Crop event Tuesday
FREMONT - Ohio State University's Northern Ohio Vegetable Crops Field Night is set for 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the North Central Agricultural Research Station of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.
The event focuses on research on fresh market and processing crops and the economic benefit of producers and food processors. Topics include managing beetles, bacterial wilt in muskmelons, grafting tomatoes and their use in industry, and bio-control for worms on cabbage.
No registration is required for the free program.
For more information, contact Matt Hofelich at hofelich.4@osu.edu or (419) 332-5142; or Mark Koening at koenig.55@osu.eduor (419) 334-6340.
Educational credits will be available.
The research station is at 1165 CR 43 at the intersection of SR 53.
The event is sponsored by OARDC and Ohio State University Extension, the research and outreach arms, respectively, of Ohio State's College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
OSU Extension offers dairy forum
COLUMBUS - Dairy nutritionists, industry professionals, producers and anyone who wants to learn the latest research on Jersey cattle, milk production and developing a Jersey branded beef program can get tips from the experts during a Dairy Educational Forum and Open House at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, on Ohio State University's campus.
The central part of the program is a forum 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Aug. 9. Hosted jointly by Ohio State's Department of Animal Sciences and the American Jersey Cattle Association, featuring seminars with information on efficiently managing dairy operations and the environmental sustainability of food production systems, said Maurice Eastridge, a professor and OSU Extension dairy specialist.
Topics to be discussed during the forum include "Environmental Impact and Sustainability of Jersey Milk Production," "Genomic Evaluations: Powerful Tool for Improving Dairy Cattle," "Stream Management in a Pasture System," "Silage Storage to Maintain Quality and Minimize Shrink," "Managing the Costs of Production," "Services Provided by the American Jersey Cattle Association," and hand-on activities for youth.
The event is to feature a presentation at 2 p.m. Aug. 8 by Jude L. Capper, a sustainability consultant and adjunct professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Washington State University. Capper, whose research and outreach work focuses on modeling the environmental impact of livestock production systems including dairy and beef, will discuss "Meatless Mondays ... and Other Fairy Tales."
Participants also can attend an open house at 10 a.m. Aug.10 at COBA/Select Sires Inc., which is North America's largest artificial insemination organization and is comprised of 10 farmer-owned and -controlled cooperatives. The open house is at 11740 US 42 N., Plain City.
Participants should contact Eastridge at eastridge.1@osu.edu or (614) 688-3059 to register.
OSU planning anaerobic digestion course
WOOSTER - Ohio State University is planning a first-of-its-kind training course on anaerobic digestion, a waste-management process livestock farms and wastewater plants are using to produce biogas, a type of renewable fuel.
The course takes place Sept. 6-7 at the university's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster.
"The (anaerobic digestion) industry is growing in Ohio, but there are no educational programs that provide an understanding of the scientific principles underlying the AD process or the daily management of an AD system," said Yebo Li, organizer of the course and an OARDC biosystems engineer. "If the industry is to continue to grow successfully, training must be available for the workforce, including AD operators, regulatory personnel who will oversee permitting and operations, and investors who will provide funding."
Li said the course is designed for people who already work in the anaerobic digestion industry; those who want to find out if anaerobic digestion is right for their operation, whether a farm, a wastewater plant or otherwise; and those who advise others on waste-management technologies.
Anaerobic digesters take in waste materials, or "feedstocks," such as livestock manure, food-processing waste and municipal sewage sludge, break them down under tightly controlled conditions, and in the process produce useful compost and methane biogas.
More than 400 livestock farms in Ohio are potential candidates for anaerobic digesters, Li said, citing figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's AgSTAR program.
Also according to AgSTAR, Ohio has more than 1,700 facilities that treat wastewater, that generate sludge as a result and that could employ anaerobic digestion to improve the process.
In all, Li said, Ohio produces some 330,000 dry tons of sewage sludge a year that anaerobic digestion could benefit, either by reducing odors and pathogens, by producing energy and compost, or both.
The course runs 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 6 and 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 7 at OARDC's Shisler Conference Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster.
Registration costs $250 and includes materials and continental breakfast, lunch and snacks. Registration deadline is Aug. 31. Class size is limited to 25.
Participants should send their name, affiliation, address, telephone number, fax number and email address to Mary Wicks, OARDC/OSU, Administration Building, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691. Checks should be made payable to OARDC/OSU.
Participants will be eligible for 12.0 Ohio Professional Engineers continuing professional development credits. Continuing education credits also have been requested but not yet approved in the areas of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Waste Water Certification and Ohio Registered Sanitarians.
For more information, contact Wicks at (330) 202-3533 or wicks.14@osu.edu, or download a brochure at go.osu.edu/NND.
Farm Science Review turning 50
LONDON, Ohio - As Farm Science Review celebrates its 50th year, organizers say that despite the many changes in agriculture during that time, one thing has remained the same - FSR is still dedicated to ensuring the best agricultural research, resources, information and access for farmers.
This year's theme is "Forecasting the Future for 50 Years," emphasizing what Farm Science is all about, said manager Chuck Gamble.
"The field of agriculture is so exciting right now, with the boon in technology that has taken place in the industry during the past 50 years," he said. "From genetics and seeds and the different chemistries that we have to protect plants, to the equipment we now have that uses satellite technology to make farming more precise and efficient."
FSR will take place Sept. 18-20 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio.
Sponsored by the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, the event is expected to draw at least 140,000 visitors from all over the country and Canada. Visitors can attend for three days to peruse 4,000 product lines from 600 commercial exhibitors, and capitalize on educational opportunities from Ohio State University and Purdue University specialists.
This year, the review will follow daily themes aimed at highlighting the 50th anniversary, Gamble said.
Sept. 18's theme is "World Record Day." Kip Cullers, a Missouri farmer who holds the world record in soybean yield of 160.6 bushels per acre, will talk about techniques.
Sept. 19 is "Farmer Food Drive Day." For every two or more cans of food donated, participants will receive a pair of work gloves (as supplies last). The goal is to collect at least a half semi-load of food. Organizers are working with the Ohio Association of Food Banks.
The last day is "Generational Day." Participants who attend as a family group can get photos taken and placed in a Farm Science Review frame or calendar.
Pre-show tickets are $5 at all OSU Extension county offices. Tickets also are available at local agribusinesses. Tickets are $8 at the gate. Children 5 and younger are admitted free. Hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 18-19 and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 20.
For more information, see fsr.osu.edu. For the latest news and updates, follow Farm Science Review on Twitter at www.twitter.com/OhioStateFSR) and Facebook at www.facebook.com/Farm
ScienceReview).
