I hope this Newsletter finds you well. Snow melt and rains have added moisture to the soil, but more will be needed to bring Darke County back to sufficient levels; despite the generally wet conditions now, Darke County is still considered abnormally dry due to the drought of this past growing season (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?OH).
The warmer weather reminds us that planting season is never too far off, but it’s still too early for any field activity.
The next Darke County Garden Roundtable will be held at the OSU Extension Office on Wednesday, March 18th at 6:00 p.m. We will be focusing on companion planting, and our plant of the month is potatoes. The agenda is attached.
I’ll be at Worch Library on February 26th at 6:00 p.m. to discuss Bald Eagles of Ohio. If this is something you’re interested in, I hope to see you there!
The next Western Ohio Dairy Luncheon will focus on the topic of Beef-on-Dairy Management, featuring OSU Extension Educator Jacob Winters of Auglaize County, as well as me. If this is a topic you are interested in learning more about, be sure to join us. As always, we’ll have pizza ready to eat at 11:30 a.m., and our presentation will begin at 12:00 p.m. This session will be on March 12th at Southside Restaurant in Coldwater. Please see the attached flyer for more details, and I hope to see you there!
There is still time to sign up for the Beef Quality Assurance training I will be holding, along with Dark County Cattlemen’s Association. The training will be next Saturday, February 28th, from 9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. See the attached flyer for registration and further details.
The next Darke County Ag Breakfast will be March 20th at 7:30 a.m. at Jack’s Cabin in Greenville.
This week’s Newsletter topics include:
- 2026 Gift Tax Exclusions
- Alfalfa Enterprise Budget
- Federal Registration Approval for Dicamba Products
- Managing Mud Season in the Pasture
- Properly Valuing Sweat Equity on the Farm
I hope you enjoy this week’s Newsletter, and as always, never hesitate to reach out to me and let me know how I can best serve you and all of Darke County.
Best,
Caden Buschur
Ohio State University Extension
Darke County Extension Educator
Agriculture and Natural Resources
