COLUMBUS, Ohio – It may not be a popular solution, but a recent study from The Ohio State University shows the least costly way to cut nearly half the phosphorus seeping into Lake Erie is taxing farmers on phosphorous purchases or paying farmers to avoid applying it to their fields.
Doctoral student Shaohui Tang and Brent Sohngen, a professor of agricultural economics, conducted the study in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).
At a projected price tag of up to $20 million annually, a phosphorus subsidy to Ohio farmers or a phosphorus tax would be far cheaper than many of the proposed measures being recommended to reduce phosphorus in Lake Erie, Sohngen said. These proposals are estimated to cost anywhere from $40 million per year to $290...
Tip 1. Water Purifiers Don’t Clear All Algal Bloom Toxins: Not all water pitchers with filters remove all the dangerous microcystins from tap water, a new study by a researcher with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University (CFAES) has found. Justin Chaffin, research coordinator at CFAES’s Stone Laboratory, and his team conducted a study comparing three popular pitcher brands’ ability to clear microcystins from tap water. Of the three, two of the pitchers failed to clear all the toxins. Microcystins are sometimes produced by harmful algal blooms. Chaffin can discuss the findings of the study. He can be reached at chaffin.46@osu.edu.
Tip 2. Grill Your Way Through Memorial Day Weekend: As grills get cleaned and fired up...
LONDON, Ohio — Visitors to the 56th annual Farm Science Review, the premier outdoor agricultural education and industry trade show Sept. 18-20, will walk away with advice they can use to improve their farm operation, large or small.
The exhibit area is now 20 acres larger, and improvements have been made so visitors can better access parking as well as the exhibits and other offerings at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London. Farm Science Review is sponsored by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) at The Ohio State University.
“We think these improvements will make a big difference to visitors,” said Nick Zachrich, Farm Science Review manager.
“With close to 130,000 people coming to the show every year, we want to...
I love eggs over easy for breakfast, but lately, I’m hesitant to order my eggs that way because of mixed messages I’ve heard about eggs and a recall. Can you tell me what’s going on and about the risk of eating my eggs with a runny yolk?
While many people enjoy their eggs over easy, an egg that’s fried just until the whites are set on the bottom and then flipped over and lightly cooked on the other side, leaving the yolk runny, is not the best choice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
Instead, the government agency recommends that eggs be cooked until both the yolk and the white are firm, to help consumers avoid foodborne illnesses such as Salmonella. In fact, the CDC recommends against eating undercooked or raw eggs, due to the increased...
COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the second year
in a row, Ohio 4-H alumni and friends brought home the $20,000 first prize to their local 4-H programs in the National
4-H Council’s Raise Your Hand competition. Ohio raised nearly 18,000 hands through online voting.
With all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., participating through online voting, Ohio 4-H finished in first place with 17,778 hands raised. Runners-
up were Nebraska 4-H (14,115) in second place and Kansas 4-H (10,020) in third place.
Ohio 4-H is the statewide youth development program of The Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).
“I’ve said that the lyrics of ‘Carmen Ohio,’ the alma mater of The Ohio State...
Tip 1. May is Mental Health Month, and you can commemorate it with a story about Ohio State University Extension’s efforts to connect people with helpful mental health resources. For details, contact Jami Dellifield, dellifield.2@osu.edu, 419-674-2297, and Amanda Raines, raines.74@osu.edu, 419-674-2297.
Tip 2. Nearly one in seven Ohio households experiences food insecurity, yet agriculture is one of the state’s largest industries. Ohio State’s Initiative for Food and AgriCultural Transformation is addressing this conundrum with the goal of generating solutions that will improve Ohioans’ ability to regularly eat enough nutritious food. Learn more here and from Brian Snyder, snyder.1534@osu.edu.
Tip 3. Now that your garden is planted – or at least planned...
I want to give my mom a gift for Mother’s Day that she will really like and will be healthy. My sister said we should give her some chocolate, but is that healthy?
It can be, depending on the kind of chocolate you choose to get your mom.
While it’s known that dark chocolate offers some heart-healthy benefits, a new study out this month says the benefits of dark chocolate in moderation may also include improving your eyesight.
Dark chocolate has benefits because of its high levels of flavonoids, which are antioxidants that protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can alter and weaken cells, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Research has found that flavanols, which are the main type of flavonoid found in cocoa and...
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Farmers in Ohio have begun planting soybeans just as the trade war with China, the world’s largest consumer of the crop, has reached another nerve-racking point.
Last week, Bunge, the world’s largest oilseed producer, told Bloomberg News that China has essentially stopped buying U.S. soybeans and instead is purchasing soybeans mostly from Brazil. U.S. soybean sales to China are down compared to last year’s total, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In recent years, China’s demand for soybeans has been strong. China is the second-largest market for U.S. agricultural exports, and the country is Ohio’s most important soybean export market. In 2017, soybeans were Ohio’s largest agricultural export, totaling $1....
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The weather’s finally warm, the sun is out, and now, so are the ticks.
And this year, tick season in Ohio is expected to be pretty bad, says Glen Needham, a retired entomologist and tick expert formerly with Ohio State University Extension, the outreach arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) at The Ohio State University.
Already, Needham has collected the first blacklegged or deer tick nymph of the season in Coshocton County, and he said that this is just the beginning of what people can expect to see as tick season ramps up.
“With the extended winter cold we’ve experienced this year and the slower to develop spring weather, you can expect to see a lot of ticks starting to come out all at once,...
Tip 1: Tick season starting. May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. Glen Needham, emeritus associate professor of entomology with The Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), said he collected his first blacklegged tick, or deer tick, of the season last week in Coshocton County. He said that means Ohio’s Lyme disease season is unofficially underway. Deer ticks are responsible for spreading most of the Lyme disease to people and dogs. Human cases of Lyme disease in Ohio have more than tripled in the past few years. Contact Needham at needham.1@osu.edu, 614-578-3417.
Tip 2: It’s crabapple blossom time: More than 600 crabapple trees are in peak bloom this week in Secrest Arboretum at CFAES’s Wooster campus....
