Farm and Dairy’s week in review: 5/9

Here are this week’s top stories from Farm and Dairy:

1. Essential oils 101

The essential oils trend is growing. With numerous brands to choose from, it’s important to understand the quality of the essential oils you’re buying, as well as your intended uses for them.

Online columnist Ivory Harlow explains what essential oils are, provides tips for purchasing them and offers five ways to use them for cleaning, air freshening, aromatherapy, antibacterial purposes and for minor health reasons.

2. Black cutworms are on their way

Recently, large populations of black cutworms were reported in Indiana and Kentucky, so Ohio will likely see them next. Black cutworms are migratory pests from the South that cause stand loss in corn, and they’re especially attracted to chickweed.

Armyworms are another problem for producers. Females will lay eggs in grasses, including wheat. The larvae will defoliate wheat plants and ultimately cause yield loss.

3. Ohio FFA members told to direct their own life-script

The 87th Ohio FFA Convention was packed with excitement and advice. Motivational speaker Curtis Zimmerman challenged Ohio FFA members to “live life at performance level.” Zimmerman told FFA’ers to get passionate about their potential, take control of the next stage of their lives and not fear growing and changing when taking on new challenges.

 4. Ohio FFA’ers are ‘ag educators’ too

Ohio’s 300-plus FFA chapters are made up of individuals who are already ag educators, according to Ohio Director of Agriculture David Daniels. There’s a shortage in the number of ag educators in Ohio, so it’s up to FFA’ers to carry on their passion and love of agriculture to educate future generations.

5. May’s gardening to-do list

It’s finally time for gardeners to plant their fruit, vegetables and flowers. Once the last frost date passes, it’s safe for tender plants to remain uncovered.

Choosing fertilizer is an important decision for gardeners to make. To make an informed decision, know what kind of soil makes up your garden and what your plants need to survive. Then, choose a fertilizer that will supply the missing nutrients to the soil. It’s also important for gardeners to have pest control methods in mind for wildlife and insects that will undoubtedly visit your garden.