WOOSTER, Ohio -- The Wooster campuses of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and the Agricultural Technical Institute have been designated as "Tree Campus USA" by the Arbor Day Foundation, which started this program in 2008 to honor colleges and universities committed to promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation.
The OARDC and ATI communities celebrated this recognition April 20 with an Arbor Day program, planting five oaks at various locations to symbolize the idea of an interconnected campus ecosystem and a combined effort toward beautification and education.
Both OARDC and ATI are part of Ohio State University's College of Food...
Ohio State student's story shows the reach of College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences programs across rural and urban Ohio.
WOOSTER, Ohio -- How does an urban kid with no background in agriculture discover a love for plants and a professional interest in horticulture? For Cleveland native Josh Henry, it started with a gardening class in elementary school.
A greenhouse and nursery management major at Ohio State University's Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI), Henry was a fourth-grader at Benjamin Franklin Elementary in Cleveland's Old Brooklyn neighborhood when he attended a gardening course offered by the Cuyahoga County Master Gardener Volunteer program.
The Master Gardener...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- All across Ohio, a variety of grasses, shrubs and trees are being grown and analyzed to see how well they can produce something that is always in high demand: energy.
For the past few years, researchers with Ohio State University's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) have been evaluating a number of so-called "bioenergy crops" for their suitability to different regions of the state, their biomass yield and their potential to become value-added crops for farmers.
"These crops can grow on marginal land and will not take away good land from food production," said Rafiq Islam, a soil, water and bioenergy specialist with Ohio State University...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- Rotten produce. Animal fat. Bad soda. Manure. The Wooster campus of Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) is slowly going to waste. And that's a good thing.
OARDC is using those and many other agricultural and food-processing wastes to meet close to one-third of the 12-megawatt-hour annual electricity needs of its main campus. That’s 3.6 MWh of green energy, enough to power 313 average U.S. homes, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Many U.S. colleges and universities are turning to renewable energy sources to meet all or some of their power needs, as part of a growing trend that also involves the implementation of additional...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- Chicks and ducklings may be cute and cuddly, but parents thinking about getting these critters for their kids for Easter should consider this ugly-duckling fact: they could carry Salmonella infection, an illness that is particularly dangerous to young children.
Jeff LeJeune, an Ohio State University microbiologist and head of the Food Animal Health Research Program(FAHRP), said parents and other caretakers need to be aware of the risks associated with handling young poultry or fowl and make sure everyone in the household follows the appropriate measures to avoid bacterial infection.
Those measures include avoiding contact with feces; keeping birds away from areas where food is stored, prepared or eaten...
PIKETON, Ohio -- Opportunities for growing bioenergy crops in Ohio, energy policies that impact this activity and potential markets for biomass are the topics that will be covered at a workshop taking place April 8 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Ohio State University's South Centers at Piketon.
Registration for the event is $10 and includes breakfast and hot lunch. To register, call 740-289-2071 (ext. 132) or 800-297-2072 (ext. 132), or e-mail mcglothin.4@osu.edu. The workshop is limited to the first 125 registrants.
"The workshop will review a bioenergy case study from Ashtabula County, provide insight on bioenergy crop opportunities from researchers at Ohio State University and Michigan State...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- When the topic of poultry diseases or the science behind the transmission of influenza viruses between animal species is discussed anywhere in the world, odds are the name of Mo Saif will come up in those discussions. And there's also a good chance those doing the talking have been impacted by his work or his mentoring.
The head of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center’s (OARDC) Food Animal Health Research Program (FAHRP) since 1993, Saif retired early this year, following an illustrious career of more than 50 years in both Egypt and the United States.
OARDC is the research arm of Ohio State University's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences....
WOOSTER, Ohio -- Farmers, gardeners, beekeepers, naturalists and others with an interest in bees are invited to attend The Power of Pollinators Short Course, a workshop organized by Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). The event will be held March 14-15 on OARDC's Wooster campus.
