Livestock care rules presented
By
John Grimes-
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and its most famous citizen, Phil the groundhog, received their annual 15 minutes of fame last week. As expected, Phil saw his shadow which means that we are going to have six more weeks of winter. Does anyone remember Phil not seeing his shadow?
If you are going to predict how much winter we are going to have during the first week of February, wouldn’t it seem logical to expect that we are going to have six more weeks of winter?
Every year about this time I am reminded of one of my favorite movies of all time “Groundhog Day.” If you haven’t seen it and you’re in the mood for a good laugh, check it out.
Ohio House introduces
livestock care standards
In case you had forgotten, Ohio voters passed Issue 2 last November. We are starting to see tangible results in Columbus resulting from the passage of this issue. Representatives Sayre and Bolon introduced the implementation legislation for State Issue 2’s Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board on Tuesday, Jan. 19. H.B. 414 does the following:
• Defines “livestock” as equine animals, regardless of the purpose for which the equine are raised; porcine, bovine, caprine and ovine animals; poultry; alpaca and llamas.
• Requires the appointment of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board within 45 days of the bill’s effective date and establishes board member provisions such as terms of office, vacancies, meetings and compensation.
• Reiterates Issue 2’s language regarding the purpose of the board.
• Directs the board to adopt rules regarding civil penalties for violating care standards.
• Establishes duties of the director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture for assisting the board and grants authority to the director and his/her representative to enter property for inspection and investigation.
• Prohibits anyone from providing false information in response to the livestock care standard requirements, or otherwise violating the rules developed by the board.
• Creates an Ohio livestock care standards fund and authorizes the director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture to use the fund for program administration and enforcement.
• Increases the commercial feed and seed inspection fee in ORC 923.44 by 15 cents over the next three years, in five cent increments per year-to 30, 35 and 40 cents per ton – and increases the minimum fee from 25 to 50 dollars.
• Allows the director of ODA to request annual transfers of not less than $500,000 from the commercial feed and seed fund to the Ohio livestock care standards fund.
• States that the law does not affect the authority of county humane societies or officials.
• Clarifies that the law does not apply to food processing production activities regulated under ORC Chapter 1717.
Pesticide education programs
I want to remind you of some of our pesticide education programs available locally. The Highland County Pesticide Recertification School will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 24, starting at 12:30 p.m. at the Highland County Training and Employment Center located at 1575 N. High St. in Hillsboro.
If you have not done so, please contact us for a registration form as a $35 pre-registration is required or you will face a $45 registration fee at the door.
For individuals wanting to obtain a private pesticide applicator’s license or add categories to an existing license, there are also certification testing opportunities available. On Feb. 22, testing will be conducted at the South Campus of Southern State Community College in Fincastle. Testing will run from 1-5 p.m. with a review (study) session at 10:30 a.m. until 11:45 a.m.
An additional testing date has been set for March 15 from 4-6 p.m. at the same location.
Please call the Ohio Department of Agriculture Pesticide Regulations at 1-800-282-1955, Ext. 31 for reservations.
Master Gardener School
OSU Extension is pleased to announce an upcoming Master Gardener Program in 2010 for area clientele. It will be held on Fridays for 14 weeks starting on Feb. 12 and concluding in May. (Dates may vary due to unforeseen circumstances, i.e. inclement weather). All sessions will be held at the Southern State Community College (Fincastle), 12681 U.S. 62, Sardinia, Ohio 45171.
The Master Gardener Program is a practical and intensive training program designed to educate participants in the following horticultural topics: soils and fertilization, botany, herbaceous and woody ornamentals, weeds, plant pathology, entomology, plant propagation, integrated pest management, backyard fruit and vegetable production, houseplants, lawn maintenance, tree identification, and much more.
After completing the program and final exam, individuals will be required to volunteer a minimum of 50 hours and complete 10 hours of advanced training to become a Master Gardener volunteer. These individuals volunteer their time assisting with educational programs and activities for area residents through OSU Extension. Volunteer hours can be completed in your county of residence. A background check and fingerprinting are required for all OSU volunteers.
Please call the Brown County Extension office at 937-378-6716 for times and dates for the interviews. The cost for the entire 14-week course is $175 per person if registered before Feb. 4.
Registration received on Feb. 5 or later, cost will be $200. Questions about the Master Gardener program can be directed to David Dugan, County Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, at the OSU Extension-Brown County, Ohio Valley EERA, office at 937-378-6716.
