COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State University’s Forestry Forum, a group for students interested in forestry as a career, will hold its annual public Christmas tree sale from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2 behind the university’s Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, in Columbus.
Hours are noon to dark on Nov. 29, 9 a.m. to dark on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 2.
The trees are fresh cut Ohio-grown Fraser firs, Scotch pines, white pines and blue spruces in heights from 6 to 9 feet.
Proceeds from the sale will support scholarships, travel to academic conferences and other activities for students in the group.
Buyers can receive a 10 percent discount with a coupon available at http://go.osu.edu/treesale (pdf) that can be printed and brought in or...
No one in my family has ever had diabetes. Does that mean I’m not at risk for developing it?
Although there is a genetic component to diabetes, it’s not 100 percent: Many people develop type 2 diabetes without having a family history of the disease. Conversely, it’s not guaranteed that you’ll develop the disease even if you have close family members who have it, though your risk is higher.
A warning: You may think no one in your family has ever had diabetes, but many cases go undiagnosed. So you may be operating under a false sense of security.
Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 95 percent of all diabetes cases. It’s marked by high blood glucose levels primarily caused by the body’s inability to use its insulin efficiently. In contrast, type 1...
WOOSTER, Ohio -- The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) will host a workshop on compost bedded pack dairy barns on Dec. 5. The same program will be offered in Tennessee on Dec. 12 and in Kentucky on Dec. 13.
A compost bedded pack dairy barn is an alternative dairy system with solid manure handling options, said Lingying Zhao, an associate professor of food, agricultural and biological engineering at Ohio State University and one of the event’s organizers and speakers.
“There’s increased interest in the compost bedded pack system because of its potential for positive impacts on milk production and cow health and its ability to handle manure as a dry material,” Zhao said.
Possible benefits of the system also include less...
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 increasing incidence of a difficult-to-control bacterial illness is leading researchers to suspect that contaminated foods might be contributing to the problem.
Clostridium difficile, known as "C. diff," can cause a serious infection that is responsible for 14,000 American deaths annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's estimated there are about 500,000 U.S. cases of C. diff infection annually, and that about 3 to 5 percent of healthy adults are carriers of toxic C. diff bacteria but experience no symptoms.
Normally associated with the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics during a stay in the hospital or in other healthcare settings, C. diff infection is marked by frequent, watery diarrhea; abdominal pain or tenderness;...
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...
I have always stuffed our Thanksgiving turkey with homemade stuffing, but my daughter tells me it’s not safe. Should I stop? Would it make a difference if I used stuffing from a box?
Cooking a stuffed turkey is potentially more risky than cooking one without, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) doesn’t recommend it.
That said, if you take a few precautions, all should be fine. And whether you make your own stuffing or prepare it from a box, you need to follow the same procedures.
The FSIS offers detailed guidelines at http://bit.ly/safestuff. Among its recommendations:
If you prepare the stuffing ahead of time, store wet and dry ingredients separately; be sure to refrigerate the wet ingredients, including any...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Here are upcoming events involving Ohio State University's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences as of Nov. 8:
NEW: Nov. 8: Communicating with the Public about Climate Change: Understanding Global Warming’s Six Americas, noon to 1 p.m. Web-based seminar sponsored by Ohio State University’s Climate Change Outreach Team; features research by George Mason University and Yale University analyzing Americans' interpretations of and responses to climate change. Free. Information: http://changingclimate.osu.edu/webinars/ or dierkes.10@osu.edu.
REVISED (registration fees): Nov. 8: Renewable Energy Workshop, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Fisher Auditorium, Ohio Agricultural...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State University’s renowned Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park, which opened its doors 20 years ago, is now in the process of opening them wider.
The 52-acre Columbus facility is undergoing $75,000 in renovations to its main teaching and research building as part of a broader effort to increase the park’s access, use and impact.
Programs in the park focus on how wetlands function, how to create and restore them, and how they benefit the environment and people. Water from the adjacent Olentangy River fills two main experimental wetlands at the site, which are each about the size of two football fields. Ohio State officials call it the only facility like it on a university campus.
“The Schiermeier is uniquely positioned to...
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- As newly legal casinos continue to open their doors in Ohio, a new field specialist with Ohio State University Extension wants to be sure families understand the risks involved with gambling and where to turn for help if needed.
"For some people, gambling is recreational, but for others it becomes addictive and pathological," said Jim Bates, a field specialist in family wellness for OSU Extension.
Bates joined OSU Extension in September, just as the Hollywood Casino Columbus was making preparations to open in early October. Casinos in Toledo and Cleveland opened earlier this year. A fourth and final Ohio casino is scheduled to open in Cincinnati in spring 2013.
All are the result of the passing of a statewide ballot issue in November 2009 that approved the...
