The 2017 Shelby County Dairy Banquet will be held at the Palazzo in Botkins on Thursday, March 9, beginning with social time at 7 p.m.; Dinner at 7:30 p.m. Randy Fisher from Toastmasters will present “Mis-Information in Agriculture.” Tickets are $10 at the door. Those admitted for free are youth aged five and younger and 4-H and FFA members who exhibited a dairy project at the 2016 Shelby County Fair. Reservations for all (to ensure enough food!) are to be made to Greg Borchers by Feb. 27, (That’s next Monday!), 937-726-1805 or [email protected].
There’s still time to get your reservations in for the Shelby County Cattlemen’s Association Annual Banquet (prime rib) to be held Tuesday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m., at the Houston Community Center. Cost is $25 per person by this Friday, Feb. 24, at 937-726-0478; [email protected].
Auglaize and Shelby County Extensions are holding Three-Hour Fertilizer Applicator Certification Trainings on Monday, March 20. There will be two sessions held: 2 to 5 p.m. and 6:15 to 9:15 p.m. These will be held at the Palazzo in Botkins with a light supper available between sessions.
These three-hour trainings meet the requirement for obtaining an Ohio Fertilizer License for those applying commercial fertilizer to 50 acres or more who do not presently have a pesticide applicator’s license. (Yes, that includes side-dressing corn!) There is no charge, but we need your reservations by March 13! Please let me know which program you plan to attend.
An Aquaponics Workshop is being held in Columbus on Friday, March 10. The morning will be classroom sessions covering a variety of topics including aspects of fish and plant management, water quality, and marketing. Following lunch, the class will board a chartered bus and tour Fresh Harvest Farm Aquaponics, one of Ohio’s leading aquaponics farms owned and operated by Doug and Jeni Blackburn. The Blackburn’s are currently putting up their third greenhouse and grow a variety of lettuce, kale, and herbs in their aquaponics systems.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the bus plans to return by 5 p.m. This workshop will begin at the Quest Conference Center, 8405 Pulsar Place, Columbus (near Interstate 71 and Polaris Parkway). The day-long workshop costs $50 for Ohio Aquaculture Association (OAA) members and $75 for non-OAA members and includes a continental breakfast, boxed lunch, and bus to and from Fresh Harvest Farm Aquaponics. Online registration is required. For more information or to register: http://ohioaquaculture.org/events.
Our Third Annual “Growing Women in Agriculture, An Empowerment Celebration” will be held on Thursday, March 30, at St. Michael’s Hall in Fort Loramie. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with “Mixing and Mingling” featuring heavy hors d’oeuvres. This year’s Keynote Speaker is Shelly Thobe, director of Innovation for The Wendy’s Company. Thobe is a Mercer County native and an OSU Graduate in Human Nutrition.
After Shelly’s talk, each attendee will have the opportunity to attend two educational sessions (from the four listed): Old-to-New (upcycling and repurposing furniture and home decor), Succession Planning (advice on estate planning and farm transition), Cooking Demo (using fresh olive oils and balsamic vinegars), and Farm Safety (keeping kids aware and safe on the farm). The evening should wrap up by 9 p.m.
Cost for this Women in Agriculture event is $20 per person, with a portion of the fee supporting women in crisis. Registration deadline is March 17. We have fliers in our office and also online at Shelby.osu.edu.
Just a reminder that The Shelby County Cattlemen’s Association is offering a $500 scholarship. The application is on their website http://shelbycountycattlemen.com.
Applications are due no later than March 15. If you have questions, please contact Jason Gibbs at [email protected] or 937-726-1258.
