Farmland Leasing Workshop, aquaculture programs scheduled

0

There will be a Farmland Leasing Workshop on Monday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the OSU Miami County Extension office (Old Courthouse) in Troy. Some of the topics to be discussed include Farmland Leasing Options (cash rent, flex rent, etc.), Factors affecting Leasing Options and Rates, Legal Issues in Farmland Leasing, and Developing a Written Lease for your Farm.

The cost for this program is $15 per person which includes handouts and refreshments. Additional family members are $5 (shared handouts). Pre-registration and pre-payment are required. You can stop by our office to pick up a registration form or go to http://miami.osu.edu/events/farm-rental-workshop.

Aquaculture includes the breeding, rearing, and harvesting of fish in ponds and indoor tank systems for food, sport, bait, and ornamental fish. Presently in Ohio there are about 200 registered fish farmers. Interested in learning how to become a fish farmer? Well, the Ohio Center for Aquaculture Research and Development at The Ohio State University South Centers is offering 30 new and beginning fish farmers an in-depth introduction to aquaculture and aquaponics and the business of fish farming through a yearlong program.

The goal of this program, called Aquaculture Boot Camp-2 or ABC-2, is to increase the number of fish farmers in Ohio and the Midwest. The boot camp will include classroom and individual and group hands-on training. Sessions will be held at the South Centers in Piketon and at other aquaculture facilities. Participants will take part in 16 days of training, including 12 one-day intensive classroom and hands-on sessions on aquaculture, aquaponics, and business; three aquaculture/aquaponics workshops; and a farm tour. Most of the training will take place on Saturdays, with some Friday sessions.

This program is free of charge, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Applications for the program are available at go.osu.edu/abc2 and are due by Nov. 4. For more information on the program, go to https://southcenters.osu.edu/aquaculture/aquaculture-boot-camp-2.

We had a good time at the Shelby County Farm Tour a week ago. I took the two oldest grandkids with me and they enjoyed the day. It was nice that there were activities for kids at all locations, but they learned some things, too. Seeing/interacting with three-day-old calves helped clarify a conversation we’d had the week before about how animals “age” quicker than we do: The calves were standing/walking/playing at three days versus a human baby that wouldn’t be doing that until about a year old. The light bulb did go on!

I think their overall favorite stop was the dairy farm. (Thanks, Randy, Connie, and Nathan!). They got to see cows being milked, which spurred another conversation about how the milk coming from the cow was as “clean” as when a human mother nurses her baby.

Their second favorite was the Everett Family Farm, primarily because of the “Oobleck” for the kids to play with. Of course, Annaliese was in awe of the grain bin set-up and had to stick her head in the bin just to see what was happening!

Of course, I had a good time, too, and got to see many people! I have to confess I really enjoyed the Voress Farm, primarily because it dealt with critters on pasture. Of course, seeing a drone in action at the Bambauer Research site was interesting, too, as was the River Mobile stationed at Fairlawn School. It was a good day! Thank you to all our hosts!

http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2016/09/web1_BrownDeborah-Reinhart_12-3.jpg

By Deborah Reinhart Brown

Ag update

The writer can be reached at the OSU Extension office (937-498-7239) or by email at [email protected].

No posts to display