This week I start out by remembering September 11. I was at work that day and I remember being glued to the TV in the office, not wanting to believe what had happened and what I saw.
May we never forget, may we always remember and pay tribute to the fallen and their families, and may we continue to pray and hope for a more peaceful world.
Don’t forget the 2019 Farm Science Review is next week. As I have mentioned in previous weeks, there is something for everyone at the FSR.
The McCormick, Bailey, Firebaugh buildings and the Utzinger Garden are home to OSU Central, an area where we feature information from OSU colleges and departments.
This year’s displays focus on farm health and safety, cancer prevention, farm management programs, financial and economical information, the environment, and human and community development. Outside in the Utzinger Garden, sessions offer tips about home yards and gardens.
The Utzinger Memorial Garden (near Friday Avenue and Market Streets) will have several presentations in the gazebo, and Master Gardener Volunteers will be available throughout the garden to answer gardening questions.
Ohio AgrAbility’s “Gardening through the Lifespan” signs are scattered throughout the garden, and have tips for gardening with a disability, arthritis, low vision, or blindness. The West Central Ohio Beekeepers Association will answer questions about how to become a beekeeper and will show some of the equipment needed to get started.
Some of the specific presentations will include: Herbs for the Garden, Growing Vegetables in Containers, Gardening for Pollinators, Pesticide Safety in the Garden, and Trees for Bees, Make Your Garden a Haven for Pollinators, Growing Garlic, and Beekeeping 101:
Other topics will include Helping Pollinators to Overwinter in Your Garden, Home Lawn Care Basics, The Benefits of Using Compost on Lawns, The Wonderful World of Buckeyes and so much more.
Another feature to the Review is the FARM OFFICE in the Firebaugh Building on Friday Ave. Visit with Extension professionals for information on agricultural law, farm management, and taxation to help you manage your farm office.
Ag Law and Farm Management will have some of the latest information on Farm Based Foods, Solar Leasing Guide, Estate and Farm Transition Planning, Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rents, Crop Enterprise Budgets, Ohio Farm Custom Rates, and New Tax Law Effects on Farms.
The Ag Weather and Climate Office of Ohio (SCOO) will answer your weather and climate questions. Learn about FARM: Field Application Resource Monitor, a tool providing real-time and historical precipitation forecasts to help with your farm management.
The Ohio Women in Agriculture area will share information about local, state, regional, and national networks, opportunities, and resources to balance farm, family, community, and business.
And finally in the Firebaugh Building learn how the Water Quality Initiative uses science, innovation, partnerships, and education to improve Ohio’s water quality. The folks here are seeking input from stakeholders and Ohioans on the needs and priorities to improve Ohio’s water quality. Visit them to complete the survey.
There will also be opportunity to learn more about the possibilities of growing hemp in Ohio. Anyone considering growing hemp can learn more about the crop Sept. 17–19 at Farm Science Review as Peggy Hall, agricultural and resource law field specialist for The Ohio State University will discuss, “The Legal Buzz on Hemp,” as part of the ‘Ask the Expert’ series of annual talks during FSR.
Also, she and Lee Beers, an Ohio State University Extension educator in Trumbull County, will give another talk, “Industrial Hemp in Ohio—What It Is and Is It Legal?” as part of the Small Farms Center Tent presentations at FSR. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of CFAES.
There are literally hudnreds of activities to see and participate in at this year’s Farm Science Review and you don’t have to be a farmer to enjoy it. If you come Tuesday, look me up from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., as I will be working in the Agronomic Crops Team area just inside the exhibit area between gates B and C.
Presale tickets are available at the Clinton County Extension Office for $7. Our office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Tony Nye is the state coordinator for the Ohio State University Extension Small Farm Program and has been an OSU Extension Educator for agriculture and natural resources for over 30 years, currently serving Clinton County and the Miami Valley EERA.
