bureau ballot will be offered to members to vote for local, state and national proposed policies, Highland County Board Trustees and Delegates for the 2021 State Meeting. The Highland Soil and Water Conservation Districts’ Ballot allows for landowners to cast their vote to elect two Supervisors that will serve a three-year term to manage the conservation of soil, water and other natural resources throughout Highland County.

Attendees will also be able to pre-order fish from Jones Fish Hatcheries and have their fish delivered to the meeting. The fish are intended to stock farm ponds. Available fish include: Fathead Minnows, Golden Shiners, Triploid Grass Carp, largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Bluegill Sunfish, Redear Sunfish, Hybrid Bluegill, and Mosquitofish.

For more information about ordering fish or the event, contact the Highland Soil and Water Conservation at 937-393-1922 ext.3 or the Highland County Farm Bureau at 937-378-2212.

Another upcoming event to keep on your calendar is the Farm Science Review. This year the annual agricultural trade and educational show will be going digital. For more information, visit fsr.osu.edu.

NUTRITION AND YOU…MELONS

Leeanna McKamey, SNAP-Ed Program Assistant

OSU Extension/Highland County

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Did you know that melons are in the same gourd family as squashes and cucumbers? The difference is in the way they are used. Melons are considered a fruit because of their sweet flavor, while squashes are considered a savory vegetable. Countless varieties of melons exist, with cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon being the most common. Melons make the perfect snack or dessert because of their sweet and juicy flavor.

SHOP SMART

Melons are available year-round in most grocery stores, but are in season in Ohio from July until September. When shopping for melons, choose regularly shaped fruit-round, oval or oblong-that is free of cracks, soft spots, or dark bruises. Although it is not always possible to tell if a melon is ripe, two clues are a slight softness to the rind, and a full, fruity fragrance. Melons may become softer if left to ripen, but will not become sweeter once picked.

EAT HEALTHY

Melons are:

A good source of Vitamin A (cantaloupe)

  • A good source of Vitamin C
  • A good source of Potassium
  • Cholesterol free
  • Low in sodium, fat and calories

KEEP IT SAFE

These food safety tips will help protect you and your family:

  • Wash hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap before and after preparing food.
  • Store uncut melons at room temperature for up to 3 days if they need to ripen.
  • Scrub and rinse melons thoroughly under cool, running water before peeling or cutting.
  • Cut up only as much as you plan to eat.
  • Cover the cut end of any leftover melon and store in the refrigerator.
  • Cut off and discard ¼ inch of the cut end of the melon before using.

Icy Fruit Pops

Serves 4

2 cups strawberries or 3 cups chopped kiwi fruit or 3 cups chopped cantaloupe

1 cup 100% Orange Juice

4 7 oz. paper cups

4 craft sticks or plastic spoons

Directions

  1. Place fruit and orange juice in a blender container. Put lid on tightly. Blend until smooth.
  2. Pour mixture into four paper cups. Place cups in freezer until partially frozen, about 1 hour.
  3. Place craft sticks or plastic spoons in center of cups. Place in the freezer for 3 hours or until firm. To serve, peel away paper cup or run paper cup under warm water to loosen the fruit pop.

Why Milk?

Leeanna McKamey, SNAP-Ed Program Assistant

OSU Extension/Highland County

 Most Americans need at least 3 servings of dairy each day.  Milk, yogurt and cheese provide calcium needed to grow strong bones.  Most dairy products are fortified with vitamin D which helps the body absorb calcium.  Calcium in dairy has been implicated in the prevention of osteoporosis, hypertension, colon cancer, obesity and kidney stones.  Below are some fun dairy recipes that you can make with your family.

Nice Cream

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas

1/2 cup low fat milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract (regular or imitation)

Instructions

  1. Before you begin wash your hands, surfaces, and utensils.
  2. Peel and chop bananas into thick (1 inch) slices.
  3. Lay banana slices in a single layer on baking sheet or plate lined with tin foil or waxed paper. Put banana slices in the

freezer for 1-2 hours.

  1. Combine bananas, milk, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a blender. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender and adding more milk as needed until you reach the desired consistency.
  2. Transfer banana mixture to a covered container and freeze for 30 minutes before serving.
  3. Spoon into a bowl and add fresh fruit or other favorite toppings.

