Ag Notes

Urban Farmer Networking Meeting
Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District (Lucas SWCD) is offering a new program for Toledo-area urban farmers to meet and share experiences with each other in order to continue to encourage and support urban agriculture in the county.
Aspiring urban farmers are also welcome to participate.
Meetings will be held monthly, or as frequently as the group decides, at the Lucas SWCD office in Toledo. The first meeting will be held Tuesday, Nov. 19 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. The office is located at 3350 Hill Ave., Suite K. Coffee and pastries will be provided.
The group will determine specific topics of interest for future meetings and possible off-site field trips. Potential topics of interest include soil safety and conservation, marketing, value-added products, composting, attracting pollinators, grants, water access, hoop houses, and garden pests and management. Local experts will also be invited to the meetings depending on the topic of discussion.
Those interested in joining, may RSVP to Penny Bollin, Lucas SWCD’s Urban Conservation Technician, at 419- 377-0065 or PBollin@co.lucas.oh.us.

Operation Evergreen
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and Ohio Christmas Tree Association (OCTA) are sending holiday cheer to American troops stationed overseas through Operation Evergreen.
One hundred Ohio-grown Christmas trees and homemade decorations will be shipped to military men and women serving overseas in Jordan.
“Operation Evergreen offers us an opportunity to express our appreciation to our military members who serve our country, and especially recognize our servicemen and women who won’t be with their families for the holidays,” said ODA Director Brian Baldridge. “Sending a piece of home overseas lets them know they are in our thoughts, not just during the holidays, but every day.”
Ohio Christmas tree growers from all over the state donate the trees to Operation Evergreen, now in its 29th year. The annual event is held on ODA’s Reynoldsburg campus, where trees are inspected for pests, wrapped and packaged with the help of local volunteers and students.
The shipment will be issued a phytosanitary certificate for international shipment from ODA Plant Health inspectors. Decorations are handmade and donated by local schools, churches and veterans’ groups, ensuring each military unit receiving a package will have what they need this holiday season.
The Ohio Department of Veterans Services and the Ohio Adjutant General’s Department are joining the effort this year.
“This act of kindness is impactful to the morale of the brave men and women who are defending our freedoms abroad,” said Maj. Gen. (U.S. Army, retired) Deborah Ashenhurst, director of the Ohio Department of Veterans Services. “I’m grateful for their service and that we can send a meaningful part of Christmas tradition, letting them know how much they are missed during the holiday season. Thank you, ODA and OCTA, for this wonderful gesture.”
Operation Evergreen is sponsored by OCTA with the help of UPS. OCTA has delivered Christmas trees to troops stationed overseas since 1995.