John Grimes is the Ohio State University Extension Educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Highland County.[[In-content Ad]]
If you are going to predict how much winter we are going to have during the first week of February, wouldn’t it seem logical to expect that we are going to have six more weeks of winter?
Every year about this time I am reminded of one of my favorite movies of all time “Groundhog Day.” If you haven’t seen it and you’re in the mood for a good laugh, check it out.
Ohio House introduces
livestock care standards
In case you had forgotten, Ohio voters passed Issue 2 last November. We are starting to see tangible results in Columbus resulting from the passage of this issue. Representatives Sayre and Bolon introduced the implementation legislation for State Issue 2’s Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board on Tuesday, Jan. 19. H.B. 414 does the following:
• Defines “livestock” as equine animals, regardless of the purpose for which the equine are raised; porcine, bovine, caprine and ovine animals; poultry; alpaca and llamas.
• Requires the appointment of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board within 45 days of the bill’s effective date and establishes board member provisions such as terms of office, vacancies, meetings and compensation.
• Reiterates Issue 2’s language regarding the purpose of the board.
• Directs the board to adopt rules regarding civil penalties for violating care standards.
• Establishes duties of the director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture for assisting the board and grants authority to the director and his/her representative to enter property for inspection and investigation.
• Prohibits anyone from providing false information in response to the livestock care standard requirements, or otherwise violating the rules developed by the board.
• Creates an Ohio livestock care standards fund and authorizes the director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture to use the fund for program administration and enforcement.
• Increases the commercial feed and seed inspection fee in ORC 923.44 by 15 cents over the next three years, in five cent increments per year-to 30, 35 and 40 cents per ton – and increases the minimum fee from 25 to 50 dollars.
• Allows the director of ODA to request annual transfers of not less than $500,000 from the commercial feed and seed fund to the Ohio livestock care standards fund.
• States that the law does not affect the authority of county humane societies or officials.
• Clarifies that the law does not apply to food processing production activities regulated under ORC Chapter 1717.
Pesticide education programs
I want to remind you of some of our pesticide education programs available locally. The Highland County Pesticide Recertification School will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 24, starting at 12:30 p.m. at the Highland County Training and Employment Center located at 1575 N. High St. in Hillsboro.
If you have not done so, please contact us for a registration form as a $35 pre-registration is required or you will face a $45 registration fee at the door.
For individuals wanting to obtain a private pesticide applicator’s license or add categories to an existing license, there are also certification testing opportunities available. On Feb. 22, testing will be conducted at the South Campus of Southern State Community College in Fincastle. Testing will run from 1-5 p.m. with a review (study) session at 10:30 a.m. until 11:45 a.m.
An additional testing date has been set for March 15 from 4-6 p.m. at the same location.
Please call the Ohio Department of Agriculture Pesticide Regulations at 1-800-282-1955, Ext. 31 for reservations.
Master Gardener School
OSU Extension is pleased to announce an upcoming Master Gardener Program in 2010 for area clientele. It will be held on Fridays for 14 weeks starting on Feb. 12 and concluding in May. (Dates may vary due to unforeseen circumstances, i.e. inclement weather). All sessions will be held at the Southern State Community College (Fincastle), 12681 U.S. 62, Sardinia, Ohio 45171.
The Master Gardener Program is a practical and intensive training program designed to educate participants in the following horticultural topics: soils and fertilization, botany, herbaceous and woody ornamentals, weeds, plant pathology, entomology, plant propagation, integrated pest management, backyard fruit and vegetable production, houseplants, lawn maintenance, tree identification, and much more.
After completing the program and final exam, individuals will be required to volunteer a minimum of 50 hours and complete 10 hours of advanced training to become a Master Gardener volunteer. These individuals volunteer their time assisting with educational programs and activities for area residents through OSU Extension. Volunteer hours can be completed in your county of residence. A background check and fingerprinting are required for all OSU volunteers.
Please call the Brown County Extension office at 937-378-6716 for times and dates for the interviews. The cost for the entire 14-week course is $175 per person if registered before Feb. 4.
Registration received on Feb. 5 or later, cost will be $200. Questions about the Master Gardener program can be directed to David Dugan, County Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, at the OSU Extension-Brown County, Ohio Valley EERA, office at 937-378-6716.
John Grimes is the Ohio State University Extension Educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Highland County.[[In-content Ad]]