Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

OSU Extension/OSIA to hold sheep and goat programs this winter

Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association will offer 12 district sheep and goat programs throughout Ohio this winter.

The program series was launched in 2001 to provide educational programming on a wide variety of sheep and goat management topics for Ohio livestock producers.

The series will be offered at the following locations:

* Jan. 13, Mt. Victory -- Top of Ohio Region Sheep and Goat Program, Mt. Victory Plaza Inn, 7 p.m. Topic: "Feeding Sheep and Goats for Maximum Production." Contact Wesley Haun at 937-599-4227 or Gene McClure at 419-674-2297.

* Jan. 26, Mt. Gilead -- Heart of Ohio Region Sheep and Goat Program, Morrow County Community Center, 619 West Marion Road, 7 p.m. Topic: "Handling Foot Rot and Parasites in Sheep and Goat Operations." Contact Jeff McCutcheon at 740-947-1070.

* Jan. 28, Springfield - Top of Ohio Region Sheep and Goat Program, Clark County Extension office, 4400 Gateway Blvd., Ste. 104, 7 p.m. Topic: "Lamb and Goat Carcass Evaluation." Contact Jonah Johnson at 937-328-4607.

*Jan. 28, Barnesville - Buckeye Hills Region Sheep and Goat Program, Belmont County Farm Bureau office, 100 Colonel Drive, 7 p.m. Topic: "Ecology and Management of Coyotes and Other Predators." Contact Steve Schumacher at 740-695-1455 or Mark Landefeld at 740-472-0810.

* Jan. 30, Marion - Heart of Ohio Region Sheep and Goat Program, Ag Credit Building, 100 East Center, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., $5 registration for lunch. Topic: "Pasture Management for Sheep and Goat Operations." Contact Connie Thomas at 740-223-4040.

* Feb. 3, Mt. Vernon - Heart of Ohio Region Sheep and Goat Program, Knox County Extension office, 1025 Harcourt Road, 7 p.m. Topics: "Ultrasound Technology and Utilizing CIDRS to Synchronize Lambing" and "Utilizing Artificial Insemination to Incorporate Genetics into Your Sheep Flock," $20 registration fee due by Jan. 29. Contact Troy Cooper at 740-397-0401.

* Feb. 10, Burton - Western Reserve Region Sheep and Goat Program, Geauga County Extension office, Patterson Center, 14269 Claridon-Troy Road, 7 p.m. Topic: "Ohio Sheep, Lamb, and Goat Marketing Opportunities." Contact Les Ober at 440-834-4656.

* Feb. 11, Piketon - Ohio Valley Region Sheep and Goat Program, OSU South Centers, Endeavor Center, 1862 Shyville Road, 7 p.m. Topic: "Marketing Sheep and Goats to the Ethnic Population." Contact Jeff Fisher at 740-947-2121.

* Feb. 18, Wilmington - Miami Valley Region Sheep and Goat Program, Clinton County Extension office, 111 S. Nelson Ave., Ste. 2, 7 p.m. Topic: "Marketing Sheep and Goats to the Ethnic Population." Contact Tony Nye at 937-382-0901.

* Feb. 24, Mt. Hope - Crossroads Region Sheep and Goat Program, Mrs. Yoder's Kitchen, 8101 State Route 241, 6 p.m. with a 5:30 p.m. buffet dinner. $14 fee required for meal with reservations made by Feb. 19. Topic: "Ohio Sheep, Lamb, and Goat Marketing Opportunities." Contact Dianne Shoemaker at 330-264-8722.

* March 8, Fostoria - Maumee Valley/Erie Basin Region Sheep and Goat Program, Ag Credit Services Corporate office, 610 West Lytle St., 7 p.m. Topic: "Practical Health Management Practices and Open Health Forum." Contact Ed Lentz at 419-447-9722 or Gary Wilson at 419-422-3851.

* March 15, Zanesville - Heart of Ohio/Crossroads Region Sheep and Goat Program, Muskingum County Extension office, 225 Underwood St., 7 p.m. Topic: "Pastures, Parasites, and Sheep Production: Lessons Learned from Three Years of On-Farm Research." Contact Mark Mechling at 740-454-0144 or Howard Siegrist at 740-349-6900.

