Well, it looks like winter is going to settle in around here. With that said, just a quick reminder to make sure livestock can get out of the weather appropriately, have a dry, well-bedded place to bed down and that they have access to water.
Don’t forget to keep plenty of feed available as well, since they may be burning more energy in this colder weather.
I wanted to share information about a couple of upcoming events. The first is The Ohio State University Extension-sponsored 7th Annual East Ohio Women in Agriculture Conference. This year’s conference convenes 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19 at the RG Drage Career Technical Center, 2800 Richville Drive SE in Massillon.
All women and young women (high school age) who are interested in, involved in, or want to become involved with food, agricultural, or natural resources production or small business are encouraged and welcomed to attend.
The conference program features an agency/vendor fair and 18 educational breakout sessions presented by OSU Extension educators, producers and partner agencies.
Sessions focus around five themes: Business & Finance, Plants & Animals, Communication, Home & Family and Special Interest (areas of specific interest to attendees).
Farm and Dairy Editor Rebecca Miller is the conference featured keynote speaker. Her presentation will engage and enlighten participants on “Clinging to context in a noisy world: don’t lose sight of your “why”.
Interested individuals can register for the conference on-line at go.osu.edu/eowia2020. Cost of the conference is $55 for adult participants and $30 for students. Conference fee includes conference participation, continental breakfast, lunch and conference handouts. Deadline for registration is Thursday, March 12.
Stay connected with the Ohio Women in Agriculture Learning Network on Facebook @OHwomeninag or subscribe to the Ohio Women in Agriculture blogsite at http://u.osu.edu/ohwomeninag/
Those that like to stay close to home may be interested in a lunch webinar series for farmers hosted by OSU Extension. Program planners have arranged for eight topics and speakers to provide a webinar every Wednesday, starting on Feb. 5 and concluding March 25.
Each Wednesday’s webinar starts at 11:45 a.m. and lasts 1.5 hours.
Learn important risk management information during this lunch and learn series from top industry, private sector, and university experts important to the success of farm businesses in 2020 and beyond.
The topics that will be covered include:
Feb. 5: Using Financial Statements/Ratios to Make Informed Financial Decisions
Feb. 12: Farm Law 101: Leasing and Financing Agreements
Feb. 19: Grain Contracts and Markets: What to Use When
Feb. 26: Where to Start with Workers Compensation Benefits
March 4: Meeting with a Lender: What Numbers are Important
March 11: Estate Planning: What are the Tools and Options
March 18: Grain Marketing Strategies for 2020
March 25: Tips for Recruiting, Hiring, and Retaining Farm Business Employees
Farmers interested in participating should register at http://go.osu.edu/fm2020 by Jan. 31. At this website you can access detailed information on the speakers and the learning objectives for each session.
There is also a registration link for the webinar at this site. The cost for all eight topics is $25 per registration and must be paid with credit card at time of registration.
Any question can be directed to Chris Bruynis or Marianne Guthrie at 740-702-3200 or email [email protected].
We hope this program series will be beneficial to your farm business, whether you attend all the topic presentations or just some of them.
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.
