The Eagle Gazette

Join us at 4-H Day!

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4-H Day is held the first Saturday in March from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. at the AAA Building at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds. This free event is open to anyone – current, past and future 4-H members, or even if you are just curious about 4-H. A time to have one-on-one interaction with individuals who have had various experiences with 4-H. A time when you may sign up to become a 4-H member.  For more information, contact the Fairfield County Extension Office at 740-653-5419.

Want to learn more about 4-H Day in Fairfield County be sure to listen in to the 88.9 FM Saturday Morning Farm Page Interview with 4-H Educator, Leslie Cooksey by clicking on the link below!

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DOES COLD WEATHER KILL JAPANESE BEETLES

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While people may choose to start their year out with all kinds of new year’s resolutions, insects only have one resolution: live long enough to reproduce. Winter survival is one hurdle in a bug reaching its goal.

Many people assume, after months of dangerous wind chills and arctic air masses, that insects have been killed off, but it is rarely that simple.  Let’s check in on one of our least favorite garden pests, the Japanese beetle, and see how they likely fared after a cold start to 2022.

Where are Japanese beetles right now?                                           

Japanese beetles spend the winter as immature grubs. This is the white grub life stage that is responsible for damage to lawns.As temperatures cool off in the fall, grubs burrow into the soil. They can dig down to depths of 2 to 6 inches. They will tunnel even deeper if the soil gets too cold during the winter.

So, did the Japanese beetle grubs die? Unfortunately, the answer is “probably not.”  The grubs are a few inches down in the soil, which itself is underneath a few inches of snow. All of this acts as layers of insulation. We know from studies that Japanese beetle grubs can survive down to around 9°F.

What is it like temperature-wise down there? Soil temperatures hover anywhere from 20 to 30 degrees, while the air temperature is much colder and fluctuates wildly. Based on what we know about Japanese beetles and soil temperatures, many grubs likely got through January just fine, and many will hang on long enough to emerge as adults next summer.

Author: Marissa Schuh, horticulture IPM, Extension Educator

4-H Day is scheduled for March 5th at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds!!! _

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4-H Day is held the first Saturday in March from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. at the AAA Building at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds. This free event is open to anyone – current, past and future 4-H members, or even if you are just curious about 4-H. A time to have one-on-one interaction with individuals who have had various experiences with 4-H. A time when you may sign up to become a 4-H member.

For more information, contact the Fairfield County Extension Office at 740-653-5419.

Vernal Pool Exploration at Coyote Run in Pickerington on March 6!!

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From salamanders and wood frogs to damselflies and fairy shrimp, discover the wonder of the many unique critters that call vernal pools home. Join OSU Extension, with special permission from Coyote Run, as we explore these seasonal pools of water and the many early-emerging, ephemeral lifeforms they support.                                                                                                             

A brief outdoor presentation will be followed by a vernal pool hike. Boots are advised, and please dress for the weather. Registration is limited

Sunday, March 6, 2022 – 1:00pm to 2:30pm.  Location: Coyote Run, Pickerington, OH.  For more information contact Carrie Brown at  brown.2766@osu.edu

Registration: go.osu.edu/fcvernalpool or 740-653-5419

Where: Coyote Run in Pickerington, Ohio (meeting location will be provided upon registration).  This program is free and open to all interested.

DORRIN AND RUTH ROSS SCHOLARSHIP due March 15

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The scholarship was established by Dorrin and Ruth Ross. Natives of Licking County, Ohio, Dorrin and Ruth married and moved to Columbus in 1935. Mr. Ross began his career as a carpenter, worked for the Curtiss-Wright Company during World War II, and spent the remainder of his career with the Ohio Parole Board, working his way from Parole officer to a supervisor before he passed away in June, 1989.  Following Ruth Ross’s graduation from Bliss College in Columbus, she became a corporate secretary and the owner and broker of Gateway Realty.

The scholarship is indicative of Mrs. Ross’s interest in supporting educational opportunities for rural students, inspired by the loss of her family’s farm during the Depression, after her graduation from college.  The current administrator of the scholarship is the Ross’s niece, Mrs. Glenna Gibson of Lancaster.  The Dorrin and Ruth Ross scholarship program has assisted 4-H and FFA youth in Fairfield County with scholarship funds for over 25 years.

Eligibility Criteria:

Candidates must meet one of the following criteria:

Graduates or graduating high school seniors of Bloom Carroll High School or Fairfield Union high School;Past or present members of Fairfield County 4-H or Fairfield County Agriculture’s Future Farmers of American)FFA);

Candidates must attend or plan to attend an educational institution in the U.S.

