COLUMBUS, Ohio—Good news for farmers dismayed by a drop in prices and demand for what they produce.
New federal payments will be issued to eligible farmers to help offset lower demand and prices for their produce, grain crops, milk, and livestock as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Producers of cattle, hogs, specialty crops, corn, soybeans, and other agricultural goods can apply for the payments through Aug. 28 at their local Farm Service Agency Center. The funding is related to losses farmers have experienced during the first six months of this year.
Market prices for...
I’m growing my own produce this year since I’ve got time on my hands due to the pandemic. I want to be able to store the foods that I grow and don’t immediately use, but I have no idea how to get started. Do you know of any resources?
Home food preservation is expected to be very popular this year, as many people such as yourself have taken on several kinds of new hobbies to pass time while staying home during quarantine.
Temporary business closures due to stay-at-home orders have also resulted in more people turning to gardening, whether due to a fear of food supply chain disruptions or a desire to have more control over the foods they eat. Nationwide, more consumers are expected to plant gardens this year. For example, online searches for “growing...
A recent $500,000 gift helps Ohio State ATI provide a competitive advantage to students, faculty, and staff through experiential learning with the most up-to-date engineering technology.
The gift, made by an anonymous donor, creates three new current-use funds for the Department of Engineering Technology at ATI, the associate-degree-granting academic unit within The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
In addition, the donation significantly boosts an existing fund that aids students with financial crises. This resource is even more crucial during the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The bulk of this gift is supportive of our engineering technologies. That is a tremendous career field,” ATI Director Kris Boone said....
My home was flooded, impacting food I had stored in cabinets, my pantry, and my fridge. As my home dries out, what do I do with the food?
Many Ohioans have experienced similar problems recently as heavy rains, flash floods, and flooding have caused water-soaked homes and businesses, and evacuation situations across the state.
Because your question is very similar to others that were asked in previous “Chow Line” columns, it’s best answered by reissuing a combination of those columns here.
If your home becomes flooded, it is important to throw away any food that might have come into contact with floodwater. That includes cartons of milk, juice, or eggs, and any raw vegetables and fruits. In fact, unless they were in a waterproof container, any foods in your...
WOOSTER—Have you ever attended a virtual wedding? If not, you may soon receive an invitation as part of the “new normal” world that we now live in.
The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated changes to in-person gatherings ranging from employee meetings and trainings to annual conferences and yes, even weddings. Event venues on The Ohio State University’s Wooster campus are offering additional services to make virtual events easy to hold.
Nine campus venues, all part of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), are available throughout the year for a variety of Ohio events and meetings.
“We are pleased to announce that, in addition to our offerings of in-person gatherings, we also have the technologies to...
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Ohio 4-H camp has been called “the best week of summer.” It’s all about tie-dyeing T-shirts, learning new line dances, singing around a campfire, cool counselors, and sharing a cabin with your new best friends. But how can camp happen in the era of COVID-19?
Virtually.
“The decision to cancel Ohio 4-H camps this summer was not an easy one,” said Hannah Epley, interim associate state 4-H leader and Ohio State University Extension specialist for camping and older youth.
Ohio 4-H, the youth development program of OSU Extension, which is the outreach arm of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), annually offers or sponsors 4-H camps to youth in all 88 of Ohio’s...
COLUMBUS, Ohio—While you’re spending so much time (stuck) at home these days, you can’t help but notice the home improvement projects you haven’t gotten to or didn’t quite finish.
And then there’s the lawn. How can you not notice your lawn and how green or dandelion-crammed it is compared to say, the neighbor’s lawn – not that you’re into comparing.
You’re a little more Johnny-on-the-spot with mowing because, well, there’s fewer other diversions besides the tiling you need to do in the downstairs bathroom and painting the kitchen cabinets to make them look a bit less 1960s. At least working on the lawn takes you outside.
If the lawn is on your home improvement list or just something to do to avoid cabin fever, here...
Is it safe to eat food or meat if it has been handled by someone who has COVID-19?
According to food safety and meat science experts, the risk of acquiring COVID-19 through the handling of food or meat is extremely low. In fact, there is no evidence at this time that COVID-19 can be transmitted through consumption of contaminated foods, said Lyda G. Garcia, an assistant professor of meat science with The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).
COVID-19 transmits person-to-person through droplets that are produced when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. The virus is most often transferred to another individual when droplets directly reach their nose, mouth, or eyes, or through close contact such as a handshake...
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Buy local foods. The supply is there, despite what you might see in some grocery stores.
That’s the message many local farmers, growers, and livestock producers want consumers to know about food-buying options as the nation continues to navigate the coronavirus pandemic.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions with food processing and distribution link breaks in much of the food chain system nationwide, one segment of the food system that has worked by adapting quickly to overcome these challenges is the local food system.
Local farmers and livestock producers are continuing to plant, harvest, and market food directly to the public allowing consumers to continue to access locally produced fruits, vegetables, poultry, meat, and...
I now wear a mask every time I leave my house, and I plan to do so as long as we are faced with the COVID-19 pandemic. But I haven’t figured out how to eat or drink with a mask on. Do I take it off or pull it up between bites? Any tips on what to do?
As states ease their stay-at-home orders and people return to venturing out of the house, your question of how to eat or drink while wearing a face mask is one that is likely to come up frequently.
According to published reports, some restaurants in Hong Kong, for example, have begun providing patrons with a clean bag to store their masks in while they eat at the restaurant. With that in mind, if you do plan to eat when out in public, you should carefully take your mask off completely without touching the outside of the mask, said...
