Agricultural Technology in Coshocton County

Our local newspaper, the Coshocton Tribune, had a great feature article on Sunday titled Technology takes local farming to the future. Leonard Hayhurst interviewed local farmers David Lapp and Greg Waters about utilizing precision agriculture in their operations. Using equipment with GPS technology allows them to more efficiently manage seed, fertilizer and pesticide usage. This helps them to be better environmental stewards and improve yields and profit. Precision farming is not new technology for agriculture, but improvements with precision equipment and data collection and analysis are advancing every year.

To learn more about precision farming in all parts of the U.S., please visit farmnet.osu.edu/links/precisag.html. An OSU Extension and Department of Food, Agricultural and Environmental  Engineering precision agriculture workshop is scheduled for July 9. There will also be an OSU Extension precision farming field day in the Centerburg area in late June/ early July.

Photo from OSU Department of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Engineering website, www.fabe.osu.edu

Starting a Home-based Food Business

On March 26, twenty-five local entrepreneurs attended at workshop on Direct Marketing and Cottage Foods Development. Eric Barrett, agriculture and natural resources educator in Mahoning County, made the trip down to Coshocton to teach about the importance of branding and pricing when directly selling agricultural products to the consumer. You can learn more from Eric on his blog: Mahoning Valley & Mid-Ohio Valley: Veg & Fruit. And here is some of the useful branding information that Eric shared with participants the night of our program: Developing and growing a brand for your farm



Eric Barrett teaching branding and pricing strategy for direct marketing agricultural products.

I taught the remainder of the workshop on Cottage Foods Development. Cottage Foods are foods that can be made in your home and sold without a required inspection from Ohio Department of Agriculture. There is a specific list of foods that can be made. These foods are non-hazardous, meaning that the risk is low for causing foodborne illness. Some of these foods include baked products (like cookies, cakes, and pies that do not require refrigeration), jams and jellies, granola, popcorn, dry baking mixes. For a complete list please visit: ODA - Cottage Foods.

The food packages must contain specific information on the labels including Statement of Identity, Ingredient List, Statement of Responsibility (business name and contact information), Net Quantity of Contents, and the Cottage Food Declaration - "This product is home produced."

It is possible to bake cream pies or cheesecakes in your home for sale, but you are required to obtain a Home Bakery license through ODA which requires an inspection of your home and a $10 fee. For more information on the Home Bakery license please visit: ODA - Home Bakery.

Stay posted for more information about making foods that don't fit the Cottage Foods category (like salsa or salad dressing) and possible ways to manufacture these products at approved facilities for sale.

 

Winter Programming Highlights

I think... I hope... that spring is finally here! As tractors start heading out to the fields, my winter programs are beginning to slow down a bit. Over the next few weeks I will highlight the happenings from OSU Extension here in Coshocton County since January.

The first program is Annie's Project. I am so proud of the participants and all the presenters that taught during this 6-week series. Twenty area women (eighteen from Coshocton County and two from bordering counties) met for six consecutive Tuesday evenings (January 29 - March 5) to enjoy a meal together and learn about agricultural risk management topics. These themes included financial, marketing, production, legal/institutional, human resources and health & wellness. A total of 15 speakers taught the women over the six weeks.

Annie's Project is named after the mother of an Extension educator. Annie was a successful farm wife, and her daughter wanted to honor her by creating a program for women to empower them to be better business partners.

Look for information about future women in agriculture programs later this summer.

Coshocton County OSU Extension Annie's Project Class of 2013!

Back Row: Andrea Finton, Kristy Leindecker, Gayle Stevens, Carolyn Jones, Michelle Johnson,

Gloria Mosholder, Heidi Soules, Tracey Beavers, Mary Wright, Cheri Jones, Sandy Kennedy, Emily Adams

Front Row: Lin Hamric, Jenna Gregorich, Deb Gaumer, Kelly Miller, Alana Lapp,

Jackie Wilkins, Beth Mullen, Amy Porteus, Kayla Chapman

The food was delicious every night.

 

Shari Gallup, Extension Educator in Licking County, leads participants in

stress relieving exercises during a health and wellness section of the last evening for the class.

 

Comments from Vilsack about milk pricing law

It seems that the Farm Bill has been shadowed by all the discussion about the fiscal cliff, but it is closely related. As a dairy products lover, this article has me concerned. Comments from Vilsack about milk pricing law Here's hoping that an agreement can be reached very soon and that Congress is able to finally pass a Farm Bill this year. No Farm Bill could result in some pretty drastic changes for everyone.

Merry Christmas to you! (And be sure to leave some milk for Santa with his cookies.)

Support an Ohio Farmer's Voice - Janice Wolfinger

Tomorrow is the last day to vote for an Ohio farmer who is a Faces of Farming and Ranching Finalist for the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance. Janice Wolfinger and her husband Jake have a cow-calf farm in eastern Ohio and a feedlot in Nebraska. I've known Janice (Poorman then) since I was an FFA member in high school. Janice graduated from Sheridan High School in Perry County the same year I did. She has a blog of her own called For the Love of Beef. She has a true gift for writing and is an excellent spokesperson for agriculture.

Please click here to learn more about Janice and her family and to vote for her as a Face of Farming and Ranching.

US 2012 Census of Agriculture

Today I received a packet in the mail from USDA about the US 2012 Census of Agriculture. If you have completed one of these in the past, then you should see one in your mailbox soon. You can either complete the paper copy and mail it back or you can complete it online here. The census is due by February 4, 2013.

This in-depth survey is conducted every five years by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). It captures a complete count of all U.S. farms, ranches and those who operate them.  

According to NASS "the Census also helps tell the whole story of U.S. agriculture. Without the information collected we wouldn’t know that 3 million farmers in the United States, only one percent of our total population, provide feed, fuel, and fiber to the other 99 percent. While that seems like a huge task, we know that farmers are stepping up to the challenge because the data tell us that U.S. agriculture is growing."

For more information about the Census, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov or call 1-888-4AG-STAT (1-888-424-7828).

Agriculture U.S. Exports- Part 2

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Comments on Soaring U.S. Exports

I thought it only fair to include this today after yesterday's post.