The Greene County Farm Forum program on Feb. 26 will feature the latest information on used and new farm equipment by Bane Welker Farm Equipment (BWE) of Wilmington.

Representing the company are Grace Storck and Brandon Barr. Barr has been with Bane-Welker for a year and a half working part-time while attending Wilmington College. He specializes in selling large ag equipment as well as Kubota. He plans to become full-time once he graduates in December 2024. Storck has been with BWE for over a year. She started working for the company after graduating from Wilmington College in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business. She specializes in selling large ag equipment.

The meeting will be held in the Union Methodist Church, 1145 Union Road, Xenia starting at 6:30 p.m. For those interested, a meal ($12 per person) will be served followed by the program around 7 p.m. To make a meal reservation, contact Paul Ayres at 937-352-6379 or [email protected] by Friday, Feb. 23 if you intend to have dinner. No reservations are necessary if you just wish to attend the meeting, which is open to the public.

Farm Forum Scholarship applications for 2024

Greene County Farm Forum Ag Scholarship chair Jim Byrd recently announced that Greene County Farm Forum will award $4,000 in scholarships to deserving current year graduating high school students or college freshmen pursuing higher education in a field related to agriculture in 2024. Applications are due to Byrd by April 12. Farm Forum is an organization promoting fellowship among citizens of Greene County with programs emphasizing subjects pertinent to agriculture.

To get an Ag Scholarship application email your request to [email protected] or call 937-429-1805.

Is Your farm Ready for Your Death?

One new OSU Extension blog is titled as shown above. Written by David Marrison, who is a member of the OSU Extension Farm Management team, this blog walks you through some of the steps in preparing for the time a farm operator is no longer able to make decisions on their farming operation.

Marrison presents a real-life case in his own family when his father was stricken with a life-threatening illness and the family had to decide how the dairy farm would go on. I heard him share his thoughts on his experiences last fall at the Farm Science Review and as you might imagine there was a lot of soul searching that the family went through to keep the operation in business.

Another blog on the extension website is titled “When Farm Animals Escape, Who’s Liable?” Extension attorney Peggy Kirk Hall wrote this one and if you have animals who could get onto the road or on another property this is a must read.

One hot-button blog is titled “Current Agricultural Use Valuation (CAUV).” This blog highlights the real estate tax increases in 2023 and the impact on property taxes on Farmland in 2024. The author is Barry Ward, OSU Extension leader for production business management.

All these blogs can be found at http://Farmoffice.osu.edu. Click on the box titled “Ohio Ag Law Blog.”

They‘re back!

The brown marmorated stink bugs are coming out of hibernation and are attracted to light. I started seeing them in our house a couple of weeks ago in our house around lamp shades and light covers. It is best to vacuum them up and destroy the bag. Squashing them can stain clothing, walls, etc,. and leave a smell in the area. They got into the house last fall via torn screen, damaged soffit, space around an incoming electric cable, or around a window. During the warm months they feed on many plants including maple trees, soybeans, Rose of Sharn, apple and peach trees, and the list goes on.

For more information on this pest, visit http://bygl.osu.edu/index.php/node/2306.

Jerry Mahan is a retired OSU Extension educator for agriculture and natural resources for Greene County. He can be reached at [email protected].