Month: December 2020
Highland County Pesticide and Fertilizer Recertification for 2021
Brooke Beam, PhD
Agriculture and Natural Resources/Community Development Extension Educator
Ohio State University Extension, Highland County
December 30, 2020
Pesticide and Fertilizer Recertification Deadline Extended
Governor DeWine signed Ohio House Bill 404 extending the commercial and private pesticide recertification and fertilizer recertification December 1, 2020 deadline to July 1, 2021.
What does this mean? Private pesticide and fertilizer applicators who expired in of March 2020, or are set to expire in March of 2021, now have until July 1, 2021 to renew and recertify.
Commercial applicators expiring in 2020 now have until July 1, 2021. The deadline for commercial applicators expiring in September 2021 is not changed by this bill.
OSU Extension and the Ohio Department of Agriculture worked together to offer an alternative online option. This option is a self-paced, online course. The original COVID extended deadline of December 1, 2020 has been extended to July 1, 2021. The self-paced online website is closed for maintenance and will reopen January 11, 2021. More information about the online course can be found below.
Licenses expiring March 31, 2021:
The deadline to complete your recertification credits has been extended to July 1, 2021. We will be offering multiple ways for you to recertify this year.
- Self-paced Online Recertification course: Due to current health concerns, we encourage all that can complete their recertification online to do so this year. Thanks for your cooperation.
- This option allows you to enroll in an online course to participate in the online sessions beginning January 11, 2021.
- The time requirements remain the same: 3 hours for pesticide with 1 of those hours for Core, and an additional 1 hour for fertilizer. You DO NOT have to finish the course immediately after starting.
- For example, you can start the course on February 3 and finish on June 4. Just finish before the July 1 deadline.
- Your time spent in the course will be monitored, finishing in 1 hour will not satisfy the time requirements and you will be asked to return to finish the course.
- Costs: $35-private pesticide recertification and $15-Fertilizer recertification.
- Information and registration can be found at go.osu.edu/pest2021 and a tutorial can be found at go.osu.edu/recert21
- Live Online Recertification Webinar: A statewide webinar is being planned. We do not have the date finalized, but the cost is $35 for private pesticide and $15 for fertilizer recertification. We will provide more information as soon as plans are complete.
- In-person recertification meeting: OSU Extension Highland County is planning to offer an in-person meeting. However, due to the uncertainty of the coronavirus status, this meeting can be canceled or rescheduled at any time.
- All participants, including staff will be required to wear face coverings. We will be following all state and local health guidelines at the time of the event.
- Pre-registration is required. We will not accept walk-ins.
- We will not be accepting any out-of- county registrations this year. This meeting will only be open to Highland County residents. Other counties will also be implementing this restriction, be sure to call ahead if planning to attend in a different county.
- Space will be limited, and registration will be open to the first 10 registrants.
- Priority will be given to those who need to recertify in 2021.
- Date, cost, location, and registration details will be posted later this winter through the Highland County Extension website and through the weekly newspaper articles.
- Drive-in recertification meeting: OSU Extension Highland County will plan a drive-in style recertification when the weather is warmer and more appropriate for this kind of format.
- Space will be limited, and registration will be open to the first 50 registrants.
- Date, cost, location, and registration details will be posted in early spring through the Highland County Extension website and through the weekly newspaper articles.
All methods of recertification require payment of license renewal fee to the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Do not forget to pay your $30 renewal fee the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA).
This is in addition to the class fees. Visit the ODA website at go.osu.edu/odapest to renew online or to return your renewal application, sent by the ODA, with payment.
Fertilizer Applicator Certification Training
If you or someone you know, is still needing to become certified in Fertilizer Application, there will be a Live Online Webinar on February 25, 2021. More details are to come with registration.
Making Extreme Counselors (MXC)
Thinking about becoming a camp counselor or just want to see what training is like. MXC could be for you and is virtual this year. However, you must register by January 27, 2020. For more information contact Kathy Bruynis at bruynis.5@osu.edu
For more information and registration https://highland.osu.edu/program-areas/4-h-youth-development/camp
4-H Camp Counselor Applications due January 7.
Just a quick reminder if you are wanting to apply to be a 4-H camp counselor the applications are due January 7, 2021. You can either submit a paper copy to the OSU Extension Office, Highland County by 4:00 p.m. or through a Qualtrics survey which can be found at:
https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9EpAvGQyp6ZtXYp
Please let Kathy Bruynis know if you have any questions at 937-393-1918 or bruynis.5@osu.edu.
Southern Ohio Farm Show, December 23, 2020
Season Greetings
Happy Holidays from OSU Extension Highland County.
Southern Ohio Farm Show Holiday Programming Planned for Dec 23rd
Santa and Mrs. Claus visit a local farm while admiring the holiday decorations in the area.
Brooke Beam, PhD
Agriculture and Natural Resources/Community Development Extension Educator
OSU Extension, Highland County
December 16, 2020
On the next episode of the Southern Ohio Farm Show, we have some special guests from the North Pole. Santa and Mrs. Claus stopped by a local farm when they were out looking at the festive lights in the area and they will make a guest appearance on the Southern Ohio Farm Show. The contestants in the lighting contest will also be featured in this special holiday program.
In this week’s episode, the Fairfield FFA Chapter was highlighted with their soybean field they planted as a class project. Other segments included how to care for poinsettias, information on cover crops, and how to make peanut butter cups for the holidays.
As the Ohio State University Extension offices around the state transition into a period of virtual programming, take time to explore the dozens of programs available for you to attend from the comfort of your own home. For a full listing of agriculture and natural resources Extension programming, visit https://agnr.oosu.edu/programming If you need assistance registering for one of the programs or would like a call-in number for one of the webinars, contact our office at 937-393-1918.
