NOAA and its research partners are forecasting a moderate to larger-than-moderate harmful algal bloom (HAB) in western Lake Erie this summer.
This year’s bloom is expected to measure 5, with a potential range of 4.5-6 on the severity index — similar to last year’s bloom, which had a severity index of 5.3. An index above 5 indicates more severe HABs. Blooms over 7.5 are particularly severe, with extensive scum formation and coverage affecting the lake. The largest HABs occurred in 2011, with a severity index of 10, and 2015, with a severity index of 10.5.
The HAB severity index is based on the bloom’s biomass (the amount of algae) during the peak 30 days of the bloom.
“Understanding hazards such as harmful algal blooms helps us ensure the Great...
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Shannon Washburn has been reappointed as chair of the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership (ACEL) at The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). The reappointment is effective July 1 through June 30, 2028.
Washburn, who is also the college’s Sanford G. Price and Isabelle P. Barbee Chair in Teaching, Advising, and Learning, joined ACEL as professor and chair in 2020. He previously served as an assistant dean of Academic Programs for the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University, from 2015 to 2020. In that role, he led the college’s student retention efforts, facilitated professional development opportunities for faculty and instructional staff on teaching and...
The Ohio 4-H Spark EXPO, an exciting event dedicated to exploring future career opportunities, concluded its summer session on a high note. From June 12-15, teens from across Ohio gathered on The Ohio State University campus for an immersive experience aimed at discovering pathways in agriculture and related STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) fields.
Hosted by Ohio 4-H and the Ohio State College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), the Spark EXPO provided participants with a unique opportunity to engage with industry experts, faculty, and staff, and tour Ohio State’s Columbus campus and the CFAES Wooster campus. More than 50 teens, representing 28 counties, attended, eager to explore potential career paths and gain hands-on...
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Discovering that hepatitis E virus is associated with sperm in pigs suggests the virus may be both sexually transmitted and linked to male infertility, according to a new study.
Hepatitis E (HEV) is the leading cause of the acute viral liver infection in humans worldwide, mostly in developing regions where sanitation is poor. The virus is also endemic in pigs in the United States – though it is present mostly in organs rather than muscle, and is killed when the meat is cooked.
Because HEV has been linked to fatal pregnancy complications and reports of male infertility in the developing world, researchers at The Ohio State University explored its infectivity in pigs, whose reproductive anatomy closely resembles that of humans.
After inoculating pigs...
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Talking to farmers is one way that Shoshanah Inwood gathers her research data at The Ohio State University. She quickly found that childcare, or the lack of it, was often a topic of conversation.
As one Ohio farmer told her, “Lack of childcare has been the primary impediment to growing my farm.” Inwood, an associate professor of community, food, and economic development in Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) has spent the last 10 years building a national reputation related to the issue.
Inwood discovered that the Ohio farmer was far from alone in his opinion when she collected data for the 2023 National Farm Families Childcare Survey. Along with co-author Florence Becot from Pennsylvania State...
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Summer begins this week, so now is the time to level up your food preservation expertise. Those tasty tomatoes, cabbages, berries, and other goodies from your garden or local farm market can be made to last with advice from Ohio State University Extension’s food preservation team.
OSU Extension, with offices in all 88 Ohio counties, is the statewide outreach arm of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
Kate Shumaker, Extension educator in Holmes County, is knowledgeable about techniques such as canning, freezing, drying, and pickling, which are all used to preserve and protect food.
“We have several great resources for anyone interested in food preservation,” she said. “Since ancient times,...
COLUMBUS, Ohio — If you enjoy being outside in the warmer months, just know that you may have plenty of company whether you are in your backyard, on a hiking trail, or on the water. Pests such as mosquitoes and ticks might bite if you get close.
Knowing how to keep you, your family, and your animals tick- and mosquito-safe is important as we enter the time of peak activity, says 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).
“We are entering the highest risk period for Lyme disease because nymphal blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, are most active in May and June,” he said.
While Lyme disease doesn’t manifest in every...
COLUMBUS, Ohio—The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) has received a $4.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA to fund a project that will train new workers to fulfill the specialized workforce needs of the water industry in the Ohio Great Lakes region.
The grant will fund the project “Training a climate-ready workforce to manage the impacts of climate change on water resources in Ohio coastal communities,” which will be led by Lorrayne Miralha, a CFAES assistant professor of watershed modeling and data analytics. The four-year project will focus on four Ohio counties on the Lake Erie shoreline — Erie, Lorain, Lucas, and Cuyahoga — to train new workers in the areas of stormwater...
Food insecurity is an issue that is exacerbated by strife. In crises, stress is put on the systems that feed people, often leaving many without enough to eat. During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson began the victory gardens program, which asked Americans to grow their own food to support the war effort.
The program was a popular one and was used again during World War II. It resurfaced in Ohio more recently, said Pam Bennett, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There was a huge bump in gardening,” said Bennett, a horticulture educator for The Ohio State University Extension in Clark County. “People wanted to know how to grow vegetables. We got calls from people wanting help on how to do it, where to find seeds and so forth.”
Following a...
LONDON, Ohio -- The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) will host the 24th annual Manure Science Review on August 6, 2024 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio.
Aimed at farmers, crop consultants, soil conservation workers and others, the Manure Science Review will feature speakers and field demonstrations from Ohio State and other qualified companies and institutions.
The mornings speakers will begin with representatives from the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), presenting H2Ohio updates as well as best practices for manure application by Frances Springer. Will Osterholz from the Natural Resources Conservation Service will then discuss the effects of manure placement on subsurface drainage,...