Deadline for the online application is March 15, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. /NEW for this year the application is now ON-LINE and can be found at the Columbus Foundation site or at https://cfprograms.smapply.io/prog/rossschol

 

Larry L. Hoover Memorial Scholarship for targets college students

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Photo Credit: Becky Hoover–May  2021

Any college junior or senior in agriculture or an ag-related field is eligible for this annually awarded scholarship.  The number of scholarships and amount awarded fluctuates based on the quality of applicants.  The scholarship is administered by Fairfield County Foundation and applications are due March 11, 2022.  The committee considers extracurricular activities and personal goals, in addition to grade point average. Questions can be directed to Abby King, by emailing: aking @fairfieldcountyfoundation.org.  The application can be found on their  website fairfieldcountyfoundation.org.

 

 

 

 

Last Call for Pesticide and Fertilizer Recertification -February 23

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This will be the second and final of two sessions of Fertilizer REcertification that will be offered in Fairfield County this year. A class fee of $10 will be charged for this fertilizer session.

Participants who bring at least one of their recent soil test reports to this session will receive, for free, a copy of the new Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations for Corn, Soybeans, Wheat, and Alfalfa (Extension Bulletin E-2567).

This one hour session will be followed immediately by a Pesticide REcertifcation session that will run from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. on the 23rd.

Reservations are required and can be made by using the on-line registration links e found here:

Fertilizer: https://fairfield.osu.edu/events/fertilizer-recertification

Pesticide: https://fairfield.osu.edu/events/pesticide-applicator-recertification

or by simply calling OSU Extension at 740-653-5419.

Fairfield Co.  Market Beef Tagging, Weighing, and DNA Sample Collection Procedure for 2022

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Again this year families will tag their market beef calves at home prior to weighing them in at Fairfield Cattle Company on March 12.

The time for Fairfield County’s market beef tagging and weigh-in is upon us. Based on the success of the tagging and weigh-in process that was utilized last year, this year will be conducted in a similar fashion with only a few modifications.

Youth will be required to tag their own market beef animals with a visual tag and must submit a hair follicle DNA sample prior to, or at weigh-in which will begin at 8:30 a.m. on March 12, 2022.  For more details go to: https://u.osu.edu/fcfair/

In advance of March 12, families with market beef projects will also be required to reserve weigh-in time, and only those directly involved in transporting and weighing-in calves should plan to attend . . . please, no spectators! The goal is to reduce congregation at weigh-in and minimize the transfer of paperwork.

For more information on this tagging and weighing process for your 2022 Fairfield County Fair market beef animals, contact Junior Fair Director Chuck Miller at: keywest100@att.net.

What’s “Cracking” in the yard and woods?

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Have you ever heard a loud bang or pop when you’re outside in the winter?  It might have been a tree shivering during the brutally cold winter.  The past several weeks have been very cold and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get warm and stay warm anytime soon.  The very low cold temperatures that we experience during winter months can cause trees to crack.  This is called frost cracking.

Sometimes frost cracking is evident right away and sometimes it can take awhile to see the damage.  Frost cracks can extend deep into trees causing permanent damage and opening the tree up for other pathogens to potentially infect it.  The following trees are susceptible to frost cracking: sycamore, maples, apples, cherries, horse chestnuts, lindens, walnuts, and willows. 

Trees that are exposed out in the open landscape where the sun can shine directly on them often times get frost cracks.  The cracks can occur on a sunny winter day when the sun shines directly on the south and west side of the tree.  As the sun sets and it gets colder, the fluids will freeze causing the tissues below the bark to burst.  This is where the loud noise comes from.  Damage can usually be seen from the ground up to about 4 feet on the tree.

Frost cracking usually happens in newer, younger, susceptible species of trees,

therefore it is important to protect them from the cold winters with tree guards or in many fruit growers cases paint the lower portion of the tree trunks with white latex paint to reflect the sun.

If you are getting stir crazy from being cooped up in the house head out to the yard or local park and see if you can identify any frost cracks in young trees.

Source:  Carri Jagger, Extension Educator-Morrow County

 

Fairfield County Cattleman’s Association Scholarship is Due March 1.

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This scholarship is designed for  High School Seniors or Undergraduate College Students attending either 2 or 4 year programs.  The applicants must have completed and exhibited a market beef, beef feeder, dairy beef feeder and/or beef breeding project for at least four years at an Ohio County and or State Fair, either through 4-H and/or FFA.  The applicant or parent/guardian must have been a member of the Fairfield County Cattlemen’s Association for the previous two calendar years. Deadline to apply is March 1, 2022. To access the scholarship go to:  http://go.osu.edu/FCCAscholar.    For more details, contact Stan Smith @ smith.263@osu.edu.