In addition to the District Sheep and Goat Program series, OSU Extension and the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association also will offer a Buckeye Hills Region Sheep and Goat Production School in Athens. The series will take place Jan. 19 and 26 and Feb. 2, 9, and 16 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Athens County Extension office, 280 West Union St. Registration is $35 per person or couple if they share materials. For more information, contact Rory Lewandowski at 740-593-8555.

For more information about the programs, contact Roger High at 614-246-8299 or rhigh@ofbf.org, or log on to http://www.ohiosheep.org.

Views: 61

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

ABP Working Groups address key issues

From traceability to trade structure, coal mining to wildlife conflict, ABP has active working groups on four of the most important files facing Alberta beef producers. Here are updates from each of the groups: Traceability Following the direction of resolutions carried by delegates at the 2026 Annual General Meeting, ABP’s board is forming a dedicated Traceability Working Group. The working group will examine traceability closely, with the objective of providing producer-driven feedback and solutions that reflect on-the-ground realities across Alberta’s beef sector. Members of the working group are being finalized, and will include representatives from ABP’s executive, directors and delegates; partner cattle organizations; and groups such as the Government of Alberta. The working group will be supported by a dedicated facilitator to maintain clear timelines, while also ensuring issues are thoroughly examined. The goal is to develop realistic, workable recommendations to present t

What drives the true cost of forage production?

New COP Network benchmarks reveal what drives forage production costs in Canadian cow-calf operations, from hay and silage to greenfeed, and where producers can improve efficiency. Forage is the backbone of every cow-calf operation — but how much does it really cost to grow? While feed is often viewed as a “homegrown” input, the reality is that forage production can make or break cost competitiveness, especially as input costs continue to rise. Data from the Canadian Cow-calf Cost of Production Network show wide differences in the cost of producing forages such as hay, corn silage, corn for grazing, cereal silage, and greenfeed. But the real insight isn’t just what those costs are, it’s why they differ from farm to farm. Forage costs vary, management matters This analysis includes data from 59 COP Network benchmark farms from 2020 to 2024, covering five major forage types — hay, corn silage, corn for grazing, cereal silage, and greenfeed. Hay remains the dominant forage on Canadia

Multiple pickup trucks under recall

Like any piece of farm equipment, pickup trucks are subject to recalls

Most regions hit the home stretch of seeding

Provincial seeding progress is nearly complete as 93 per cent of seed has been put in the ground across Saskatchewan. The latest figure is up from 80 per cent the previous week, but is still behind the five and ten year average of 97 per cent. The west-central region leads the way at 98 per cent complete, the southwest at 97 per cent, the southeast 96 per cent, the northwest 95 per cent and the northeast entered the home stretch at 92 per cent complete. But farmers in the east-central region still have some work to do as progress currently sits at 84 per cent. While it's a large increase from 63 per cent the previous week, it remains behind the five year average of 93 per cent for the region. Crops Extension Specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture Samantha Marcino, who is based out of Yorkton, notes the Calder area had 164 millimetres of rain and the Canora area around 72 mm. "This did increase the topsoil moisture levels, obviously, in those regions, and some of them were sit

Horizon School Division, Nutrien bring hydroponic learning lab to Lanigan students

Students at Lanigan School will soon get their hands dirty while learning about food production and agriculture. Horizon School Division and Nutrien announced this week a partnership that will see the installation of a hydroponic grow container at the school. Director of Education for Horizon Kevin Garinger says they first saw the grow container in Alberta a few years ago, and the one to be established in Lanigan is the first of its kind within the School Division. "Food security is so vital, and I think one of the things that we are trying to do through this process is educate our children about the impact of the work our farmers, our communities, and our big businesses do in support of agriculture in our province and ultimately across our country and world." said Garinger, adding its opportunities like this that can inspire students to pursue a career in agriculture. "If we make that impact, if we make that kind of impact on the ag industry, on our children to understand that the

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service