I hope this Newsletter finds you well. After a brief window of warm, dry weather, wet weather has returned to Darke County

 (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?fips_39037. Fortunately, farmers took advantage of that window to get plenty of work done. There is still planting to do, but progress is being made when the opportunity arises. Be sure to cooperate with any farm equipment on the roads, and stay safe in the fields and planting season progresses.

Remember to take advantage of the Darke County Garden Giveaway! Whether you want to add additional plants to the garden, succession plant, or try something new, it’s hard to turn free seeds. Stop in at the office and pick up some spinach, carrot, cucumber, green bean, and lettuce seeds.

I’ll be at Worch Library next week on June 12th at 4:00 p.m. to discuss Wildflowers, Native Plants, and Pollinators. We’ll talk about some native plants, why they’re important, and how we can manage them. I hope to see you there!

Our next Darke County Garden Roundtables will be June 25th at 12:00 p.m. and June 26th  at 6:00 p.m. This session will be at the OSU Extension office, and the agenda is attached.

If you are interested in cut flower gardening, you may be interested in the Cut Flower Program in Shelby County. Here, Master Gardener Volunteers will lead a hands-on lesson to teach attendees about cut flower gardening and allow them to make and take home their own floral arrangements. More details can be found in the attached flyer.

I’ll be joining fellow OSU Extension Educators Jacob Winters and Rylee Kay Puthoff this upcoming Wednesday, May 28th, to provide Beef Quality Assurance training. We’ll meet from 6:00-7:30 p.m., and more details can be found in the attached flyer.

Tomorrow, May 24th, is National Fruit and Vegetable Day. Whether you grow these crops or purchase from another local producer, take a moment to appreciate the access we have to fresh, local, high-quality fruits and vegetables.

The next Darke County Ag Breakfast will be June 20th at 7:30 a.m. at Jack’s Cabin in Greenville.

This week’s Newsletter topics include:

Battle for the Belt

Crop Progress Update

Genetic Defects in Dairy Cattle

Ohio’s New Proposed Pesticide Rules

Scouting for Soybean Seedling Diseases in Ohio

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.

by Caden Buschur, Darke County Extension Educator