Several events on the schedule for March

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“March Madness: A Winning Season on Garden Prep,” the second in the Shelby County Master Gardeners 2018 Spring Gardening Seminar Series, will be held Tuesday, March 20, at the Amos Public Library Community Room, beginning at 6:30 p.m. This program will outline an easy three-month timeline for getting your garden chores done while still enjoying your spring!! There is no charge for this program which includes question/answer time, refreshments, hand-outs, and door prizes. No reservations required; just show up!!

A few quick reminders: Fertilizer and Private Pesticide Applicator Recertification Training in Hardin county on Tuesday, March 13, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Plaza Inn Restaurant in Mt. Victory. Registration information is at pested.osu.edu under “private applicator, private re-certification.”

“Growing Women in Agriculture, an Empowerment Celebration” will be Thursday March 22 at St. Michael’s Hall in Fort Loramie, beginning at 6 p.m. You can find a brochure at shelby.osu.edu, under “Ag and Natural Resources” and “events.” Get your reservations in soon!

A Training Class for those wanting to get their Pesticide Applicator License will be held Thursday, March 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Auglaize County Administration Building downstairs meeting room, north Blackhoof Street, in Wapak. More information at Auglaize.osu.edu under “county news” on the front page.

As a follow-up, the ODA will be in Wapak to offer Pesticide Applicator Exams on March 29, beginning at 10 a.m., also at the County Administration Building. You can register for this at https://pested.osu.edu/PrivateApplicator/testing. Click on the link for “register online” for the ODA website and then go down to the March 29 date.

Our Fertilizer Applicator Certification Training for those who haven’t yet completed this program will be held Monday, March 26 at the Palazzo in Botkins. Anyone applying commercial fertilizer or purchased manure from a concentrated livestock facility to more than 50 acres must obtain this certification. Yes, that includes side-dressing nitrogen!!

Two sessions will be offered: 2 to 5 p.m. and again from 6:15 to 9:15 p.m. There will be a meal available between the two sessions for those both going and coming! The cost of the program is $30. Please contact me before March 20 to register. (Yes, you do have the option of taking a test instead of attending a training.)

One of the missions of the Ohio AgrAbility Program is to work with farmers with disabilities to identify ways to make changes or modifications to equipment, facilities, or work sites to allow the farmer to continue farming AND to offer resources and education to ALL farmers on how to reduce the risks of injury and introduce modifications and technology that help farmers stay safe and work more efficiently.

Farm equipment is often heavy, bulky, hard to move, and could require two people to safely lift or move items, or to hitch equipment to a tractor. A good alternative to back-straining lifting is a rolling lift cart. While we often think these types of assistant devices are only for farmers with disabilities, farmers of any age and ability can benefit from a rolling lift cart. A correctly used rolling lift cart can decrease the risk of injury from lifting, lowering or carrying objects, and minimizes the chances of dropping heavy equipment on yourself or the shop floor. It can also make hitching equipment without help easier.

For more information about Ohio AgrAbility visit https://agrability.osu.edu/ or contact Laura Akgerman, Ohio AgrAbility Coordinator, at 614-292-0622. And, yes, you can find more information about those “rolling lift carts” at the website under “resources,” Ag Safety S.T.A.T.!

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By Deborah Reinhart Brown

Ag update

The writer can be reached at the OSU Extension office (937-498-7239) or by email at [email protected].

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