I hope this Newsletter finds you well. The temperature has fluctuated a bit, but we’ve now had the chance to experience some Darke County winter, with cold temperatures and some snow (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?fips_39037). Be sure to be safe on the roads, especially in snowy and icy conditions.
The next Darke County Garden Roundtables will be held on January 16th at 12:00 p.m., and January 30th at 6:00 p.m., both at the OSU Learning Center. The agenda is attached to this email.If you have any questions or topics you would like me to discuss ahead of time, please use the following survey link: https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_06zzY8Kwhnmd4Nw.
For those needing to renew their pesticide or fertilizer licenses, there will be two training sessions in Darke County to recertify. The first will be January 31st, with pesticide training beginning at 9:00 a.m. and fertilizer training beginning at 1:00 p.m. The second training date will be February 20th, beginning with fertilizer training at 4:30 p.m. and pesticide training at 6:00 p.m. Both sessions will take place in the meeting room at Darke DD, 5844 Jaysville-St Johns Rd, Greenville, OH 45331. Please note that on the notification letters sent out, I made an error. The letter states that the 31st is a Thursday, but it is a Friday. Please also note that these recertification trainings will be taking place in neighboring counties as well if you are unable to attend in Darke County. If you need to register for one of these sessions, or if you have any questions, please reach out to me.
If you are in need of Beef Quality Assurance Certification, I will be providing a training session in partnership with the Darke County Cattlemen’s Association. The event will take place on February 1st, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and will be in the Ansonia High School Cafeteria. The training is free for all DCCA members and youth and is $10 otherwise. More details can be found in the attached flyer.
HPAI in Darke County remains an important topic. The number of HPAI cases can be tracked using the ODA website at the following link: https://agri.ohio.gov/divisions/animal-health/hpai/01-poultry. This ODA website also contains valuable information on biosecurity. The more we know about this disease and how to best prevent it, the better off we will be. As such, there will be a webinar on HPAI hosted by professionals from OSU Extension, Ohio Department of Agriculture, and Ohio Poultry Association. This will take place on January 15th at 12:00 p.m. This will also be a great resource to learn more about this disease and its management. More details and a link to register can be found in the attached flyer.
This month, I will be at Worch Library in Versailles to discuss the topic of Drones in Agriculture. This is an increasingly popular topic as more and more people take an interest in it. It will be a rather simple overview of the topic and will not offer any form of certification, but will provide valuable information on the subject, including what drones can be used for in agriculture, their advantages and disadvantages, regulations to be aware of, and other factors that are worth considering when thinking of utilizing drones. This will be January 23rd at 6:00 p.m., and more information can be found in the flyer. I hope to see you there!
The 2024 edition of eFields is complete and now available to the public. This report is an annual collection of OSU Extension on-farm research projects occurring throughout the state of Ohio, and it is a valuable source of up-to-date, practical information for ag production. You can obtain a digital copy of eFields through the link in the attached Newsletter, or you can let me know if you would like a hard copy. Thank you to the partner farms in Darke County who have made some of this research possible, and if you have an interest in being a partner farm, please reach out to me so we can make arrangements. I would be happy to work with you!
This week’s Newsletter topics include:
· 2024 eFields Report
· Certified Crop Adviser Exam Study Course
· Ohio Corn Performance Test
· Questions for the 2025 Cattle Market
· Winter Weather Preparedness on the Farm
I hope you enjoy this week’s Newsletter, and as always, never hesitate to reach out to me and let me know how I can best serve you and all of Darke County.
Happy New Year!