Pork Council Banquet scheduled
By
John Grimes-
It's official: “March Madness” is upon us. No, I am not describing the general mood of farmers that are frustrated with the amount of mud that they have to deal with on their properties these days. Of course, I am referring to the college basketball tournament that will name a new national champion.
Fans from this area have several teams to cheer for such as Ohio State, Xavier, Ohio University, and Kentucky, to name a few. I am sure those of you who like to fill out brackets have done so for “entertainment purposes" only!
Final Farmers Club Meeting of Season
The final Highland County Farmers Club meeting of the season is scheduled for Thursday, April 1, 2010. As usual, it will be held at the Hillsboro Ponderosa Banquet Center at 545 S. High St. (U.S. 62) and will begin at 10 a.m.
This program will feature a topic of interest to all Highland County landowners. Our featured speaker will be Lee Crocker, a Service Forester with the Ohio Division of Forestry. Lee will be providing an update on the Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine Status in Highland County and will cover other forestry issues.
As always, Highland County Farmers Club meetings are free and open to the public, and everyone is welcome to attend. I hope to see you there.
Pork Council Banquet Set for March 25
The 22nd Annual Highland County Pork Banquet is scheduled for Thursday, March 25, 2010 starting at 6:30 p.m. The event will be held at the Hillsboro Ponderosa Banquet Center located at 545 S. High Street (U.S. 62).
Some of the evening’s highlights include the naming of the 2010 Highland County Pork Industry Queen and entertainment by Ashlee Ryan Cheesbro. Tickets are $12 per person and are available from any Highland County Pork council officer or director as well as here at the Extension office.
How to Get Certified Organic
Learn how to get certified organic in a special one-day training seminar on Wednesday, March 24, in Columbus.
“Organics 201: Developing an Organic System Plan for Organic Certification” goes from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Bromfield Administration Building, 8995 E. Main St., Reynoldsburg. Participants will complete an Organic System Plan for their farm the primary requirement for organic certification.
The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) and Ohio State University’s Organic Food and Farming Education and Research (OFFER) program are the sponsors.
Registration costs $30 for OEFFA members and $35 for non-members. Lunch is included.
Register by sending your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address and check made payable to OEFFA to: OEFFA Workshops, 41 Croswell Rd., Columbus, OH 43214.
Call 614-421-2022, ext. 204, for more information.
Funding for the workshop comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. Also on the program:
Representatives from OEFFA’s Organic Certification Program will explain the organic production standard, the certification process and recordkeeping requirements.
Established organic farmers will share their experience working through the certification process.
OFFER scientists will report on the current scientific understanding of organic farming systems in Ohio.
Price premiums for certified organic products may provide Ohio farmers with increased revenue and access to a growing organic marketplace, the
workshop’s organizers say.
Consumer demand for organically produced goods has shown double-digit growth for well over a decade, providing market incentives for U.S. farmers across a broad range of products, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service.
Nutrition Business Journal says U.S. sales of organic products hit $21.1 billion in 2008 more than 3 percent of total food sales and projected
them to reach $23 billion in 2009.
Ohio State's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) established OFFER <http://oardc.osu.edu/offer/> in 1998 in response to requests from organic producers and supporters to provide science-based information to Ohio’s existing organic farmers and to newcomers to organic production and marketing.
Started in 1979, OEFFA <http://www.oeffa.org/> is a membership-based, grassroots organization dedicated to promoting and supporting sustainable, ecological and healthful food systems. OARDC <http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/> is the research arm of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
--John Grimes is the Ohio State University Extension Educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Highland County. Ohio State University
Extension embraces human diversity and is committed to ensuring that all research and related educational programs are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or veteran status. This statement is in accordance with United States Civil Rights Laws and the USDA.
Keith L. Smith, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Agricultural Administration and Director, Ohio State University Extension TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868.
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