Surviving the Dust Bowl

What: Surviving the Dust Bowl, Pauline Arnett Hodges

Who: Muskingum Soil and Water Conservation District
        Funded by:  The Longaberger Foundation in Honor of William Herman Eschman

When: Saturday, May 4, 2013

Time: Doors open at 9:30 a.m.  Speaker starts at 10:00 a.m.

Where: The Muskingum County Conference & Welcome Center
        Heritage Room, Main Level
                        205 North Fifth Street
        Zanesville, OH 43701

Why: Pauline Arnett Hodges was born in Oklahoma, two years before the Dust Bowl.  This time in history, known as “The Dirty Thirties,” brought dust storms that darkened the day sky to night, sand drifts as high as rooftops, and static charges in the air that would short-out automobiles.  Pauline Arnett Hodges was instrumental in publishing the PBS documentary The Dust Bowl, By Ken Burns broadcast in November 2012.

Pauline Arnett Hodges survived the decade with luck and determination.  Pauline will tell her story of the experiences of living during the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, and the challenges it created.  Determined to survive and make a difference, Pauline went on to college on a full scholarship, graduated with an education degree, married, and had two sons.

Location: The Muskingum County Conference & Welcome Center is located on the corner of Fifth and Shinnick Street, Zanesville, Ohio.

Cost: Free

Register: No Registration Needed

Contact: Jeanette Weinberg, Information Administrative Assistant at (740) 454-2027.

The BUZZ is on!

The Buzz is on its way for the east coast this summer. Several states up and down the east coast are expected to be inundated with Magicicada’s, but Ohio has to wait for this extraordinary natural event. Magicicada’s or Periodical cicadas usually appear between May and July. Periodical cicadas are a 1 to 1.5 inch sap sucking insect, with black bodies, red eyes, and have a wing vein color of red-orange. A close relative is the annual or “Dog- day” Cicada. They appear in the long summer days of July and August. These cicadas have a two to five year life cycle but there broods overlap and some appear every summer. Dog – day cicadas are larger and have green or brown bodies with black markings and their wings have green veins.
Periodical cicadas have been found here in the United States for hundreds of years. It is recorded that in 1633 the governor of Plymouth colony wrote of the periodical cicadas and that no English man had ever seen them before or since. It would be another 200 years before we had a grasp on periodical cicadas populations. Dr. S.P. Hildreth from Marietta, Ohio helped confirm that cicadas have a 17 year life cycle, but confusing the matter even more was that cicadas in southern states have a 13 year life cycle.  The cicada populations were put in to an ordered system in 1898 by Charles L. Marlatt. He numbered the emerging cicadas with roman numerals, because there were 17 possible emergence years; numbers 1 through 17 were reserved for the 17 year cicadas and numbers 18 through 30 were to be used for the 13 year cicadas. Even though there could be 30 possible groups “broods”, there are in fact only twelve established 17 year broods and three 13 year broods.  Here in Ohio we have four established broods V,VIII,X,and XIV.  Brood V will be the next to crawl from the ground in 2016.
When it is time for them to appear, the nymphs emerge from the soil at night and climb onto nearby vegetation or vertical surface, where they then molt into winged adults. The emergence is often tightly synchronized within a few nights.  Adult cicadas live for only two to four weeks. During this time they don’t feed much, instead the males gather in groups and sing, by vibrating membranes on their abdomen. The females quietly choose a mate and then lay their 400 eggs in twigs of trees; the egg remains in the twigs for six to ten weeks before hatching. During this time flagging can occur. Flagging is when the twigs break where the eggs were laid and the leave on the twigs die. The newly hatched nymph falls to the ground where it burrows 6 to 18 inches underground to feed for 17 years.
The cicada’s survival is linked to the mass appearance. As part of their survival strategy, they appear in such great numbers that predators cannot eat all of them and ones not consumed reproduce and continue the cycle. Periodical cicadas are a unique part of our ecosystem and provide a break from the monotony when the broods appear.
More information on periodical cicadas can be found at Ohio Biological Survey, and through OSU Extension.
                          Submitted by Joe Lehman, Wildlife/Forestry Specialist

***ATTN: TEACHERS OF ALL GRADES***

9th Annual TEACHER FIELD DAYS:
FOREST WILDLIFE & BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

Two days in the woods Tuesday, June 11 and Wednesday, June 12, 2013  (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) at beautiful Vinton Furnace State Experimental Forest.  The Forestry on Ohio’s Public Lands Series is offered by the ODNR Division of Forestry to provide your students with timely concepts and to help you meet state standards.  Come learn more about trees, wildlife, our rich regional conservation history, land management, and Ohio’s renewable natural resource--forests.

