by: Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist
Source: https://u.osu.edu/beef/2022/08/24/ebarns-putting-data-in-producers-hands/
In 1914, the Smith-Lever Act called for the establishment of an Extension program within land grant universities. The Act spells out that Extension is to disseminate “useful and practical information on subjects related to agriculture” and to disseminate reach being conducted at the experiment stations (OARDC here in Ohio). Over the year this “translation” of research has been done in a variety of ways including field days, seminars, one-on-one instruction, and via printed or digital newsletters. Traditionally, faculty who had Extension responsibilities on campus led research efforts, wrote academic journal articles, and then it was up to someone to share and interpret data that was meaningful to clientele in the counties across the state. eBarns, much like Ohio State Extension’s eFields publication does just that, putting the data of applied research into the hands of producers who can then interpret the research to make production decisions. eBarns in new in 2022, focusing on applied livestock, forage, and manure management research across Ohio. The report can be found online at go.osu.edu/ebarns2022. Within the report readers will find forages, dairy, beef, small ruminants, manure nutrients, and swine research projects highlighted and summarized in a user-friendly format. If there are questions regarding a study within the 2022 eBarns report or interest in becoming involved with eBarns efforts in the future contact Garth Ruff at ruff.72@osu.edu.