One reason for the decline in the honey bee population is a lack of habitat to support them. A program on “Creating Habitat to Save Honey Bees and Other Pollinators” will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Auglaize County Administration Building, 209 S. Blackhoof St., Wapakoneta. Denise Ellsworth, entomology program director from OARDC will talk about the plight of pollinators and how to create habitat. This program will begin at 7 p.m. There is no direct cost, but free-will donations will be accepted. Call 419-739-6580 to register by Sept. 14.
“Learning More about Water Quality” will be held on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 10 a.m. at the Shelby County Ag Center, 810 Fair Road, Sidney. The morning program will feature Dr. Karen Mancl, professor in Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering, OSU. A tour of the Water Treatment Plant will take place after lunch. There is no cost to attend this program being sponsored by the city of Sidney, Shelby SWCD and the Shelby County Farm Bureau, but you need to let them know you’re attending by Sept. 18. You can call 877-775-7642 to reserve your spot.
Heard of “Flying Squirrels?” Ever seen one? Interested in knowing more? Marne Titchenell, wildlife specialist in Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, will reveal “Nature’s Gliders: The Flying Squirrels” from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 23 at the Gwynne Conservation Area on the grounds of the Farm Science Review in London, Ohio.
According to Titchenell, in some woodlands, flying squirrels are the most abundant squirrel; we just don’t see them often because they’re nocturnal. Some other interesting facts: They technically don’t fly, but they definitely get airborne; They have a covert way to “talk” to each other that you yourself can’t hear; They do all their work under cover of dark; They hole up with gangs of their friends all winter, which leaves them stronger come spring; and There are more of them out there than most people think. Her talk will introduce people to the fascinating world of flying squirrels, including how to find out if there are flying squirrels in your woods and how to provide habitat for them.
Farm Science Review tickets are available at our OSU Extension office for $7; at the gate, the charge is $10. More information and a schedule of events can be found at fsr.osu.edu. A complete schedule of presentations at “The Gwynne” is available at go.osu.edu/FSRgwynne2015.
Just a reminder about the Shelby County Cattlemen’s Fall Round-Up that will be held Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the Puthoff Farm on Barhorst Road, Fort Loramie: Facility tour at 6:30 p.m. with dinner and program at 7 p.m. Mercer Landmark is sponsoring the dinner, so there is no charge. RSVP to [email protected] or [email protected] so they know how many ribeye sandwiches to prepare!
Speaking of cattle: We picked up a couple new calves three weeks ago. They are “so” cute! When James and the family were here, the kids l-o-v-e-d the baby calves! They were a big hit at the family reunion, too. As for names, Stanley and I had discussed it and decided to get ideas from the kids. The only name options I heard from them were “Chitter” and “Chatter” because they “talked” (bawled) so much! Well, “our” names stuck: “Happy” is happy: running, jumping, kicking up his heels. For now, he’s “Happy Go Lucky” and will eventually be “Happy Meal.” “Sir Loin” responded to his name when I went to the barn the morning after we brought them home. I think that one stuck!