"We depend on bee pollinators for much of what we eat and drink, and bees are also essential to ecological health," said Denise Ellsworth, director of the Honey Bee and Native Pollinator Education Program at OARDC's Department of Entomology.
"Worldwide, bees are threatened due to habitat loss, pests, pesticides, climate change and more," she said. "This two-...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- The largest educational beekeeping event of its kind in the U.S. will be held again in Wooster this year, March 1-2, featuring Ohio and national experts on queen bee rearing, pests and diseases of hives, and other issues impacting beekeeping and agricultural production.
The 35th annual Spring Beekeeping Workshop, organized by the Tri-County Beekeepers Association Inc. of northern Ohio, will take place at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center's Fisher Auditorium and Shisler Conference Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster.
Last year, the event drew more than 1,000 attendees, making it the largest one-day beekeeping symposium or workshop in the country, said Joe Heider, president of the Tri-County...
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Ohio agricultural producers who employ Latino immigrant workers would favor comprehensive immigration reform for several reasons, according to an Ohio State University Extension specialist on agricultural labor.
Francisco Espinoza, coordinator of OSU Extension's Agriculture and Horticulture Labor Education Program, said effective reform would afford producers a stable, legal workforce of experienced workers, plus newer workers should their operations expand.
"Replacing the current H2A guest worker program with a more workable, less expensive, less cumbersome visa program would move things in a positive direction for agricultural producers in Ohio," said Espinoza, who...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- Right next to a commercial nursery and greenhouse operation on the outskirts of Wooster, paddlewheels keep water constantly moving in four 30-by-200-foot ponds shaped like automotive raceway circuits. The water is deep green and murky.
That's just how Phil Lane likes it.
Lane is a program manager for Touchstone Research Laboratory, a West Virginia-based company that operates this unusual facility on a stretch of farmland where the remnants of corn and soybean fields are now buried under snow.
And the stuff making the ponds green is another type of crop that could one day grow alongside the more traditional fare occupying Ohio fields: algae.
"Algae can be grown just about anywhere, so we...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- If you live in Ohio and bought a poinsettia for the holidays, chances are Ohio State University agricultural scientists, educators or alumni had a hand in making them look beautiful and healthy.
The university's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) is involved in all areas that support poinsettia production -- training students on growing techniques and proper care, working with producers to address their needs and evaluate new varieties, and conducting research that tackles pest management problems unique to this popular plant.
Such support is crucial for the success of Ohio's greenhouse industry, which is a major national player in poinsettia production and boasts some of...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- That freshly cut or live Christmas tree standing in your living room provides a host of benefits and value beyond the sheer joy of the holidays -- in the form of environmental services such as cleaner air, reduced energy use and absorption of stormwater runoff.
What's even better, you can calculate the dollar value of a Christmas tree's environmental services and property-enhancement benefits, said Jim Chatfield, an Ohio State University Extension horticulture specialist based in Wooster. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of Ohio State's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
The National Tree Benefit Calculator (online at http://www.treebenefits.com) allows anyone to...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- John Finer, a professor in Ohio State University's Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, has been elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) -- a recognition bestowed upon leading researchers for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to promote science or its applications.
Based on the Wooster campus of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), Finer is one of 18 Ohio State faculty elected among this year's AAAS class. OARDC is the research arm of the university’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
Finer was recognized for "distinguished contributions in...
Increased urban energy self-reliance would add between $28.7 million and $1.76 billion to Cleveland's economy annually.
WOOSTER, Ohio -- Cleveland and similar North American cities have the potential to generate up to 100 percent of their current energy needs, retaining millions of dollars in the local economy, creating new jobs and spurring additional environmental benefits.
Those are some of the findings of a study conducted by Parwinder Grewal, director of the Center for Urban Environment and Economic Development at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) -- the research arm of Ohio State University's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- A new organic-based fertilizer for commercial hydroponic production can boost lettuce growth by about 13 percent, according to preliminary trials conducted by Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center(OARDC) in Wooster.
