News Releases

  1. Members of the CFAES Crisis Rapid Response Team for East Palestine, from left to right, Tracy Kitchel, CFAES senior associate dean and director of faculty and staff affairs; Ellen Essman; Karen Chou, Michigan State; Jeff Hattey; Haley Shoemaker; Eric Barrett; Michael Bisesi, College of Public Health; Matt Teegarden; Sam Custer; and Cathann A. Kress, Ohio State vice president for agricultural administration and CFAES dean. Photo: Ken Chamberlain.

    CFAES Crisis Rapid Response Team receives Spirit of the Land-Grant Award for work in East Palestine

    COLUMBUS, Ohio–From the moment the train derailed Friday night Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, resulting in a toxic chemical release and massive fire that forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes, the calls from local farmers and producers for help began flooding into the Ohio State University Extension office in Columbiana County. Impacted families were told to evacuate due to the release of some of the train’s transported chemicals including vinyl chloride, and the combusting chemical products from the initial burning tank cars followed by a controlled burn, into the air, on to the soil and into surface water.  “We’ve been told to evacuate, but where can we take our livestock?” was among the first questions posed by farmers and...
  2. Pierce Paul, Martha Belury, and Scott Shearer

    CFAES Leadership Appointments Announced

    The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) has announced leadership positions for three departments within the college: food science and technology, plant pathology, and food, agricultural and biological engineering. Martha Belury has been appointed chair of the CFAES Department of Food Science and Technology effective July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2027. Belury earned her bachelor’s in nutrition in 1987 and her Ph.D. in biological sciences in 1992 from the University of Texas, Austin. She joined Ohio State as the Carol S. Kennedy Professor of Nutrition in the College of Education and Human Ecology in 2002. Belury has served as interim chair of the Department of Food Science and Technology since July 1, 2022. Pierce...
  3. Greg Lipps takes a close look at a hellbender salamander.

    Greg Lipps receives Columbus Zoo’s Commitment to Conservation Award

    COLUMBUS—The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has named Greg Lipps of The Ohio State University as recipient of its 2023 Commitment to Conservation Award. Lipps, a leader in Ohio amphibian and reptile conservation in Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Resources (CFAES), understands the vital role zoos play in conservation. He also serves as the amphibian & reptile conservation coordinator in the Ohio Biodiversity Conservation Partnership, a long-term relationship between Ohio State and the Ohio Division of Wildlife. The professional herpetologist is the sixth recipient of the Commitment to Conservation Award which recognizes and rewards global conservation heroes who have made a measureable impact on wildlife conservation, and honors the lifetime...
  4. Photo: Getty Images

    Hot summer temps increase risk of heat illness

    COLUMBUS, Ohio–Farmers, producers, and anyone who works outdoors should beware: When the weather is warmer, you’re at a higher risk for heat illness, which can come on suddenly with many people unaware they’re in danger. Even experienced workers are vulnerable to heat-related illness, said Dee Jepsen, state leader, Ohio State University Extension Agricultural Safety and Health Program. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). One reason is that, often, some are unwilling to admit that heat affects them. Or they don’t recognize the symptoms. In fact, almost half of heat-related deaths occur on a worker’s first day on the job. According to the Occupational...
  5. 2022 Dean's Charity Steer Show

    Dean’s Charity Steer Show partners with Ronald McDonald House at Ohio State Fair

    COLUMBUS—The Dean’s Charity Steer Show, an annual event that benefits Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Central Ohio, is set for Tuesday, Aug. 1, at the Ohio State Fair. Hosted by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), it will be held at 2 p.m. in the Voinovich Livestock & Trade Center on the Ohio Expo Center and State Fair grounds. The 2022 show raised $247,148 for RMHC. “Every dollar we raise means families can stay together only steps away from their hospitalized child during one of the most stressful times of their lives,” said Cathann A. Kress, Ohio State vice president for agricultural administration and dean of CFAES. “This event brings together our community to celebrate agriculture...
  6. Ohio State creates Drought Rapid Response team to provide resources for farmers, growers

    COLUMBUS, Ohio—From brittle, brown lawns and cracked soils to dry garden beds and crops, the signs are clear statewide: Ohio is officially in a drought. The recent stretch of warmer temperatures combined with scant rainfall in recent weeks has resulted in moderate drought conditions over 62% of the state, with nearly 98% of Ohio considered abnormally dry, according to the June 8 update from the U.S. Drought Monitor. “Moderate drought” is the initial level of drought, while “abnormally dry” means an area is moving in the direction of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. And while it isn’t time to panic, these are rapidly changing conditions that need to be monitored, said Aaron Wilson, Ohio State University Extension’s field...
  7. Photo: Adobe Stock Images

    AgTech Innovation Hub awards inaugural research projects

    COLUMBUS, Ohio–Five innovative research projects have been awarded funding from the new AgTech Innovation Hub, a multimillion-dollar collaboration between The Ohio State University and Nationwide. Nine researchers in The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) were chosen to pitch their innovative research project ideas to be completed through the AgTech Innovation Hub, said Gary Pierzynski, CFAES associate dean of Research and Graduate Education. Using a kind of “Shark Tank”-like format, each researcher pitched their ideas before a judging panel, and five were selected for funding. The goal of the research projects, each of which will last for one year, is to find a practical solution to a real-world problem in the...
  8. Ohio State graduate students use Trimble hardware

    The Ohio State University to establish Trimble technology labs in Columbus and Wooster for agriculture, construction, natural resources

    COLUMBUS, Ohio—The Ohio State University has received a gift from Trimble, a technology company, to establish state-of-the-art technology labs for the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). This gift of software and hardware represents the largest philanthropic gift-in-kind investment to support teaching, research, and outreach in the history of CFAES. The multidisciplinary labs at Ohio State will enhance teaching, research, and outreach activities in food and agricultural engineering, construction management, and natural resources. The Trimble technology labs will be located on the Columbus campus and Ohio State ATI on the CFAES Wooster campus. The labs will be the first to include Trimble agriculture solutions. The centerpieces of this gift are...
  9. Photo of nymph and adult female Asian longhorned ticks, top view. Photo: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

    Ohio State expert: expect to see more ticks statewide this season

    COLUMBUS, Ohio—Backyard lovers, campers, outdoors enthusiasts, and pet owners beware. If you thought last year’s tick season was bad, just wait. This year has the potential to be even worse. Ticks—and the diseases they carry—are on the rise in Ohio and will likely continue to increase. There has been a steady increase in tick-vectored disease numbers in Ohio each year, and officials don’t expect to see a reverse of the trend, said Tim McDermott, an educator with Ohio State University Extension, the outreach arm of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). “While you can encounter a tick during any season, spring marks the beginning of heavy tick season, and this year, the tick population statewide...
  10. Photo:Adobe Stock

    Farm On financial management course offers farmers, ranchers training to meet new program requirements

    COLUMBUS, Ohio—A new online farm management course offered by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) will help Ohio’s beginning farmers qualify for the requirements of the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Beginning Farmer Tax Credit program. Called Farm On, the self-paced, on-demand farm financial management course was created by Ohio State University Extension professionals and is offered through OSU Extension’s new Farm Financial Management and Policy Institute (FFMPI), said Eric Richer, assistant professor and OSU Extension field specialist in farm management.  OSU Extension is the outreach arm of CFAES. “The Farm On financial management course was created to address the needs of Ohio...

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