OSU South Centers Horticulture

We are all set up for Farm Science Review 2023! We have a great list of speakers and topics all three days.

We had two great workshops last week at OSU South Centers. Pictures here are from the Pike County Beekeepers Group. Topics included Pollinator Requirements for Long-Cane Raspberry Production, Beekeeping Equipment, Varroa Mite Checking and Treatment Options and General Beekeeping Pointers. Speakers were Corey Ruby of Precious Stone Honey, Lee Donahue of Busy Beaver Farm and Ryan Slaughter, OSU South Centers. Special Thanks to Dirk Dempsey, Pike County Extension, and Darlene Brewster, Pike Soil & Water Conservation District, for organizing the event.

We had two great workshops here at OSU South Centers last week. Pictures here are from our Specialty Crops Field Night. Topics included Long-Cane Raspberry Production, Wine Grape Summer Management Practices, Cover Crops for Soil Improvement and Advanced Tomato Production Practices. Speakers were Dr.s Gary Gao, Rafiq Islam, and Arif Rahman, Research Associate Thom Harker and Research Assistant Ryan Slaughter

Registration is open for QuickBooks training….spots are limited. Register today!

To register go to go.osu.edu/quickbooksregistration2023

On 4/25/23 temperatures dipped to 25.4 degrees. The wine grapes sustained significant damage to the tender new shoots that had emerged. Miraculously, some shoots are not damaged, but very few.

Looks like some really nice meetings/workshops scheduled at the Pike County Extension Office

Pike County Beekeepers Spring Meeting will be held April 11th, 6:30 p.m. at the Pike County Extension Office. To reserve your seat please call 740-289-4837.

Whether you're new, an experienced grower, or simply interested in growing blackberries in Ohio, this is a great fact sheet to read!

Blackberry Production Systems in Ohio Blackberries (Rubus sp.) can be a profitable cash crop for growers in Ohio. There is a strong consumer demand for fresh blackberries due to their good taste, versatility, and health benefits. Growers are encouraged to compare various production systems for winter protection because blackberry canes....

It's that time of year! Please join us for our annual pruning school March 9th and 14th. Once again, we will have a two-part series on different days focusing on fruit trees the first day and small fruits the second. Register for FREE at go.osu.edu/pruningschool

You don't want to miss out on this one....

Join us on February 28th to learn about planning your vision, marketing your presence, and planning your work goals.

For more information and to register go to
go.osu.edu/newyearformanufacturersandbusinesses2023

Space is limited- register today!

Interested in growing Elderberry? Check out "Elderberry Production in Ohio," a recently published factsheet on Ohioline.

Elderberry Production in Ohio Elderberries have been a medicinal plant and a landscape shrub dating back to prehistoric use (Brobst 2013) and appearing in written record in 400 BCE by Hippocrates (Williams 2021). Two main types of elderberries are American elderberry (Sambucus nigra (subsp. canadensis)) and European elderberry (...

South Centers was the site for the Lamb & Wine Field Night Saturday November 5th. What an excellent and well-attended workshop. There were speakers and attendees from all across the state, including a first for our location: sheep grazing the vineyard!

Register early for this unique field night to be held here at OSU South Centers on November 5th. Demonstrations of vineyard grazing, lamb preparation, wine tasting and dinner included!

From Dr. Gary Gao, Professor and Extension Specialist, FAES South Centers, OSU

"Our "Specialty Crops Tent and Display" at the 2022 Farm Science Review was quite a success! I would like to thank Ryan Slaughter and Paul O'Bryant for helping me setting up our display inside and outside our tent. We had a 20'x30' tent and a nice display area. Ryan and Paul brought 25 raspberry plants from our long cane raspberry project at South Centers to FSR. They used the plants to line one side of the entrance to our tent. I jokingly told them that the display almost looks the entrance tunnel of the horseshoe for football players, coaches, and cheerleaders to run through. We just need flame and fog machines, well maybe next year!😀
Many thanks to our speakers, Mr. Jim Jasinski, Dr. Rafiq Islam, Dr. Arifur Rahman , Dr. Jamie Strange, Dr. Ashley Leach, Mr. Brad Bergefurd, Mr. Joe Wilson, Dr. Joe Reed, Mr. Ryan Slaughter, Ms. Christie Welch, Dr. Guil Signorini, Ms. Hannah Scott, JD, for their outstanding presentations. I also gave one talk on grape production, pinch hit for Dr. Joe Reed, and answered a lot of questions in the display area. I also thank Sam Custer, Teresa Funk and Nick Zachrich for their support. I am very happy that we got to help a lot of people."

If you're visiting The Farm Science Review this week stop by the Specialty Crop Tent. There are some great talks scheduled for the next 3 days!

There is still time to register for our in-person Raspberry and Grape Field Night here at our Research and Extension Center!

Scott Farms Hops Field Night August 13 will be showcasing their lighting experiment to extend the reproductive plant development stage and preliminary data looks to increase yield and extend harvest. Gonna be a fun evening!! Hope to see you there!

Here it is, friends! Our full musical lineup for this year's Ohio Pawpaw Festival. We can't wait to see you!

What a treat! Pawpaw tastings at the Ohio Pawpaw Conference.

Todays 2022 Ohio Pawpaw Conference has kicked off with an update by Dr Ron Powell of the Ohio Pawpaw Growers Assn. The day will include pawpaw research updates, pawpaw taste testing, wagon tours of our pawpaw woodland research and our pawpaw orchard research, and will end the day with a hands on pawpaw grafting demonstrations.

Check out this new factsheet on marketing fruit crops to Ohio wineries!

https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1433?fbclid=IwAR2OOqnCJrJmvSmIaUlHbzCGtAC2rxtKgXr1Huj-68PtEx2eyNDD5LEJzXo

Direct Marketing of Fruit Crops to Ohio Wineries Ohio boasts a strong wine industry with wineries located across the state. The last 30 years has seen tremendous growth in the number of Ohio wineries due to a strong consumer demand, coordinated marketing efforts from Ohio Grape Industries Committee, and multifaceted and research-based extension pr...

Connie Eichenauer, co-owner, of Dragonfly Vineyard and Wine Cellar led us through how she manages and prunes her wine grape vines at their vineyard in Urbana. Connie's expertise and advice will be presented via videos at our Pruning School Part 2, March 8th. If you would like to learn more about pruning grape vines register at go.osu.edu/pruningschool

We caught up with Mike and Cathy Pullins of Champaign Berry Farm last week. Mike and Cathy shared how they prune and manage their Red and Black Raspberry plants. Their expert advice will be presented to attendees of the Fruit Pruning School Part 3 on March 8th. If you are interested in learning more about pruning red or black raspberries, register at go.osu.edu/pruningschool

Three of the 90+ Ohio breweries purchasing and using Ohio
Hops. 8 years ago NO Ohio breweries were using Ohio hops!

Thanks to our South Centers IT Specialists Sarah Swanson and Duane Rigsby for giving up their weekend to lend their technology expertise adding to the virtual success of this weekends Ohio Hop Growers Conference and trade show being held at BREWDOG Brewery in Canal Wi******er, Ohio