The fertilizer, BiOWiSH-Hydroponic, is produced by BiOWiSH Technologies, a Chicago-based manufacturer of natural food production and environmental remediation technologies.
Available in the U.S. market for a little over a year and for two years internationally, the fertilizer is a unique blend of bacteria and biocatalysts that, according to company claims, helps speed up the breakdown of organic matter and potentially impacts plant...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) is one of the recipients of the 2012 Experiment Station Section Award of Excellence in Multistate Research for its work to rapidly address the threat of soybean rust to U.S. agricultural production.
The annual award is given by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) in recognition of successful, well-coordinated, high-impact, multi-institution research efforts. It was presented Nov. 11 at APLU’s annual awards program in Denver.
OARDC scientists earned the award along with colleagues from more than 30 U.S. and...
Project will research production of biogas from yard waste, corn residue and bioenergy crops for conversion to electricity and transportation fuels.
WOOSTER, Ohio -- Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center(OARDC) has received a $6.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy to test and expand a university-developed technology that can produce biogas from a variety of solid organic wastes and bioenergy crops.
Awarded through the Biomass Research Development Initiative (BRDI), the three-year grant will also allow researchers to develop technology for converting biogas to liquid hydrocarbon fuels, with the aim of...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- The 6,000-square-foot pilot plant in Wooster makes gloves and a variety of other latex and rubber products. This is nothing new in a town and region historically known for rubber manufacturing. What's different about the facility is the source of its natural rubber: plants grown in the United States rather than the Southeast Asian trees that currently provide all of the world's supply of natural rubber.
Established earlier this year, this unique pilot plant is operated by Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). It's a crucial step in the university's effort to develop and commercialize domestic natural rubber sources that could one day replace a...
MANSFIELD, Ohio -- Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee liked what he saw at the Mansfield, Ohio, factory: a syrupy mixture made from crop and biodiesel-processing wastes being turned into polyurethane foam. But he was more fascinated by the story of how this factory came to be: an Ohio State scientist’s lab idea transformed by an Ohio startup into local jobs and a new green industry.
Gee toured the manufacturing facility of Bio100 Technologies on Wednesday (10/3) to celebrate the success of a partnership in which university knowledge and entrepreneurship have found the right balance -- just like the formula that yielded a chunk of bio-foam right in front of his eyes. He was joined by U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi (Ohio...
System is being tested Sept. 10-21 at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
WOOSTER, Ohio -- Say you are on Mars and fancy a salad. Unless the Curiosity rover can make an unexpected find of fresh romaine somewhere on the dusty Red Planet, you are looking at a nine-month trip to the nearest produce aisle on Earth. A better option? Grow the salad yourself.
That's exactly the approach NASA is taking as it plans for future manned expeditions to places like the moon or Mars, where food availability will be a significant challenge. Joining this mission is a team of Ohio State University researchers and students who are helping NASA figure out the best way to grow food aboard space exploration units.
The team, from the university'...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- The state of Ohio's Office of Budget and Management has allocated $6 million in emergency funds to assist with the reconstruction of a building at Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), which was severely damaged as a result of a Sept. 16, 2010, tornado that struck the Wooster campus.
The announcement was made Aug. 29 by State Rep. Ron Amstutz during a meeting of Ohio State's Board of Trustees at OARDC. Amstutz, whose 3rd House District includes Wooster and who chairs the Ohio House of Representatives’ Finance and Appropriations Committee, has been a strong supporter of OARDC over his three decades of service in the Ohio...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- Better education regarding the nature of influenza viruses and how to prevent infection, along with stepped up efforts to keep sick pigs away from agricultural fairs, are the best ways to minimize risk of human disease and any potentially adverse impact on the country's pork industry as a result of the current outbreak of influenza A H3N2 variant virus, Ohio State University animal virologists say.
According to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (10/10), the H3N2v virus (called "variant" because it has some unique genetic changes compared to typical swine H3N2 viruses), has infected 153 people since July of this year. All but two of these cases occurred in...
