STINNER SUMMIT WILL FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLE FARMS, FOOD, COMMUNITIES – It’s about growing green farms. Building sustainable communities. And helping keep more people fed.

Ohio’s ninth annual Stinner Summit is Oct. 16 near Mansfield, and anyone interested in healthy land and clean water — including such issues as local food, urban farming, food security and sustainable agriculture — is welcome to attend.

Participants in the summit will brainstorm and plan projects that enhance healthy agricultural ecosystems and sustainable communities, said Matt Porter, an organizer of the event and a graduate administrative assistant with its host, the Agroecosystems Management Program. The program is part of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University.

At the end of the day, participants will decide how to use up to $15,000 in funding from Ohio State’s Ben Stinner Endowment for Healthy Agroecosystems and Sustainable Communities, along with their own time and effort, to put the plans they develop into action, Porter said.

The event is from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Malabar Farm State Park, 4050 Bromfield Road, in Lucas, Ohio. The park is the former home of Pulitzer Prize-winning author, conservationist and sustainable agriculture proponent Louis Bromfield.

Registration is free and includes breakfast and lunch. Registration will open Sept. 14. AMP’s website, amp.osu.edu, will have details and a link to online registration.

URBAN FARMING: CAN CITIES FEED THEMSELVES – As more farms dot the urban landscape, interest is growing in just how much food can be produced in American cities.

Currently, estimates are that 15 percent of all food in the United States is produced in a metropolitan area, said Mike Hogan, educator with Ohio State University Extension in Franklin County. That includes food grown in home and community gardens, urban farms, and even urban aquaculture facilities, he said.

Hogan will discuss “Can American Cities Feed Themselves?” at the annual Farm Science Review in London, Ohio. The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University is the Review’s sponsor. OSU Extension is the college’s outreach arm.

The presentations will be on Sept. 23 at 11:40 a.m. during a 20-minute “Question the Authorities” segment, and again on Sept. 24 during an hourlong presentation at 10:30 a.m. at the Review’s Small Farm Center Building.

Hogan’s talks are just two of many during the Review’s run from Sept. 22-24. The Review takes place at the college’s 2,100-acre Molly Caren Agricultural Center. Find a complete list of presentations at go.osu.edu/FSR2015sched.

OSU EXTENSION TO OFFER BEEF CATTLE SCHOOL JAN. 19, FEB. 2 AND 16 – Beef cattle producers who want boost their profit potential and become more competitive in the cattle industry can learn how by attending the 2016 Ohio Beef Cattle School series Jan. 19, Feb. 2 and 16, taught by experts from Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

The three-session program will include a wide range of topics focusing on management decisions that producers can make to take full advantage of the beef economic outlook in the present and prepare for the long term, said John Grimes, beef coordinator for Ohio State University Extension and a member of the OSU Extension Beef Team.

The overall goal of the program, he said, is to help producers continue to take advantage of the increasing consumer demand for high-quality beef products as well as position themselves for continued long-term success.

Each workshop begins at 7 p.m., will be broadcast via Internet and can be viewed at several host locations that will be announced later this year. The workshop topics will also be announced at that time, Grimes said.

For more information on the beef school, contact Grimes at 740-289-2071, ext. 242, or via email at [email protected].

It’s about growing green farms. Building sustainable communities. And helping keep more people fed. Ohio’s ninth annual Stinner Summit is Oct. 16 near Mansfield, and anyone interested in healthy land and clean water — including such issues as local food, urban farming, food security and sustainable agriculture — is welcome to attend.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2015/09/web1_Malabar-Farm-State-Park.jpgIt’s about growing green farms. Building sustainable communities. And helping keep more people fed. Ohio’s ninth annual Stinner Summit is Oct. 16 near Mansfield, and anyone interested in healthy land and clean water — including such issues as local food, urban farming, food security and sustainable agriculture — is welcome to attend.

Staff report