Bender makes case for OSU Extension levy

On the March 19 primary ballot will be a 0.5-mill, 5-year renewal levy in support of OSU Extension programs in Morrow County.

Morrow County OSU Extension services include programs in 4-H Youth Development, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Family and Consumer Sciences, Community Development, and SNAP-Ed Nutrition Education for Morrow County citizens.

At Morrow County Candidates Night in the Cardington Legion Hall on Feb. 6, Morrow County resident Erin Bender told the story of the many ways OSU Extension programs and 4-H have benefited her family. Many hands in the audience went up when Bender asked how many people there have participated in Extension programs.

Bender’s story of involvement in Extension begins in Marion County where she was in a 4-H club and showed horses. She graduated from Wright State University and from Capital University with a law degree. Currently, she is executive director for the Point and Corporate Partnerships at Otterbein University in Westerville.

Bender and her husband, Dustin, were looking for a farm in 2005. One of the main reasons they began looking for a home in Morrow County was the OSU Extension programs offered here and the Extension personnel offering the programs.

The Benders knew to purchase the farm, they would need OSU Extension research to get them started. They purchased their farm in 2006 and bought their first four head of cattle in 2007. Having never raised cattle, they immediately connected with Morrow County’s OSU Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Specialist Carri Jagger.

“We continue to lean on Carrie Jagger, our OSU Extension ag specialist, to make our now 200-head, grass-fed cattle operation profitable and to keep up on research provided by the Extension team,” Bender said.

Bender also listed the support of Extension Family and Consumer Sciences specialist Candace Heer to know how to properly manage food temperatures in their food stand and in training their Cattlemen’s Association members in food safety. She praised the Extension’s workshop for parents to learn how to prepare for their children’s teenage years. It helped have a conversation when her children were entering junior high.

The Bender family has worked with the Morrow 4-H STEM specialist Amanda Staley in many programs. The Bender children have participated in STEM summer camps, STEM sessions at 4-H Camp Ohio, and a trip to Washington, D.C. for the Ignite by 4-H Conference.

Bender has worked with 4-H Youth Development specialist Becky Barker in many capacities. She teaches adventure activities at 4-H Camp Ohio, is a 4-H club advisor, and is on the 4-H advisory committee. 4-H has given her daughter and mother-in-law opportunities to share their love of quilting. Her son’s 4-H chicken project gave him the opportunity to learn about poultry management and how to be properly licensed to sell his eggs.

Bender is the chairperson of the OSU Extension Morrow County Levy Committee. The 0.5-mill, 5-year levy is a renewal, which Bender emphasized means no new or increased taxes, even with countywide reappraisals of property values.

Jagger answered the question if OSU funds help pay for OSU Extension at the county level. She said only county, state, and federal Extension funds support Extension office programming. OSU Extension has an agreement with Ohio county governments in which a county must first support OSU Extension financially before state government and federal Extension funds support the county OSU Extension program.

The OSU Extension levy originally passed in 2009 when Morrow County commissioners proposed the levy to help with the county’s budget shortfall. It was renewed again in 2014 and 2019, and is up for the 5-year renewal.

Jagger added that without OSU Extension in Morrow County, all the Extension programs will go away, and youth will not be able to participate in 4-H programs in Morrow County or in other counties’ 4-H programs.

Bender noted that the participation in Extension programs her family enjoys is only a small sample of the many classes, programs, and resources available through the Morrow County OSU Extension Office and OSU Extension educators.

For more information about the Morrow OSU Extension levy or Morrow County OSU Extension programs, visit morrow.osu.edu and scroll down to the Morrow Scarlet and Gray newsletter.

The Morrow County OSU Extension Office is located at 5362 U.S. Route 42, Suite 101, Mount Gilead.

Alberta Stojkovic is a correspondent for The Morrow County Sentinel.