Our Shelby County Master Gardeners will be holding the second in their 2019 Spring Gardening Series at the Amos Memorial Public Library on Tuesday, March 19, beginning at 6:30 p.m. This month’s topic is “What’s All the Dirt?” Come, find out what is in your garden soil and how you can help your plants grow better! The program is free and includes refreshments and hand-outs. No pre-registration required!
The West Ohio Dairy Luncheon will be held Wednesday, March 20, at the Pizza Hut in New Bremen. As usual, lunch is available at 11:30 a.m. with the program to begin around noon. This month’s topic is “Battling Stress on a Dairy Farm” with Jami Dellifield from Hardin County Extension leading the discussion.
Have you gotten your Fertilizer Applicator Certification, yet? Do you apply fertilizer to more than 50 acres?? Do you side-dress your corn and farm more than 50 acres? Yes, that last point can be the “tipper”! Even if you farm only 50 acres and usually split that across two or three crops, what about the year – for whatever reason – that you plant all corn? Yep, when it’s time to side-dress that corn, you’re “got”!
You’ve got a couple options: Hire someone else to do it. Take a test to get your certification. Join us on Monday, March 25th for the three-hour certification class … and avoid any test! I’ll even give you a choice of two sessions!
Jeff Stachler and I will be teaching the Fertilizer Applicator Certification course at the Palazzo in Botkins on the 25th. You can choose from 2 to 5 p.m. or 6:15 to 9:15 p.m. and there will be a light supper between those two sessions. The cost is $30 for the training. Contact me at [email protected] or 937-498-7239 to get signed up!
Hardin County Extension is holding at Backyard Poultry Seminar on Tuesday, March 26, at their office on West Lima Street in Kenton, beginning at 6:30 p.m. and lasting about two hours. Dr. Tim McDermott, DVM and ANR Educator from Franklin County will be the instructor. McDermott will discuss backyard poultry production as it relates to meat production, egg production, dual purpose, and show breeds. His presentation will center around chickens, addressing regulations, where to find healthy chicks, brooding chicks, or incubating your own. Information about caring for poultry will be discussed, including proper feeding , watering, and shelter to provide protection from predators.
Egg production basics also will be addressed, including proper withdrawal times when using medications, proper bedding, winterizing the coop, and steps to take to prevent disease through proper biosecurity. Prevention of parasites and proper manure management will contribute to the success of a backyard poultry production operation, as will proper identification and treatment of diseases and managing other health problems. You can register for this seminar at http://go.osu.edu/hardinbackyardpoultry or by calling the Hardin County Extension office at 419-674-2297 by March 25th. There is no cost to attend this program, but registration is requested to ensure enough room for all attendees.
The OSU Pollinator Summit – Our Threatened Bees will be held on Thursday, March 28, 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center on Fred Taylor Drive in Columbus. The registration fee of $50 includes lunch, refreshments, and handouts.
Presenters and topics include Reed Johnson from OSU Entomology discussing Threats Facing Honey Bees; Karen Goodell from OSU Biology presenting on The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee and the Ohio Bee Atlas; Mary Gardiner from OSU Entomology on Shrinking Cities, Vacant Properties, and Pollinators; and Randy Mitchell from the University of Akron talking about Action Steps to Help Native Bees. The Keynote Speaker will be Laurence Packer, a professor at York University and author of Keeping the Bees: Why All Bees are at Risk and What We Can do to Save Them. Contact me for a flier and registration information.
