Month: January 2023

Ohio’s Woodland Stewards: Friday’s Escape to the Forest series on February 10

Included are very high-resolution images of the Emerald Ash Borer Beetle. Specimens provided by Dr. David Wagner of the University of Connecticut.

Join us for our first Friday’s Escape to the Forest webinar of 2023.  Ohio State Extension Specialist in Forest Entomology, Kayla Perry will be our presenter as we get up to date on what is going on with emerald ash borer (EAB) and how our forests are doing post-invasion. She will discuss the status of Emerald Ash Borer in post-outbreak forests.

Join OSU’s Kayla Perry, State Extension Specialist in Forest Entomology, as we talk about Emerald ash borer (EAB; Agrilus planipennis). EAB has caused widespread decline and death of ash trees throughout eastern North America since it was first detected in southeastern Michigan in 2002. This presentation will provide an update on the distribution, management, and ecological impacts of EAB, with a focus on forests that have experienced the longest duration of invasion by this insect.

Register here for the webinar.  Continuing education credits for ISA and SAF will be offered. Continue reading Ohio’s Woodland Stewards: Friday’s Escape to the Forest series on February 10 →

New Factsheet: “Understanding How Soil Test Phosphorus Impacts Water Quality”

A factsheet discussing the relationship between the amount of Phosphorus in our soils and water quality, written by Greg LaBarge, Field Specialist, Agronomic Systems and Rachel Cochran, Water Quality Extension Associate at Ohio State University was released today. It discusses the importance of P management, as well as different studies that have examined the relationship between P levels and water quality. Many best practices for managing high P levels are discussed as well. View the factsheet at this link, or visit Ohioline and search for the factsheet ANR-0111.

Cover Crops Roundtables to be Hosted in Paulding County

Paulding County Extension is re-starting its Cover Crops Roundtable Series after a three-year hiatus. This series was created as a platform for farmer-to-farmer interaction, with OSU Extension serving as the discussion moderator. The goal of the series is to allow peer learning through networking, problem-solving, and idea sharing regarding the benefits and challenges of growing cover crops on the farm. Continue reading Cover Crops Roundtables to be Hosted in Paulding County →

Certified Livestock Manager Webinar 4: A Summary of eBarnsOn-Farm Research – CLM Credits Offered

Join the Water Quality Team for our 4th Certified Livestock Manager Webinar of the series on February 6th from 10-11:30 am for “A Summary of eBarns On-Farm Research”.  Speakers include OSU’s own Dr. Brady Campbell, Assistant Professor, and Small Ruminant Specialist, Courtney Krieger, Water Quality Extension Associate, and USDA’s Dr. Jessica Pempek, Research Animal Scientist.  CLM and CCA Credits will be offered at the end of the program. Register at go.osu.edu/CLM to attend this webinar. For questions email emmons.118@osu.edu

eBarns was new in 2022 and focuses on applied livestock, forage, and manure management research across Ohio. The report can be found online at go.osu.edu/ebarns2022. Continue reading Certified Livestock Manager Webinar 4: A Summary of eBarnsOn-Farm Research – CLM Credits Offered →

New Pesticide Applicator Crash Course Open for Registration

As advertised in the NW Ohio Newsletter in 2023 a New Pesticide Applicator class. This class will help new pesticide applicators prepare for the Ohio Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator license test in CORE and cereal and grain crops (private category 1/commercial category 2c) as well as recordkeeping after you have obtained the license. Study guides will be provided with registration along with other resources. Study books from the OSU Extension Publications store are available at an additional cost. The books can be ordered via our office by calling (419)399-8225 or by ordering online at https://extensionpubs.osu.edu/. An additional study by the participants is encouraged beyond the two hours spent in class. Although this class will help prepare participants in Core (applying pesticides properly and safely) and Category 1 (Grain & Cereal Crops), other resources will be made available for additional study in other certification categories.

