Tip 1: Weeds spreading: With so much waterhemp invading gardens and fields across Ohio right now, it’s important to consider one way the pesticide resistant weed is spreading. Cows, pigs and chickens are ingesting waterhemp seeds in their feed, then excreting the seeds in their manure, which is spread across agricultural fields, furthering the promotion of the weed. Mark Loux, a weed specialist with Ohio State University Extension and an expert on waterhemp, can address this phenomenon as well as discuss ways to avoid the weed from spreading. Loux can be reached at loux.1@osu.edu or 614-292-9081. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of The Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).
Tip 2: Corn Crop: This year’s corn crop is...
I clean my grill each time after I cook on it, using a steel wire grill brush to keep the grease and grime from building up on the grill racks. I’ve used the same brush for a couple of years now because I love how it cleans, but I’m wondering if I should get a new one this year.
That depends on just how old your grill brush is and what condition it’s in. If your grill brush is worn down, warped or has some missing bristles, you may want to consider throwing it out.
This is because you’ll want to be careful that you don’t inadvertently leave behind any wire bristles from the grill-cleaning brush that could end up in the meat or vegetables that you are grilling.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been several...
PUT-IN-BAY, Ohio — Experts are predicting that Lake Erie’s harmful algal bloom this summer will be smaller than last year’s, which was the third-largest ever recorded. But the bloom will be larger than the mild bloom in 2016.
The bloom is expected to measure 6 on the severity index, but could range between 5 and 7.5, according to a forecast issued today (July 12) by scientists including from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and The Ohio State University’s Ohio Sea Grant program.
“Research efforts across the state have helped our communities prepare for blooms of this size, from developing new technologies to keep toxins out of our drinking water to assessing the human health impacts of harmful algal bloom toxins,” Ohio...
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Encouraging people to choose cucumbers over, say, potato chips or milk instead of soda can be a hard sell. Federal legislators are considering ways to do that.
Both the U.S. Senate’s and the House of Representatives’ versions of the federal farm bill include funding to measure how effectively financial incentives inspire people who receive food stamps to eat more vegetables and fruits, whole grains and low-fat dairy products, said Carl Zulauf, an agricultural economist and professor emeritus with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) at The Ohio State University.
Currently, there are no restrictions on buying food with little nutritional value. But food stamp recipients have been given financial incentives through...
COLUMBUS, Ohio – While more consumers want healthier beverage options, they’re also concerned about the safety of how those beverages are preserved.
Health-conscious consumers want great tasting, healthy drinks that don’t include chemical additives and preservatives with names they can’t pronounce.
Researchers in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) at The Ohio State University are seeking to remedy that issue.
A team of CFAES scientists has been awarded a four-year, $891,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop an innovative manufacturing technology that will preserve food and beverages using wholesome, recognizable ingredients, no artificial...
Tip 1: Managing black vulture damage in Ohio: Not only are they not very appealing in the looks department, but black vultures can also do some real damage both on-farm and off. Although these scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem, they can attack and kill calves, lambs, piglets and other weak animals. They can also damage homes, commercial buildings, vehicles, boats and tractors. The fact that they’re protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, state laws and regulations, makes their management tricky. Homeowners and farmers alike must work with wildlife specialists on their control. Find out more from: Marne A. Titchenell, Ohio State wildlife program specialist, OSU Extension, School of Environment and Natural Resources, titchenell.4@osu.edu, 614-292-0402....
My husband gets frustrated with me because I’m always reminding him to wash his hands multiple times when cooking. He says washing before he cooks is enough. Which one of us is right?
In this case, you are right.
In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture just sent out a warning last week urging people to wash their hands throughout the food preparation process, not just at the beginning of cooking.
And when you wash your hands, the USDA is urging people to take their time and wash their hands properly.
This warning comes as a new USDA study in collaboration with North Carolina State University and RTI International, a North Carolina-based nonprofit research institute, found that people are failing to properly wash their hands 97 percent of the time when...
COLUMBUS, Ohio – For Mark VanFleet, down on the farm is actually a formerly vacant lot in a residential neighborhood on the South Side of Columbus.
His one-half acre plot grows row upon row of vegetables, including lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, turnips, cucumbers, garlic, basil, dill, chard and kale. Known as Harriet Gardens, the lot provides enough for the full-time urban farmer to sell his produce to 15 local restaurants and at least three farmers’ markets.
“I never thought I’d grow up to be a farmer – I’d never even gardened until my wife and I bought our house 10 years ago and planted a small plot in the backyard,” VanFleet said recently, as he harvested carrots out of his Merion Village farm. “It’s become my passion and, three...
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The high slopes of southeast Ohio and other parts of the state are suited more for grazing animals than for row crops.
“You can put cattle and sheep across those areas and make it productive land,” said Roger High, executive director of the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association (OSIA).
Many have. Across the state, the number of sheep flocks has grown in the past decade in response to an increasing demand for lamb meat. Much of the growth has been among Amish farmers in several counties, some of them former dairy producers who took up raising sheep for a chance at higher profits, High said.
Some cattle producers have recently started grazing sheep on the same pasture as their cattle. And in cities and suburbs in northeast Ohio, some are using lambs...
Tip 1: Lake Erie algal bloom forecast: Last year’s Lake Erie algal bloom was the third-largest on record, according to scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Ohio Sea Grant, a program based at The Ohio State University. How are things looking for the summer ahead? On July 12, Stone Lab, part of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), will host a media briefing at which NOAA experts will announce their Lake Erie algal bloom forecast. Learn more at go.osu.edu/NOAAforecast. Register to attend at go.osu.edu/HABSatStoneLab. Register to participate by webinar at go.osu.edu/habs2018. Contact Ohio Sea Grant’s Jill Jentes, jentes.1@osu.edu, 614-937-0072, for more information.
Tip 2: On fish, Lake Erie, teaching...
