We are holding a Swine Management Day on Wednesday, April 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the 4-H building on the Mercer County Fairgrounds in Celina. According to the latest Census of Ohio Agriculture, Mercer, Darke, Auglaize, and Shelby Counties rank as the top four hog producing counties in Ohio. Managing these operations requires a great deal of time and effort; this program is aimed at swine breeders and finishers.
Presentation topics and speakers for the Swine Management Day are a Swine Management and Production Update by OSU Swine Extension Program Specialist Dale Ricker; Edge of Field Study Results and Water Quality by USDA Research Soil Scientist Emily Duncan; Manure Management by OSU Extension Manure Management Specialist Glen Arnold; and Herd Health, Biosecurity, and More by Bethany Heitkamp, a veterinarian with Four Star Veterinarians.
Cooper Farms, Mercer Landmark, and Country View Family Farms are sponsoring the event. A flyer is available at http://go.osu.edu/swinemanagementday. You can register by contacting me by April 2.
An Inversion & Drift Mitigation Workshop will be held on Tuesday, April 10th, from 10:00 a.m. – noon. There are two ways to attend: In-Person at the Ohio 4-H Center, Fred Taylor Drive, in Columbus or online at go.osu.edu/IPM. This workshop is for herbicide applicators, both private and commercial, and will focus on inversions—what causes them, how to recognize them, and how to avoid them. The speaker will be Aaron Wilson, Weather Specialist & Atmospheric Scientist for OSU Extension, Byrd Polar & Climate Research Center.
New tools available with the Ohio Sensitive Crop Registry will also be discussed at this workshop. These tools help to meet label requirements, plan herbicide applications, and integrate with spray application equipment. Jared Shaffer, plant health inspector for Ohio Department of Agriculture will be the speaker.
There is no cost to attend, but pre-registration is required for in-person attendees at go.osu.edu/IPM. There will be commercial and private pesticide recertification credits in Core available only at the Columbus in-person location. You can contact Cindy Folck at 614-247-7898 with any questions.
We will be hiring a part-time office assistant to work primarily with our 4-H Educator to help her with preparing materials for programs. This position is posted at the OSU jobs website through April 8. For a complete position description and application instructions, please go to www.jobsatosu.com and click “Search Postings.” Under “Job Opening Number,” type 437039, and click “Search.” Deadline to apply is April 8.
Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab are offering a week long Lake Erie Sport Fishing Course June 10-16 for college students. Students will learn about the Lake Erie ecosystem from a sport fishing perspective along with how to use fishing technology, make their own lures, techniques to target specific species, and much more. These lessons will be put to the test during the daily six-hour fishing excursions aboard a Stone Lab vessel.
Students will earn two physical education credits from OSU which are transferable to most colleges and universities. A high schooler preparing for college may be eligible too! Check out the Stone Lab application website at https://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/education/stonelab/apply for more details (scroll to the bottom of the page, under “introductory courses”).
If you’re interested in Lake Erie Sport Fishing but are not a student, there is also a three day Sport Fishing Workshop May 18-20. It’s an abbreviated version of the course, but still covers Lake Erie fishing basics and includes daily fishing excursions. You can find details at the above website, under “workshops.” Yes, you need to scroll to the bottom of the page … Class sizes are limited due to boat space, so sign up early!
