WOOSTER, Ohio — The 2013 Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium will concentrate on, “Looking to the Future: Marketing, Nutrient Management, and Product Demand.” The event will be held Dec. 14 at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center Shisler Conference Center, 1680 Madison Ave, Wooster.
The program will feature all segments of the sheep and goat industries. The symposium keynote speaker is Jack Fisher, Ohio Farm Bureau executive vice president. He will discuss issues facing sheep and goat farmers as it relates to Ohio’s water resources and the issue of nutrient management on farms. In addition, several sheep, lamb, wool marketing and nutrient management experts will be on the program. Ohio State University Extension will be play a major role in the program, concentrating on the nutrient management issue.
Annual meeting
Prior to the symposium, the OSIA annual meeting will be held Dec. 14. At the annual meeting, the election of the OSIA officer team will be held, as well as other important items for members to discuss.
The Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium will once again host the annual trade show and silent auction. Funds from the auction have been used as the primary source of income for the Ralph Grimshaw Memorial Scholarship Fund for the past several years. If you will be attending the symposium, you can donate and bid on items in the auction.
Lamb lunch
A lamb lunch will be served, followed by an awards program to present the Charles Boyles Master Shepherd Award, Distinguished Service Awards, Friend of the Ohio Sheep Industry, and the Environmental Stewardship awards. Youth recognition will be given to the state FFA sheep proficiency award winner, state 4-H sheep award winner and Ralph Grimshaw Memorial Scholarship winner.
Registration packets will be mailed to OSIA members in early November and detailed information will soon be placed on the website at www.ohiosheep.org. If you would like additional information, contact Roger A. High at 614-246-8299 or by email at rhigh@ofbf.org.
Nutrient management programs
Nutrient management programs being offered at Symposium Nutrient Management, both commercial nutrients (fertilizer) and animal waste nutrients (manure), have become a hot issue in many aspects – economically, politically, and environmentally. Whether you are a commercial, purebred, club lamb, niche marketer, sheep dairy, wool, dairy goat or meat goat producer, you will need to deal with the nutrient management issue on your livestock operation.
At the 2013 Buckeye Shepherd’s Symposium we are offering educational programs that will assist your small ruminant farming operations to get onto the right path of Nutrient Management. These sessions are for anyone involved in the agricultural industry that uses commercial nutrients (fertilizer) and/or animal waste nutrients (manure) on their farming operation, no matter the size of your operation.
