Rachel Wagoner

SALEM, Ohio — Pennsylvania is in the midst of a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak that’s impacted more than 7 million birds in the south-central part of the state.

Most people think of influenza as a seasonal respiratory illness causing fever and body aches during the winter. What makes influenza unique is that it doesn’t disappear when human flu season ends. Influenza A viruses circulate year-round in animals, particularly wild birds, quietly evolving until the right conditions allow them to jump species.

COLUMBUS — The 2026-27 Ohio hunting and trapping season dates that begin this fall were have been proposed to the Ohio Wildlife Council. White-tailed deer, waterfowl and small game hunting seasons were included in the proposals.

I recently attended the Ohio Beef Cow/Calf workshop held in Washington County, where the focus was reproduction and genetics as important factors that ensure longevity within a herd.

Jeff Linn plays the bagpipe to lead in the Ohio Shorthorn Lassies at the 2021 Ohio Beef Expo. (Submitted photo)

Ohio 4-H 2026 Hall of Fame Inductees include Sherri Martin, of Warren County; Dan Messaros, of Lorain County; and Amy Fleshman, of Franklin County. (Submitted photo)

The Keystone Animal Diagnostics Center opened at Penn State Beaver, giving Western Pennsylvania farmers faster, local animal health testing

The sun is starting to shine, I’ve already killed my first round of seeds, but the strawberries are blooming! From a Family and Consumer Sciences perspective, gardening is about more than growing food. It supports a healthy diet, helps manage household resources like money and time and teaches essential life skills to children.

The rod I couldn’t afford, a used hand-tied fly and my first salmon. (Jim Abrams photo)

I am living a lie. I pretend to be a free and easy devil-may-care sort of lady. By this I mean I am a small purse girl. I like to travel light. I do not haul around a large pocketbook or hefty handbag. I like to carry a wallet, lip gloss and a debit card. I rarely carry cash. I have a husband for that. I love a little crossbody purse that is no bigger than a pouch or perhaps a little wallet on a string — something tiny and light. I like to move through my day hands-free.