Forest Wildlife and Biological Diversity is featured on Tuesday, and a Project Learning Tree and Project Wild combined educator certification workshop is offered Wednesday.  You can attend one or both days.  Graduate credit through Ohio University is available for your purchase if you attend both days.

Programs are open to ANY teacher, and takes place RAIN OR SHINE.  Dress for the woods, weather, and field work. We will be in the woods Tuesday for field learning to look at wildlife research plots and habitat, so wear appropriate footwear and clothing.

Lunch and drinks are provided both days courtesy of PLT. There is a registration fee of $10 for materials which covers both days. We will meet at the Vinton Furnace State Experimental Forest modern training center off SR 93 and SR 324 southeast of McArthur.

Ohio University will provide a certificate of participation listing contact hours, OR, one semester hour of graduate continuing education credit is available through OU-Chillicothe for those attending BOTH DAYS.
Information will be provided on site and you will individually apply and pay for credit ($136) on your own from home.

Please contact Lynn Prater by e-mail or phone to register by June 1.

lynn.prater@dnr.state.oh.us
Or phone: (740) 774-1596 extension 0.

Classes are limited to 30 participants. Registrants will be sent directions.  Please include your e-mail for information distribution.

More about forests and PLT: www.ohiodnr.com/forestry; http://www.plt.org/

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown on Wednesday announced new legislation to expand markets for farmers and increase the availability of nutritious, locally grown food. The bill would address production, aggregation, marketing and distribution needs and in particular help seniors and low-income families receiving SNAP benefits access fresh food.  The bill aims to help farmers sell products directly to consumers and would therefore create jobs, the senator said. One of the provisions would expand the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program which serves more than 30,000 low-income seniors in 45 Ohio Counties. 

The bill would also:  Provide funding to help farmers build infrastructure-such as community kitchens-to process and sell their food locally; Break down barriers so schools can purchase local food more easily and provide schools with a local school credit to purchase local foods; Make it easier for food stamp recipients to spend their money at farmers markets by giving the farmers access to technology necessary to accept electronic benefits. It creates a pilot program to test smart phone technology to accept food stamp benefits at farmers market.; Provide incentives for SNAP participation to ensure that beneficiaries can participate in community supported agriculture programs; and, Create a new crop insurance program tailored to the needs of diversified and organic farmers who grow a wide variety of crops and can't easily access traditional crop insurance.

Comments on deer hunting rule changes

Ohio Department of Natural Resources -- Nearly 30 state lawmakers have written Ohio Division of Wildlife Chief Scott Zody in opposition to proposals for more stringent deer hunting rules.  In their letter, the legislators challenged the scientific basis for the changes, which among other things would eliminate urban deer zones and shorten the December hunting season, according to a release from Sen. Chris Widener.
"The elimination of the late-December gun weekend for deer will take away the opportunity for hunters to harvest nearly 15,000 deer, according to recent figures," Sen. Widener said in a release. "Furthermore, the elimination of urban hunting poses a danger to communities already on edge about the risk of car accidents and property damage caused by deer."  The senator added that some of the reduced bag limits are "unreasonable," and the elimination of the special muzzleloader hunts in southeast Ohio is "not compatible" with reports heard by legislators of an increased deer population in the area.

So far, 28 lawmakers from both chambers and parties have signed onto the letter, including the majority and minority leaders from both the House and Senate and members of the bipartisan Sportsmen's Caucus, the release stated. Sen. Widener said additional members have also contacted his office to sign onto the letter, which was sent Thursday.  The agency removed the proposed changes from a legislative committee vote last week because the rules had not been ratified by the Ohio Wildlife Council, Sen. Widener's office said.  The senator said the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has pushed the rules even though the department has received a number of comments from hunters by email and during a series of open houses.

Cover crop field day highlights soil health

For those interested in improving soil health, today’s field day at David Brandt’s Fairfield County farm has it covered. For the more than 270 people packed into Brandt’s spacious farm shop, cover crops are the focus of the day in presentations from national leaders on the extensive benefits of including a bit more biodiversity in the crop rotation.
Our technicians, Joe Lehman and Jason Tyrell attended this event.   Read the entire story here:
http://ocj.com/2013/04/cover-crop-field-day-highlights-soil-health/

WILDFIRE Danger is HIGH!

Just a reminder that weather conditions right now make it EXTREMELY dangerous to burn outside.  Fire departments all across Ohio are responding to grass fires from people carelessly and illegally burning today and over the weekend.

Ohio’s law states that it is ILLEGAL to burn outdoors in March, April and May between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm.

Higher temperatures, lower humidity, and plenty of dry fuel (Leaves, grass, etc) can carry a fire out of control quickly.  Here are more details:

http://ohiodnr.com/Portals/18/fire/pdf/OhioFireLaw.pdf

Please be careful!

