eBarns – Connecting Science to Farmers
eBarns is
a program at The Ohio State University dedicated to advancing production agriculture through the use of field-scale and applied research. The 2023 eBarns Report is a combination of the research conducted on partner farms and Ohio State agricultural research stations throughout Ohio. Current research is focused on enhancing animal production, growing high-quality forages, precisions nutrient management and to develop analytical tools for digital agriculture.
In this second addition of eBarns we have included research studies not only from the past year, but studies from previous years that have yet to be summarized in a producer friendly manner. It is our goal to continue to share result from applied livestock, forage, and manure nutrient management in this publication for years to come.
2023 Research Recap:
25 Total Studies
- 4 Forages
- 4 Dairy
- 3 Beef
- 6 Small Ruminant
- 5 Manure Nutrients
- 2 Equine
- 1 Poultry
samples to determine what nutrient values are in the crop.
Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law in January of 2011. FSMA attempts to shift the focus of food safety from reacting to foodborne outbreaks to preventing them from occurring. The law stipulates that complying facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food (hereafter referred to as feed) or feed ingredients for animals must implement Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls, or HARPC (FDA 2018a; Scheffler and Carr 2016). Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls have similarities to the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) that are commonly used in foods for humans, such as meat, seafood, and juice, but may be unfamiliar to facilities producing feed for livestock. For more information on compliance requirements and the general structure of an animal food safety plan, consult EDIS document AN330, 
the first day of fall is fast approaching, many regions of the United States are still experiencing the aftermath from an exceptionally dry start to the summer. Even as milder temperatures bring cool-season forages out of their drought-induced dormancy, producers must continue to be mindful about grazing management.
for a small wool mill near you? The American Sheep Industry Association has recently completed an update of the 
statewide sheep production tour of the State up North (Michigan) has been planned for Ohio Sheep Producers the weekend of Saturday, September 30 and Sunday, October 1, 2023. This year’s tour is jointly sponsored by the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association (OSIA) and Hardin County OSU Extension. Join us for this sheep production tour focusing on Michigan lamb marketing and dry lot/confinement sheep operations. A schedule of the included visits are as follows:
costs to farm have been continually rising for many years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) February 2023 Farm Sector Income forecast projected total farm production expenses in 2023 at nearly $500 billion, up 4% from the prior year, but up $87 billion, or more than 28%, from 2020. For those raising livestock, looking outside of the typical commodity markets and focusing on direct-to-consumer meat sales may be an opportunity to increase revenue.