Extension Dairy Webinar Series
The OSU Extension Dairy Working group is offering a series of daytime dairy webinars from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on February 13, March 13 and March 27. The series will investigate how to “Optimize Production through Facility Management”. Cows spend most of their day in the barn eating or lying down which makes facility management a key part of the dairy enterprise farm strategy. Each webinar program will examine a different area of facility management. On February 13th the program will feature Dr. Peter Krawczel from the University of Tennessee discussing how barn facilities, stall design and stocking density management all relate to animal welfare, milk yield, and components to keep the farm economically viable. On March 13th Dr. Katy Proudfoot of The Ohio State University will be discussing Transition Cow Housing Before, During, and After calving. The last program on March 27th will feature Dr. Trevor Devries from the University of Guelph talking about Optimizing Production of Dairy Cows by Ensuring Good Feed Access.
All of the programs will be delivered in a webinar format. The webinars can either be viewed from home or by attending a host location. The cost for viewing at home is $10 for all 3 webinars. Register for home viewing by contacting Jason Hartschuh at hartschuh.11@osu.edu. A reliable high speed internet connection is recommended for home viewing. Detailed directions on how to access the webinar will be sent to you once you register.
Wayne County Extension is a host location for the dairy webinar series and will show the webinars in the Commissioner’s meeting room of the Wayne County Administration Building. Anyone interested in attending should register with the Wayne County Extension office by phone at 330-264-8722 or send an email message to: Lewandowski.11@osu.edu. The registration cost is $5/person for all 3 programs.
Conservation Tillage Conference
The annual Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference will be held on March 7-8 in Ada, Ohio. Although it is a bit of a drive from the Wayne County area, the drive is worth the effort because the information, presentations, exhibits and vendor displays are top-notch. The conference will feature some 60 presenters, including Extension researchers and Extension educators, USDA/NRCS specialists, farmers, commercial nutrient management business and commercial industry representatives. Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) and Certified Livestock Manager (CLM) continuing education credits are available to attendees.
The conference will offer the latest research, insight, tips and techniques on conservation tillage including cover crops, manure application, no-till, soil quality, soil health, seeding technology, water quality and nutrient management. The conference will open with a keynote address by Paul Jasa, Ag Engineer at the University of Nebraska presenting a “Systems Approach to No-till and Soil Health”. Concurrent session themes for Tuesday include Advanced Cover Crops, Corn University, Manure Nutrient Management, and Technologies to Support On-farm Decisions. On Wednesday concurrent session themes include Soybean School, Quantifying Soil Health, Conducting On-farm Research, Transition to No-till and Conservation Assessment and Planning. Within each theme area there are multiple presenters and presentation topics. The Quantifying Soil Health and Conservation Assessment and Planning themes are new for the 2017 conference.
The full schedule, including specific presentation topics and presenters as well registration information can be found at ctc.osu.edu. Participants may register online or by mail. Registration for the full conference is $85 (or $65 for one day) if received by February 27.
Tri-County Beekeepers Spring Workshop
The Tri-County Beekeepers Association annual spring beekeeping workshop is scheduled for March 3-4 at Fisher Auditorium and the Shisler Conference Center on the OARDC campus in Wooster. The Friday, March 3 program includes tours of the Pollinatarium and Museum from 5 to 6:30 pm and then a choice between two presentations; Legaleze of Beekeeping or Introduction to Beekeeping, both at Fisher Auditorium from 7:00 to 8:00 pm.
The Saturday March 4 program begins with registration/sign-in at 8:00 am and the program at 9:00 am. The day will conclude at 4:30 pm. The keynote speaker is Dr. James Wilkes from North Carolina who was instrumental in developing a computer based recordkeeping program for beekeepers. His talk is entitled “A Matter of Record”. The focus of this year’s workshop is timing and treatment and the remainder of the day is devoted to workshop sessions with a wide range of beekeeping topics available to help beekeepers better manage and understand their hives.
Registration for the workshop closes on February 11 or when 1000 registrations are received, whichever comes first. Workshop details and a registration form are available on-line at: http://www.tricountybeekeepers.org/register . More information is also available by phone at 330-801-1309.