Farm Facts for Fairfield County
Farm Facts for Fairfield County
for October 5, 2001; also seen on Fridays in the Lancaster Eagle Gazette
"Our Nation's agriculture industry represents 13 percent of our economy and remains central to our prosperity at home and our competitiveness abroad. At the core of this industry are countless dedicated farmers and ranchers working to produce food stuffs at a level of efficiency and quality unrivaled around the globe. In many ways, agriculture ranks among the most crucial of our Nation's industries; and yet, its reliability and productivity are often taken for granted," President of the United States George W. Bush.
It's ironic that it was just a few short weeks ago that our President began his proclamation for National Farm and Ranch Safety and Health Week with those words. Since that time, our Fairfield County community has agonized over the loss and ill health of some of these very individuals that the President was speaking of.
Autumn is truly a time for reflection as we celebrate a harvest and remember the challenges that we've faced progressing to this harvest. This 'celebration' as well as the reflection and remembrances of a year nearly gone by served as the foundation for a tradition that began over 150 years ago known yet today, as the Fairfield County Fair.
The Fairfield County Fair was began in 1851 for the simple purpose of "the improvement of agriculture." Much like the agriculture industry itself, these words taken from this year's Fair Book effectively summarize a way of life that still exists in this community. "The Fairfield County Fair during all the years of it's existence has experienced foul weather and sunshine, depressions and boom years, and has operated annually even through the unsettled conditions caused by wars." With these words in mind, and as we continue to revisit the extraordinary challenges our local community and Nation have faced in recent weeks, the Fair seems a fitting way to pay respect to our agriculture industry, as we remember many of our friends who may not be able to join us in this annual event. Yet, we still "celebrate a harvest" that each of them, and us, has spent so much effort to create.
Join us next week as we share this remarkable 'agriculture experience' with the hundreds of
young people in our community who will also see the fruits of their labor rewarded as they too,
"celebrate the harvest" and exhibit their projects.
Beef and Forage Field Day Scheduled
Saturday, October 13, 2001, the Eastern Ohio Resource and Development Center opens it's doors for a program on Beef and Forage Management. Branch Manager Wayne Shriver invites you to this annual Field Day.
Have you ever wondered what is the best type of pasture or how to get started grazing? Daryl Clark, OSU Extension Agent will share years of experience with attendees. In addition, Dr. Steve Loerch of OSU OARDC has been researching several methods and the "Costs" of wintering cows and will be on hand to present. Dr. Stephen Boyles of OSU Extension will discuss an economical way to supplement cows when grazing. Branch Manager Wayne Shriver will share his experience at weaning calves across the fence from cows and our 'Farmer Panel' will share their experiences when selecting superior genetics.
Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and the program runs to 2:00 p.m. The Belle Valley Research Station is located off Interstate 77 exit 28, turn south on State Route 821, turn east (left) on State Route 215, proceed approximately one mile, turn right onto the township road. Signs will be posted.
Note: Due to bio-security concerns, visitors are asked not to attend if they have traveled outside of the continental United States within 10 days of October 13th.
For more details or information, call your local OSU Extension office, the Eastern Ohio
Resource Development Center (740-732-2682) or the Guernsey County Extension Office (740-432-9300).
OSU Extension 'Sports Turf' Specialist Position Created
Pam Sherratt has recently been appointed sports turf extension specialist in the OSU Extension Horticulture and Crop Science Department (H & CS). This is a new initiative that has been undertaken to support the sports/athletic field managers in Ohio.
The "Sports Turf" program, which is a collaborative effort through faculty and staff in H&CS, turfgrass pathology, entomology and natural resources, is being developed to include educational packages, seminars, workshops, certification for sports field managers, and advice on field management, such as the IPM program legislation.
The caretakers of sports turf and athletic fields need a variety of help and support to keep their fields safe and consistently performing. To support this effort, a sports turf web-site has been developed by OSU. In addition, Sherratt will send out regular messages to a list of field managers, via an e-mail recipient list, on timely issues such as sports field fertility, over seeding practices, diseases to watch out for, and profiles of different types of sports fields etc. The web-site may be found at http://hcs.osu.edu/sportsturf
If you would like to be added to the Sports Turf recipient e-list and receive these messages,
please e-mail Sherratt at sherratt.1@osu.edu or call her at 614.292.7457.
Prepare for the Invasion of the Lady Bug !
The multicolored Asian lady beetles should be arriving soon in homes throughout the county. In
order to help homeowners deal with this annually annoying situation, much useful information
has been posted on the OSU web page at: www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ipm/. By simply clicking on
the 'Lady Beetle' button you will find: an article explaining the problem and suggested
management methods that can be used to put in the local paper, a chart with management
options, lists of pesticides that can be applied to the outside of the house, the OSU Factsheet, and
Power Point presentations. People may also still call the Lady Beetle Hotline (800-678-6412)
and leave a message if they have questions.
For a listing of upcoming programs, meetings and events, visit the AG CALENDAR
Farms Facts is a weekly newspaper column, written by the agriculture staff at the Ohio State
University Extension office in Fairfield County.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Keith L. Smith,
Director, Ohio State University Extension.
TDD # 1 (800) 589-8292 (Ohio only) or (614) 292-1868