Join the Hamilton County Conservation District for a morning of fun and learning as we celebrate healthy soil—and the first annual Ohio Soil Health Week!! Healthy soil supports growing healthy food, both in our backyard gardens and in our crop fields. Healthy soil also supports communities that are good places to live: nourishing shade trees and landscaping, absorbing rainwater, and supporting diverse wildlife. At the Healthy Soil Festival, you can learn ways to help improve and protect soil in your own yard or neighborhood. The Open House style Festival will include interactive learning stations and exhibitor and vendor booths. The last hour of the Festival will be a program on soil testing with a speaker describing how to conduct a soil test, how to interpret results, and introducing methods to improve soil fertility to achieve your growing goals. Attendees are welcome to bring their soil test results (if they have tested in advance), or they can pick up soil test kits that day to bring home. Registration is recommended but not required.

In honor of Ohio Soil Health Week, join Green Umbrella at Camp Washington Perennial Farm for their “Bring Your Own Bucket” fall compost sale! This 2-hour event offers high-quality compost perfect for putting your gardens to bed for the winter, along with essential education on the composting process. Event Goals: Provide high-quality compost for fall garden winterization Educate attendees about the composting process and its benefits for soil health Promote sustainable gardening practices for the fall and winter seasons Showcase our farm’s commitment to soil stewardship Attendees are encouraged to bring their own buckets to purchase compost by volume ($8), with bagged compost also available for sale ($10). Learn how to properly prepare your garden for winter using our nutrient-rich compost. Our knowledgeable staff will be on hand to explain the composting process and answer your fall gardening questions. Open to the public (gardeners) If you’re looking for compost now, order online any time, and learn more at the Common Orchard Project’s website.

Looking for something new, made by food and agricultural producers, to add to your menu, grocery store, or specialty retail space? If so, the Ohio Department of Agriculture invites you to attend the Ohio Proud Food Summit event on Thursday November 21, 2024, from 11am-1pm.  The Ohio Proud Food Summit features Ohio Proud partners and their locally made products and is FREE to attend! Join us in meeting local businesses and sampling Ohio made products that include snack foods, baked goods, condiments, specialty sauces, bath and body care-- and more! Please complete the attached form and submit your RSVP to Ashley.McDonald@agri.ohio.gov by Thursday, November 14, 2024. REGISTRATION FORM

Running a family farm is hard enough. Add in climate change, a worldwide pandemic, and the increasing economic uncertainty brought on by megafarms, and it's easy to see that being an independent farmer in America is a profession of survival. Following four Midwest family farms over several years, the documentary Greener Pastures is a story of perseverance within the farming industry in the heartland. Join FairShare CSA Coalition live to watch the 90-minute documentary, hosted by the Midwest Vegetable Growers Network, and then stick around for conversation with two of the farmers featured in the documentary: Chris Petersen, from Iowa, and Jeff Ditzenberger, from Wisconsin. We'll have lightly facilitated discussion with an opportunity for open Q&A. View educational resources related to the film here. This event is brought to you by FairShare CSA Coalition and the MVEG Network's working group on Farmer Resiliency & Mental Health. Find our support resources here. Register for free here.