While this year’s holiday celebrations may look different than they have in the past, take time to celebrate with your family in a safe manner. Whether in person or by Zoom, I hope you are all able to enjoy the holiday season and stay healthy.
Grazing Concepts that Benefit the Bird and the Herd
Application deadline for the Northern Bobwhite n Grasslands EQIP project in 30 Ohio counties is January 15, 2021.
If you think livestock and quail don’t mix, a type of managed grazing may change your mind. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) is accepting applications for a program that focuses on establishing productive warm season forages to improve livestock production and provide large areas of prime habitat for ground nesting birds and other wildlife.
Ohio’s Northern Bobwhite in Grasslands project is part of a national Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) partnership, a collaborative approach to conserving habitat for declining species on farms and working forests. NRCS works with partners and private landowners to focus voluntary conservation efforts on working landscapes.
The Northern Bobwhite in Grasslands project is designed to help bring back the quail that were once an integral part of Ohio’s farming way of life. Leading researchers have documented the wildlife benefits of managed grazing on native summer forages, concluding that this approach enhances the habitat for the ground nesting birds while improving livestock weight gains.
Warm season grasses are beneficial to both cattle, and quail.
NRCS utilizes the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to offer technical and financial assistance to eligible livestock producers to implement conservation practices to address habitat loss without taking their land out of production. NRCS will conduct targeted restoration activities with a focus on 30 southern Ohio counties.
Individuals interested in applying for the Northern Bobwhite in Grasslands Special Project should contact their local NRCS conservationist as soon as possible. Be sure to check the status of your Service Center when you reach out to us. For offices with restrictions on in-person appointments, we are still available by phone, email, and through other digital tools. Your Service Center’s status is available at https://www.farmers.gov/coronavirus/service-center-status.
Applications signed and submitted to NRCS by the January 15, 2021 deadline will be evaluated for fiscal year 2021 funding. Visit Ohio NRCS website under “EQIP Funding Categories” for more details. To learn more about EQIP or other technical and financial assistance available through NRCS conservation programs, visit Get Started with NRCS or contact your local USDA Service Center.
Warm season forages can be at their best in the heat of summer!
OSU Extension Beef Team to Host Winter Meetings
– Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist, OSU Extension
Dr. Kenny Burdine, Extension livestock economist at the University of Kentucky, will focus on beef cattle market outlook for 2021.
What a year 2020 has been. Are you looking to improve herd efficiency and profitability to weather the storm? Look no further than the slate of winter programming to be offered by the OSU Extension Beef Team. Programs planned for early 2021 are designed to provide valuable information for all segments of Ohio’s beef industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge to the beef industry to say the least, and the effects will continue to linger for some time. One thing we have learned this year is there continues to be need for gained efficiency and improved management within all segments of our beef cattle industry. This winter’s Ohio State Extension Beef School series will focus on both of those topics. Given current university policies regarding COVID-19, this years Beef Schools will be offered as a virtual series of programs.
What was originally planned as two on-farm face-to-face Cow-Calf Management Schools has now been redesigned as a series of 6 consecutive two hour webinar programs. While perhaps being less ‘hands-on” this webinar format now opens up the opportunity for more cattlemen throughout Ohio to participate. These presentations will occur on Monday evenings from 6 until 8 p.m. beginning on January 18, 2021. The first three evenings will be focused on producing quality forages while the final three will address reproduction and cow/calf management.
The Cow-Calf Management School series is being offered for free, and may be enrolled in as a one time package for all six programs. Find more details including registration under this registration link. Additional information will be available in the coming weeks.
In addition to the Cow-Calf School series, four additional programs focused on single topics are also scheduled.
A Cow-Calf Outlook meeting via webinar has been set for 6:30 p.m. on January 26. Dr. Kenny Burdine, Livestock Marketing Extension Specialist from the University of Kentucky will be the featured speaker. Dr. Burdine will give a market outlook for 2021 and discuss how cow and calf management plays a role in determining value at the time of marketing. Registration for this free program is available here.
The need for increased risk management for fed cattle has been highlighted by a couple of “Black Swan” events: COVID-19 and the 2019 Tyson packing plank fire. Via webinar on Feruary 24 beginning at 6 p.m., the 2021 Cattle Feeding and Management School will feature Justin White of Hudson Insurance who will present on risk management for fed cattle, specifically the Livestock Risk Protection and Livestock Gross Margin Insurance programs. To finish up the program Jason Hartschuh, OSU Extension Crawford County will discuss feedlot ventilation needs. This program will be held via webinar, pre-registration for this free program will be required.
Rounding out our winter programs will be a webinar addressing a fairly new topic for Beef Team programming. Ohio’s dairy industry is a significant contributor to beef production across the state. On March 10 at noon Allen Gahler, Extension Educator in Sandusky County will be teaching a session entitled Beef Sire Selection for the Dairy Herd, taking a look at what EPD and genetic criteria should be considered when mating beef sires to dairy cattle. The registration for this program is linked here.
Find additional detail on each of these programs on the 2021 Ohio Beef School page.
Ohio cattlemen will also enjoy the virtual Pastures for Profit series that will begin in January. Details and registration information will be available soon.
Lastly, continue to stay up to date on county based Beef Quality Assurance education opportunities. Many producers here in Ohio were certified in three years ago in 2018 and will be due for recertification in 2021. Beef Quality Assurance training dates and information as well as registration for the above mentioned programs can all be found at beef.osu.edu.
Not knowing what COVID-19 has in store for this winter, we hope these virtual programs are beneficial until in-person programs can be returned sometime in 2021. We are looking forward to working with as many of you as possible in the coming year. Stay safe!
Southern Ohio Farm Show, December 16, 2020