The class will be held on Thursday, February 16 from 9:30 AM-12:00 PM. The class will be held in person.

Location: Paulding County Extension Office, 503 Fairground Drive, Paulding, OH 45879

Cost: $25

Registration information: RSVP is mandatory with the deadline of February 15. Seating is limited. No walk-ins are available.

Registration link: https://go.osu.edu/23pestcrash or you can register via the QR Code below.

Upcoming Labor Management Workshops – Build Your Farm Labor Management Know-How

The 2023 Workshop Series from the Farm Labor Dashboard project will help farm operators and managers build the knowledge and skills they need to successfully recruit and manage the right employees for their farms. The online series (offered via Zoom) is geared to produce and diversified livestock producers who are new to managing employees, and to farmers who are considering changes to how they arrange for and manage, labor on their farms.

Topics include practical approaches to building more successful work crews; conducting financial planning to meet payroll needs; practical and effective strategies for hiring, training, and keeping farm employees, and negotiation basics. Sessions begin January 7 and continue through early March.

A special session for agricultural service providers on January 10 will introduce tools and strategies to help farmers with payroll planning. Additionally, there will be monthly peer learning sessions for people who want to take a deeper dive into delegation, productive conflict, and other creative approaches to labor management.

Advance registration is required.

Learn more at the Farm Labor Dashboard or email beth.holtzman@uvm.edu.

The workshops are made possible by grant support provided by USDA/NIFA under award 2021-49400-35641.

Continue reading Upcoming Labor Management Workshops – Build Your Farm Labor Management Know-How →

2023-2024 Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide

The 2023-24 Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide is now available.  The easiest way to get a hard copy is to order from the website https://mdc.itap.purdue.edu/item.asp?Item_Number=ID-465.  You can also download the guide for free.

This guide provides conventional pest management recommendations for commercial tree fruit, small fruit, and grape producers throughout the Midwest and surrounding states. These recommendations have been formulated to provide up-to-date information on pesticides and their application.

2023 Ohio Woodland Water and Wildlife Conference

Registration is open for the 2023 Ohio Woodland Water and Wildlife Conference

Join us on March 1st for a diverse set of talks that will offer continuing education credits for ISA, SAF, and pesticides where applicable.  The program flyer is attached here WWW 2023 flyer.  You can register here.

Early registration per person – $65 before 2/10/2023 and $85 after 2/10/2023
Last Date To Register: 2/17/2023

Registration includes continental breakfast, lunch, breaks, and a resource notebook.

January 31 – Private Pesticide Re-Certification and Private/Commercial Fertilizer Re-Certification registration open.

By now many of you who are up for certification for Private Pesticide or Commercial/Private Fertilizer (Category 15) are receiving letters your renewal letters from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. If you have completed your total hours for re-certification, you may mail the invoice and payment into ODA for the $30. This is called the RENEWAL fee. Many times this is confusing as you only do this once every three years. (There is also an option to pay the RENEWAL online at https://www.planthealthrenewal.agri.ohio.gov/ApplicatorPrivate/. To pay online with a debit/credit card, you will need to have the control ID/number on the back of your card. Unfortunately, if your card is worn out, and you can’t read the number, our office does not have access to it.  You would need to call ODA.)

If you have not taken the RE-CERTIFICATION classes, Paulding County is offering the class on Tuesday, January 31 (Fertilizer at 8:30 AM and Pesticide at 9:30 AM). The classes are $35 for Pesticides and $10 for fertilizer (If you need both, $45).  Online registration is required for the class. The link to register is http://go.osu.edu/PauldingPATFERT23.  You may send in registration and payment to Sarah Noggle, ATTN: PAT/FERT,  503 Fairground Drive, Paulding, OH 45879. You will need to print and include the following registration form with your payment. 2023 Paulding PAT and FERT Registration Flyer Debit/Credit card payments are available for 2023 but you must use the online registration.

If you have any questions please email Sarah at noggle.17@osu.edu