As the Beatles once sang, “The love You take Is equal to the love You make.”

Obviously they’re talking about a personal relationship. But this really applies to just about everything we do on a daily basis. The environment in which we live is no different.

All Ohioans need to be responsible for the the environment.

Not to sound like an environmental wacko or anything, but we need to be more active and cognizant of the things we do in our yards, around our homes, our businesses and when we travel. We cant allow ourselves to ever revert back to the irresponsible ways of the past that saw high levels of mercury in Lake Erie to the Cuyahoga River catching on fire.

I remember when guys would pour oil and other car fluids down the storm drains! Uhg!

We all need to vow to protect and defend our environment. Farmers know this fact first hand. Farmers deal with this constantly. But unlike those who do not own or operate a farm, organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency keep farmers’ hands to the fire, sometimes tied behind their back and in the fire!

An EPA is necessary. But an aggressive, overbearing, over-regulating EPA will destroy business and farmers ability to feed the world.

Sometimes cooperation and communication prevails and with the assistance of the Ohio Department of Agriculture and other pro-Ohio farmer groups the gap between farmers and EPA can be greatly reduced.

The recent announcement of the 2017 Farm Chemical and Pesticide collections dates is one of those moments.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture will be sponsoring three Clean Sweep Pesticide collections for farmers wishing to dispose of unwanted pesticides. The following locations will accept farm chemicals in August:

· Delaware County — Aug. 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Delaware County Fairgrounds (entrance off U.S. 23), 236 Pennsylvania Ave., Delaware, Ohio.

· Putnam County — Aug. 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the OSU Extension Putnam County Office (gated parking lot on east side of the building), 1206 East Second Street, Ottawa, Ohio.

· Athens County — Aug. 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Albany Independent Fairgrounds, 5201 Washington Road, Albany, Ohio.

The pesticide collection and disposal service is free of charge. Disposals are limited to farmers only, and only farm chemicals will be accepted. Paint, antifreeze, solvents, and household or non-farm pesticides will not be accepted. Pesticides do not have to be in original containers or identifiable for disposal. The largest container that can be accepted is a 55 gallon drum as long as it has a good sealed bung.

There is no limit to the amount of pesticides that a farmer can bring, although ODA would like to know if someone is bringing anything larger than a pickup load.

Pesticide collections are sponsored by the department in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

To pre-register, or for more information, contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture at 614-728-6987.

With this kind of cooperation with simple things like this we can expect to see a growing economy and better relations between government agencies and Ohio businesses.

Here’s seeing you, in Ohio Country!