It’s time once again to get your hands dirty and start growing! The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and Ohio State University Extension offices are kicking off the fifth year of the Ohio Victory Gardens program.
Due to high demand, the program has expanded to include 64 counties, up from 50 counties last year. Thousands of seed sample kits are available for free to the public to get people planting.
Specific days and times for each office are available on the Ohio Victory Gardens website, as well as planting resources and information. Hardin County OSU Extension will make available Ohio Victory Garden seed packets containing a combination of carrots, cucumber, lettuce, and sunflowers.
A Town Hall session regarding the recently announced merger of Bluffton University and the University of Findlay began a community conversation about how and why this change is taking place. Some key details were revealed and concerns from the larger university community including former faculty and alumni were expressed.
FINDLAY__The Kan Du Group is excited to announce its upcoming charity event, “Move Your Paws for a Cause,” a community pet walk designed to support the Humane Society & SPCA and the programming of the Kan Du Group. This fun-filled event will take place on Saturday, April 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Northwest Ohio farmers enroll more than 1.8 Million acres of cropland
COLUMBUS__On March 28, Governor DeWine and the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) announced more than 1.8 million acres are now enrolled into H2Ohio, a comprehensive water quality plan designed to address complex issues affecting Lake Erie. The results of the most recent signup period show a 32 percent increase in enrolled acres when compared to previous sign ups.
ODA recently completed an open enrollment period for 14 counties in northwest Ohio within the Maumee River Watershed. Farmers in this area were eligible to re-enroll acres into Best Management Practices (BMPs) that were nearing the end of their original contract term, which began in 2020. Additionally, farmers could use this opportunity to enroll new acres. Of the total number of producers currently enrolled, 90 percent of producers who signed up originally decided to re-enroll. Approximately 25 percent of all producers in the new Maumee enrollment are new to H2Ohio.