Jeremy Scherf, ODNR Service Forester

Proposed changes to rules for funding of public drinking water treatment system upgrades

OEPA is accepting comments through Tuesday on a proposal that would modify guidelines for $150 million in loan funds that are set aside for public drinking water treatment system upgrades.  
A link to the proposed guidelines can be found here:

http://epa.ohio.gov/Portals/29/pdfdocs/PY2013_PMIUP.pdf
Among the major proposed changes for the 2013 program year, which ends June 30, are the removal of the minimum interest rate for systems meeting economic affordability or specific disadvantaged community program criteria and ability to apply for funds currently available under the federal fiscal year's continuing resolution, among others, OEPA reported.  Agency officials will host discussions on the proposed plan during two separate meetings scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at the agency's central office location in Columbus. 

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
Phone: (614) 644-3020  
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, OH 43216-1049
Street Address: 50 West Town Street, Suite 700, Columbus, OH 43215

OSU Extension Expert: Grass Not Yet Ready for Grazing

COLUMBUS, Ohio – While the calendar may say it is officially spring, the weather outside in many areas may not necessarily agree. As a result, producers may want to hold off grazing for a week or so longer than in a typical year, which could help pastures build up the roots to allow for a more productive grazing season, an Ohio State University Extension expert said.

This time last year, Ohio was at least two weeks ahead of normal in terms of pasture growth, thanks to the warmer, milder winter and early spring experienced in many areas, said Chris Penrose, an OSU Extension educator. But the colder, wetter weather this year has left growth weeks behind normal, leaving grass that is not ready for grazing, he said.

“This extra period of wet weather is causing a problem because of the extra mud and not allowing time for pastures to dry out,” Penrose said. “For example, grass is just starting to grow in southeast Ohio and is probably not ready to graze.

“If we can hold off grazing for a week or two longer than in most years, I think we will be better off in the long run because we simply have not had enough heat to get things going.”

The issue is of even more concern this year considering that the drought of 2012 left many producers with scarce hay and challenges meeting the forage needs of their cattle, he said.

“So now a lot of our producers are short of forages and there may be more temptation to go out now,” Penrose said. “Some producers may be getting to the point where they feel like they have no choice but to start grazing in many parts of the state because of the tight hay supplies.

“And now that the growing season has been pushed back a couple of weeks, it could make it more of an issue. But if we go out too soon, we could do more damage that would normally occur in a typical year.”

The issue stems from drought-weakened plants, that if are allowed to be grazed on in the first growth, could cause further weakening of the plant or even kill it off completely, he said.

“Right now, if possible, try to keep cattle in the same area so that we don’t tear up new ground,” Penrose said.

This is especially important considering that the National Weather Service forecasts a cooler than normal weather pattern will return in early April, with the outlook to include below-average temperatures and above-average precipitation, Penrose said.

“Once things start warming up we may have to smooth out the ground and re-seed the areas that suffered the most damage,” he said. “If possible, try to feed stored feed for a week or two longer to avoid additional damage to the forages and soil and to allow new growth to commence in order to start putting some reserves back into the roots.

“This will help you have more forage production in the long run.”

 

Writer

Tracy Turner
614-688-1067
turner.490@osu.edu

Source

Chris Penrose
740-962-4854
penrose.1@osu.edu

Training attended by technicians Jason Tyrell and Joe Lehman

COLUMBUS, OH – Ohio’s local soil and water conservation representatives received the tools and information they needed to inform Ohio farmers and landowners through a new training opportunity offered by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

The Nutrients and Water Quality class is a new component of ODNR’s Technician Development Program being offered through the ODNR Division of Soil and Water Resources. The class consisted of six hours of training, which focused on nutrient management techniques to improve and maintain water quality in Ohio’s lakes, streams and rivers.

“Water quality is an important issue in our state, and educating the people that work in our local soil and water conservation districts is crucial,” said ODNR Director James Zehringer. “ODNR made it a priority to offer this training to educate local technicians so they could effectively answer the questions of producers and landowners.”

Three training sessions were recently held for 121 federal, state and local experts. The majority of attendees were technicians from Ohio’s local soil and water conservation districts.

“This training has enabled me to better communicate with farmers,” said Jeff Giesige, a technician with the Putnam County Soil and Water Conservation District. “We see local producers in our communities, and they are comfortable talking with us for information about improving water quality and agricultural production.”

ODNR instructors designed the class for students with varying degrees of education and experience. Engineers and resource management specialists from the department taught the basics of agronomy, fertilizer, soil health and water quality. This provided the technicians with information they can share with producers and landowners.

The new class was funded by a grant from the ODNR Office of Coastal Management and was offered at no cost to attendees. This class is part of the Technician Development Program, which is an ongoing initiative to provide professional development to soil and water technicians of all skills and backgrounds statewide.

FREE BREAKFAST offered at Contractor's Workshop in April