OSU Extension: Winter agriculture happenings

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With all that is going on with the pandemic, and orders and recommendations in place, I am still not sure about when we will do pesticide recertification for 2021.

I currently have pesticide and fertilizer recertification scheduled for Monday, March 15. The good news is the state legislature passed into law extending the recertification deadline until July 1, so we have time. For those of you who have a license or certificate that expires in 2021, please stay tuned for an email or postcard with all your options. One of those options in addition to an in-person program will be a self-paced online session to get your recertification credit. Cost to attend the self-paced class is $35 for pesticide training and $10 for fertilizer.

Home horticulture programs

We plan to have a series of virtual program and as dates are confirmed, the schedule will be posted at greene.osu.edu. Here is a current sampling of 2021 program offerings, all on Thursdays.

Feb. 18 – Dwarf Conifers for the Landscape

Feb. 25 – What Mushrooms and Fungi are doing for us and the Environment

March 4 – Home Landscaping Series: Foodscaping in Ohio with Brie Arthur

March 11 – Drunken Botanist with Amy Stewart

March 18 – Backyard Poultry

March 25 – Spring Vegetable Garden Preparation

April 1 – Rise and Shine: Waking the Perennial Garden in Spring

April 8 – Backyard Critters and Poultry

April 15 – Bee Lawns

April 22 – Little Known Pollinators

April 29 – Vermicomposting

Estate planning

Welcome to February. There is still a lot more cold and snowy weather to come but we finally made it through January.

This is usually the time of the year that I start talking about groundhogs, skunks and roses but today I want to go take a different path. We have been through a lot of challenges the past year and many of us have lost loved ones. It is a difficult yet important topic to address. Simple things like: Where is the key to the lock box or the combination to the safe? Is there money, gold or silver hidden somewhere? Whose name is the vehicle in? How do you make contact with the retirement fund folks? Where and how do you want to be buried? Do you have an up-to-date will? An important one that my co-worker Dave Marrison mentioned in a recent article is: What knowledge would you need to pass on if you knew you only had two months to live? We have six generations that have lived on my farm and there is a lot of knowledge that my family has to pass on.

Coshocton County Family and Consumer Science Educator Emily Marrison recently said in her weekly column that every adult, no matter how young or how old, should consider advance care planning. This includes what you want to happen if you are not able to make your own medical decisions. There are some key parts to advance care planning including designating a health care power of attorney and completing advance directives like a living will, donor registry, and declaration for funeral arrangements. She goes on to mention another excellent resource is from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center called, “Choices: Living Well at the End of Life.” Because this is an Ohio specific publication, it contains forms that can be completed here in Ohio. It also clearly explains the differences between a health care power of attorney and a living will.

Any document you sign must be in accordance with the specific language spelled out in the Ohio Revised Code. You can obtain standard forms online that you can complete and have notarized. You may also consult with an attorney for assistance. There are compiled links to these resources and more at coshocton.osu.edu under the “Family and Consumer Sciences” section. Look for “Health Care Decisions” to learn more.

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Trevor Corboy

Trevor Corboy is an agriculture and natural resources educator for OSU Extension Greene County. Contact him at [email protected] or 937-736-7203.

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