Pudding in a Bag

Ingredients

1/2 cup low-fat granola

3 medium bananas

1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened

1/2 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt

Instructions

  1. Before you begin wash your hands, surfaces, and utensils.
  2. Peel bananas and use your fingers to break them up into large zip-close bag.
  3. Measure and add applesauce and yogurt to the bag.
  4. Close the bag again, pressing our any extra air before sealing.
  5. Use your fingers to squish and mash the ingredients together until they are well blended.
  6. Chill the pudding in a sealed bag inside the refrigerator until ready to serve.
  7. Spoon into bowl and top with granola. (granola recipe can be found at celebratemyplate.org)

For more great recipes, go to: celebrateyourplate.org

 

Thinking about storing more grain this fall?

Source: Chris Bruynis, Associate Professor/Extension Educator

There are several market factors that may have farmers looking to increase their storage for this fall. With lower prices, some farmers will look to store grain and hope prices will improve. With the current basis and price improvement between the harvest period compared to the January/March delivery period of 22 to 40 cents for corn and 16 to 34 cents for soybeans, elevators are sending a message to store grain.

The concern I have is that we will use some facilities that are not typically used for grain storage making aeration challenging at best. With poor air movement, grain going into storage will need to be of better quality, lower foreign material, and probably lower moisture.

Farmers interested in learning some strategies for successful drying and storage of grain, specifically corn and soybeans, are invited to join a Zoom Webinar on Monday August 24, 2020 at 8:00 PM.  Dr. Kenneth Hellevang, Ph.D., PE, Extension Engineer and Professor from North Dakota State University will be the featured speaker. He is one of the leading experts on grain drying, handling and storage.

To join the webinar, go to https://osu.zoom.us/j/7911606448?pwd=L1pQQ0VoODROZG56Q015enNBQkVVUT09 and enter the Password: STORAGE

Also, if you cannot attend the program during the broadcast time, the recording will be available on the Ohio Ag Manager website following the program. The recording will be located at  https://u.osu.edu/ohioagmanager/resources.

If you have questions, feel free to contact Chris Bruynis, bruynis.1@osu.edu or 740-702-3200. If you need assistance logging in on the evening of the program, contact David Marrison at 740-722-6073 or marrison.2@osu.edu.

Foodpreneur Coaching: Crafting a Blueprint to Grow Your Food and Farm Business

Registration now open…

Foodpreneur Coaching: Crafting a Blueprint to Grow Your Food and Farm Business

The CFAES Center for Cooperatives is working to help businesses keep things moving forward in these difficult times. Marketing is a key aspect to maintaining or growing any business, including food and farm businesses.

The CFAES Center for Cooperatives, OSU Extension Direct Food & Agricultural Marketing Team, and Ohio Farm Bureau in Ross, Hocking, Fairfield, and Pickaway counties are hosting a virtual interactive experience for small and medium foodentrepreneurs who are eager to grow their businesses. Foodpreneur School Coaching will give attendees an opportunity to engage with experts in marketing and promoting their local food and farm products, and more, to help them learn strategies to meet their growth goals. This educational opportunity will cover marketing locally raised meat, increasing produce sales, and promoting local food and farm retail products.

Foodpreneur School Coaching sessions will all be held online and will be offered over a span of three weeks with each session held on a Tuesday evening. The cost to attend the Foodpreneur School Coaching is $20 per session for Farm Bureau members, and $25 per session for non-Farm Bureau members. There is a separate registration for each session. We encourage early registration; each session will have a limited number of seats available. To learn more, go tohttps://cooperatives.cfaes.ohio-state.edu/events or see the postcard below and attached.

To register for the Foodpreneur School Coaching you can go to go.osu.edu/foodschool2020.

For additional information you may contact Charissa Gardner at gardner.1148@osu.edu.

 

Fall Fruit Research Updates and LIVE Q&A: Featuring Brambles (Blackberries and Raspberries), Grapes, Hardy Figs, and Hardy Kiwis

Join us for timely fruit research updates for your farm and garden, and to get your questions answered by experts from The Ohio State University. This FREE, online-only event will feature several video presentations recorded from the OSU South Centers research fields, as well as live question and answer segments. The event will take place from 10-11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 using the Zoom meeting platform.

When registering, you can submit questions you would like answered during the event. To register, visit https://go.osu.edu/fruitupdate. Be sure to include an email address that your monitor regularly, as this will be the method we use to send you the link to join the event.

This event is made possible via funding by a Specialty Crop Block Grant from USDA through Ohio Department of Agriculture and by a Viticulture Extension grant from Ohio Grape Industries Committee.