Month: March 2020

Answering reporters’ coronavirus questions

CFAES’ Linda Saif, an international expert on coronaviruses and Distinguished University Professor, has been rightly extremely busy lately answering reporters’ questions, including “Can pigs catch COVID-19?” “Can pets get coronavirus from humans?” and “Can veterinarians prevent the next pandemic?”

You can learn more about Saif’s and her colleagues’ expertise on coronaviruses here, and if you’re a journalist and want to ask them questions, their contact information is there, too.

Saif gave a good backgrounder on coronavirus biology, genetics, and related matters in a recent webinar, which you can watch in the video above.

When might the drug-based cavalry be coming?

Toledo Blade journalist Tom Henry talked to CFAES scientist Linda Saif, among others, for a March 20 story titled “Cavalry isn’t here yet: Coronavirus-killing drugs are still being sought.”

Saif is a Distinguished University Professor with CFAES’ Food Animal Health Research Program, a member of Ohio State’s Infectious Diseases Institute, a co-director of the institute’s Viruses and Emerging Pathogens Program, and an international expert on several types of viruses including coronaviruses.

Read the story.

Something to do while you’re staying at home

The video above, by CFAES horticulture educator Pam Bennett, is seven years old, but the suggestions are still good today. Now’s the time of year to get your garden ready for spring, and, with Ohio’s coronavirus “stay at home” order about to begin, you might have some time for a good head start.

Bennett is also the program director of our state Master Gardener Volunteers program, and if you’re interested in joining and serving with the program at some point down the road, you can learn more about it here.

Find out about event cancellations

Many of CFAES’ upcoming events have been cancelled or postponed due to the global coronavirus outbreak. Among them are the Sustainable Landscaping Workshop on March 18, the CFAES Sesquicentennial Open House on March 21, the Ohio Compost Operator Education Course on March 25-26, and the Ohio River Valley Woodland and Wildlife Workshop on March 28.

Find further details and updates on our event calendar, and if you’re not sure whether an event is still happening or not, be sure to contact the organizer ahead of time.

See the CFAES event calendar.

How to talk the environment with someone of either political stripe

By Alayna DeMartini, CFAES Advancement/Marketing and Communications

It seems intuitive: A social media post or an ad about an environmental issue written in a way that appeals to conservative values will likely persuade conservatives.

But more often than not, messages about environmental issues are framed to resonate primarily with liberal-leaning individuals, said Kristin Hurst, a postdoctoral research associate with CFAES’ School of Environment and Natural Resources.

Continue reading How to talk the environment with someone of either political stripe →

March 17 EPN program to be held online

The March 17 breakfast program by the Environmental Professionals Network, “Exploring the Interactions between Water, Climate, and Communication,” has been changed from an in-person event to an online webinar in keeping with Ohio State’s response to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. Learn more, check out the great lineup of speakers, and register to participate here.

Registration for the webinar is free, but, alas, breakfast will be on you, at least metaphorically, hopefully.

Here’s help for managing weeds on farms

Weeds cause $8-plus billion in crop losses in the United States every year, says the introduction to the 2020 Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois Weed Control Guide, which aims to help you keep from seeing any part of those losses. Written by researchers with CFAES, Purdue Extension, and Illinois Extension, the updated 220-page bulletin provides science-based suggestions for managing weeds in corn, soybeans, small grains, and forages—plus hayfields, grass pastures, and Conservation Reserve Program lands, too.

Read about the bulletin and buy it—the price is $15.25 plus shipping, or $12.25 for a downloadable PDF—from OSU Extension Publications at go.osu.edu/2020weedcontrol.

Use science to make your farm work even better

CFAES’ eFields program, whose motto is “connecting science to fields,” has published its 2019 findings, which come from 88 on-farm trials in 30 Ohio counties. The report, its webpage says, can “help farmers and their advisors understand how new practices and techniques can improve farm efficiency and profitability.”

Continue reading Use science to make your farm work even better →