Here are this week’s top stories from Farm and Dairy:
1. Ohio 4-H’er on poultry show ban: “In my heart, I still have earned first place”
The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s decision to cancel all poultry shows for 2015 due to avian influenza has forced a change of plans for 4-H members across the state. Seventeen-year-old Julia Arnold of Putnam County was preparing her turkeys and ducks for the upcoming county fair, but due to the ban, she won’t be able to show any live birds.
Arnold explains that even though she’s disappointed that she won’t be able to compete in any shows, she understands the importance of security for poultry farmers across the state.
2. Utica shale: ODNR releases 2015 first quarter production numbers for oil and gas wells
During the first quarter of 2015, Ohio’s horizontal shale wells produced 4,401,687 barrels of oil and 183,585,256 Mcf (183 billion cubic feet) of natural gas. Based on figures from the fourth quarter of 2014, oil increased by more than 842,000 barrels and gas by more than 18 billion cubic feet.
Belmont County led Ohio in gas production, while a well in Noble County had the highest oil production. Out of the 926 wells on the Ohio Department of Natural Resources report, 877 were producing.
3. Second generation continues conservation efforts in W.Va.
At the Glenn Family Farm in Chester, West Virginia, conservation practices have been a tradition for two generations. Chuck Glenn and his wife Cheryl took over the farm when Chuck’s dad, Donald, passed away in 2011. Donald began the farm’s first conservation practice: spring-fed water troughs.
Today, the farm utilizes other conservation practices: division fencing for rotational grazing and soil testing for growing quality hay. Glenn plans to install cement pads around the water troughs to prevent mud pits from forming.
4. Flowers add meaning and symbolism to the garden
Floriography is the language of flowers; it’s the term for communicating with flower meaning and symbolism.
Online columnist Ivory Harlow explains how a flower’s characteristics, history and traditional uses give it symbolic meaning. You might be surprised at the meaning of the flowers you have in your garden!
5. Experiments and education: Stacy farm finds strength in family and community
In Marietta, Ohio, the Stacy Farm has been family- and community-oriented for two decades. What started out as a one acre U-pick strawberry operation has grown to six acres.
Today, the Stacys host about 2,000 students each year from schools in Ohio and West Virginia, relating the farm to the school calendar and teaching common core standards.
