OSU Extension: 4-H Legacy Dinner is slated for June 9

Connie Smith
·4 min read

4-H supporters can enjoy a night out to at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds on June 9. A social hour will begin at 5 p.m., followed by dinner catered by Bob’s Backyard BBQ at 6 p.m. The program and live auction will commence at 7 p.m.

Event tickets are $50 per person, and table sponsorships that seat eight are available for $500.

Fairfield County’s 4-H program serves over 2,200 youth each year through traditional club and school enrichment programming. Leaving a legacy is what the endowment is intended to do. Whether you’re a local business, 4-H family or community member, we’d love for you to join us and support the future of the 4-H program in our county.

Additional sponsorships are available for the Legacy Dinner as follows:

  • Platinum: $3,000 (two sponsorships available) - Receive two dinner tickets

  • Gold: $1,000 (five sponsorships available) - Receive two dinner tickets

  • Silver: $500 - Receive two dinner tickets

  • Bronze: $250

Sponsorship and reservation forms can be found on u.osu.edu/4hlegacy. Checks can be made payable to one of two funds:

  • 4-H Fairfield County Foundation Fund (Money stays in Fairfield County. No Ohio State University gift credit given)

  • Fairfield County 4-H Endowment. On the check memo line designate: Fund #642082** (Earn Ohio State University gift credit and receive a giving receipt from The Ohio State University)

The event is held at Ed Sands/Farm Bureau Building located at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds: 157 East Fair Avenue, Lancaster, OH 43130. Reservations and payment should be mailed to: Fairfield County 4-H Endowment, P.O. Box 564, Lancaster, Ohio 43130. For more details check out the Fairfield County 4-H Endowment blog at u.osu.edu/4hlegacy or call OSU Extension in Fairfield County at 740-653-5419.

Tick season is here

In Ohio, ticks are most active from April through September, although they can be active any time of the year according to OSU Extension Educator Tim McDermott.

The three most common ticks that can affect humans, companion animals, and livestock found in the Buckeye State include the blacklegged tick (also known as the deer tick), the American dog tick, and the lone star tick.

To prevent tick bites when in areas where they may be active, McDermott recommends that you should do the following:

  • Wear light-colored clothes including a long-sleeved shirt tucked into your pants and long pants tucked into your socks or boots.

  • Apply a tick repellent according to label instructions.

  • Wear footwear and clothing that have been treated correctly with permethrin. These items can be purchased through many outfitters and clothing companies.

  • Do frequent tick checks of your body while outside, and do a thorough inspection at shower time.

  • Protect your pets with an anti-tick product recommended by a veterinarian.

  • Keep dogs on a leash and avoid allowing them into weedy areas.

Do not crush or puncture a tick, if you find one attached. Instead, use pointy tweezers or a tick removal tool to carefully remove the tick by grasping the tick as close to your skin as possible and pulling it straight up with steady, even pressure. Then, disinfect the bite site, and wash your hands with soap and water.

Save the tick for identification. Save the tick for identification. It is useful to place the tick in a container with hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol; or wrap the tick inside an alcohol wipe before placing it into a container. The alcohol helps preserve the specimen. Take the tick with you to a healthcare professional if you develop flu-like symptoms. For more details check out: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-2073

Source: Dr. Tim McDermott, Ohio State University Extension Educator.

Blankets of Yellow Flowers, Everywhere

Fields of yellow flowers are abundant this year across the state as many annual crop farmers face planting delays. Some pasture fields are covered in blankets of yellow too. The scenes are deceptively beautiful with their sunny appearance but may actually pose a deadly threat to livestock if the plant happens to be cressleaf groundsel, which is also known as butterweed. Cressleaf groundsel is another weed known to cause livestock poisonings in harvested or grazed forages.

Cressleaf groundsel is a member of the aster family and displays yellow daisy like blooms in the springtime on upright hollow stems that have a purple hue. These plants are winter annuals, meaning the seed germinates in the fall producing vegetative growth and then flowers in the springtime. If allowed to set seed, the plants will appear again in greater numbers the year following. The plants typically go unnoticed in the fall, which is the best time for weed control.

Cressleaf is most commonly found in annual crop settings because bare soils in the fall and spring allow the plants to grow without competition from the crops. However, it can be found in pastures and hayfields if seed travels from an infested field nearby. Effective herbicide control can be accomplished in the fall using products that contain 2,4-D. If the plants are already flowering, mowing and removing the plant residue is the best option to prevent animal consumption and seed deposition.

Learn more about cressleaf groundsel identification, concerns, and control by watching the following video by OSU Extension on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ISSoUGNyWQs.

The OSU Extension Office Update is compiled by Connie Smith, program assistant and master gardener coordinator with the Ohio State University Extension Office in Fairfield County.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: 4-H Legacy Dinner is slated for June 9