October is coming soon and will be filled with opportunities to gain inspiration and develop goals for beef and sheep operations.
Start off the month with the last East Central Grazing Alliance pasture walk of 2025! Our next program will begin with a light supper at 5:30 p.m. and proceed from 6-8 p.m. with programming in the pasture in Guernsey County’s on October 2 at the Mid-East Career Center Buffalo Campus (57090 Vocational Rd, Senecaville, OH 43780). Topics featured will include forage testing and interpreting results, winter feeding strategies, bale grazing, and soil health. RSVP to the Noble SWCD office to attend by calling 740-732-4318.
Then continue the theme by attending the Beef & Sheep Small Farms Field Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 4 at the Eastern Agricultural Research Station (16870 Bond Ridge Rd. Caldwell, OH 43724). If you have a small herd of beef cattle, goats, or a flock of sheep and/or are a new or beginning ruminant livestock producer then this program is for you!
Join OSU Extension Educators and State Specialists for an all-day workshop covering topics every ruminant livestock producer needs to know from grazing and nutrition, livestock marketing, facilities and housing. Training sessions will be species-specific that include hands-on training in animal care and handling, basic animal health, livestock evaluation, and much more. The cost to attend is $30 per person with lunch included. Space is limited to the first 40 people to register by Monday, September 29, 2025. Registration is open now and payment is accepted online. If online registration isn’t your preferred method to use, that is ok too! Contact Christine Gelley at the Noble County OSU Extension Office by calling 740-305-3173 to get registered and arrange to pay by check. To view the program agenda, register, and pay visit: https://go.osu.edu/smallfarmruminantfieldday
Wrap up the month of October by joining the Statewide Drive-It-Yourself Sheep Production Tour which will visit farms in the Noble and Morgan County area on Saturday, October 25. The route will begin at 10 a.m. with a stop at the Eastern Agricultural Research Station, then proceed to The Ray Family Farm near Cumberland, a lunch picnic (included with the $15 registration fee) will follow at the Miner’s Memorial Park and Big Muskie Bucket, then the tour will conclude at Rocky Knob Farm near McConnelsville. The tour is put on by the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association and Ohio Farm Bureau. To learn more about the tour or to register to attend by the October 17 deadline, visit: https://ohiosheep.org/osia/statewide-sheep-production-tour/ or call committee chair- Gary Wilson at 419-348-3500.
More livestock themed programs will continue to be developed for Fall 2025 and announced soon. We are always open to hearing program suggestions for the future! Contact Christine Gelley at gelley.2@osu.edu or 740-305-3173 to share your ideas.
Upcoming Events
The last Caldwell Community Seed Library program of 2025 will be at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 14 at the Noble County OSU Extension Office (46049 Marietta Rd. Caldwell, OH) in the shared conference room. This class will be our seed saving and garden harvest party- a celebration of a productive season and will include prize drawings based on program attendance throughout the year. We hope to see you there! Call 740-732-5681 to RSVP. Walk-ins are also welcome.
October’s Farm Talk Breakfast program will provide helpful insights on sizing your freezer to your autumn harvest (garden & game) and include an update on the impacts of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in Southeast Ohio. The program will take place from 8:30-10:00 on Friday, October 24 at the OSU Extension Operations Building (16714 Wolf Run Rd., Caldwell, OH 43724). The event is free to attend and includes breakfast. Please RSVP by October 22 to gelley.2@osu.edu or 740-732-5681.