COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Recent rains that soaked Ohio for several days may have finally brought some relief to drought-stressed areas across southern Ohio, but the impacts on crops and producers' wallets is likely to continue for many months to come. Ohio State University Extension is offering a free program in November to aid those affected by this season's adverse weather.
"Strategies for producers dealing with the drought of 2007" will be offered at nine southern Ohio locations. Much of the region has suffered from a severe drought that significantly reduced the hay crop and damaged pastures, leaving livestock producers scrambling to find alternative forages.
Although alfalfa regrowth in the central and northern regions of Ohio is adequate, fall regrowth is poor to nonexistent throughout southern Ohio.
Through the program, OSU Extension educators will address nutritional concerns for beef producers using alternative feeds to supplement their short feed supply, provide information to improve next year's forage situation, and offer financial resources for dealing with the drought, including U.S. Department of Agriculture assistance.
The program will be held at the following locations:
Nov. 5: 7 p.m., Morgan High School Vocational Agriculture Department, McConnelsville.
Nov. 7: 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., OSU Extension Muskingum County Office, Zanesville.
Nov. 13: 3 p.m., Hocking County Youth Center, Logan.
Nov. 13: 7 p.m., OSU Extension Athens County Office, Athens.
Nov. 14: 10 a.m., Highland County Training and Employment Center, Hillsboro.
Nov. 14: 6:30 p.m., Southern State Community College's Appalachian Gateway Center, Fincastle.
Nov. 15: 6:30 p.m., Collinsville Community Center, Collinsville. Note: This program has a registration cost and different agenda.
Nov. 19: 7 p.m., Buckeye Hills Career Center, Rio Grande.
Nov. 20: 7 p.m., OSU South Centers at Piketon conference room, Piketon.
For more information on the OSU Extension program, contact David Dugan, OSU Extension educator for Brown County at (937) 378-6716, or dugan.46@osu.edu, or John Grimes, OSU Extension educator for Highland County at (937) 393-1918, or grimes.1@osu.edu.