OSU Extension Crawford County is hosting a Tile Demonstration and Soil Health Field day on Wednesday, Aug. 22. The program will start at 9:30 a.m. and run until 2 p.m. Cost for the program is $5 to cover lunch. Throughout the day, you will see both commercial and tractor mounted plows in operation, how to run the tractor plow from the seat, and learn how Intellislope works. While drainage is often the first step to successful no-till and cover crops, it is not the only step. Other presentations will include profitable cover cropping with livestock, managing herbicides for cover crop success, in-field soil health testing and interpretation, planning grass waterways and blind inlets to partner with the tile installation, and the economics of drain tile installation. Please call the Crawford county extension office at 419-562-8731 to RSVP by Aug. 20. For more information visit https://crawford.osu.edu/ and look for “Tile Drainage and Soil Health Field Day” under County News.
On-farm technology has the ability to collect so much information on farming practices and crops, but what do we do with all of that information once we have it? The challenge is learning how to use the in-cab technology, getting information from the tractor to the computer, and analyzing that data to begin making changes. The 2018 Champaign County Precision Ag Day will focus on helping farmers understand and manage data through presentations and demonstrations from university and industry experts and a panel of farmers currently using on-farm data.
The program begins at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 29, with breakfast; the presentations will begin at 8:25 a.m. and continue until lunch at 1p.m. Integrated Ag Services will then have demonstrations and facility tours from 1 to 4 p.m. This event will be held at Integrated Ag Services, 24320 Woodstock Road, Milford Center.
The event is free to attend with an RSVP by Aug. 22. Four hours of Crop Management credits are available for Certified Crop Advisers. For questions or to RSVP email [email protected] or call 937-484-1526. A flyer can be found at http://go.osu.edu/agevents.
Mercer County Extension will be holding their August Lawn and Gardening Talk on Wednesday, Aug. 29, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Central Services Building in Celina. This month’s topic will be Honeybees and Pollinator Habitats. Mike Doseck, president of the Greater Grand Lake Bee Keepers Association, will be the presenter.
As always, there is no cost to attend, but please RSVP to 419-586-2179 to let them know you plan to attend so enough hand-outs can be prepared.
As we get older, it can be tougher to get on or off a tractor; done over and over, twisting, lifting, bending, and kneeling, can all become challenging. Young farmers doing repetitive tasks might also feel the toll. Let’s face it: Farming is hard work, and it can hurt!
OSU Extension’s Ohio AgrAbility program is part of a national effort through the USDA that promotes independence for people working in agriculture who want to continue farming after experiencing a disabling condition. Ohio AgrAbility offers free on-site assessments for people with a disability to help determine what assistive technology they might need.
Ohio AgrAbility will present talks at Farm Science Review about ways to help people keep farming or gardening despite physical challenges that come with aging, injuries, or repetitive strenuous work. These talks will be held at various locations on the grounds. Some of the topics will include “Designing Accessible Agri-Tourism,” “Modifying a Vehicle for Mobility and Independence,” “Gardening as We Age – It Doesn’t Have to Hurt,” “Farm and Equipment Modification,” and “Peer to Peer Networking.”
Tickets for Farm Science Review, which is from Sept. 18 through Sept. 20, are $7 pre-sale; $10 at the gate. Children 5 and under are free. You can get tickets at our office. For more information, visit fsr.osu.edu.
