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Welcome to this issue of our bi-weekly CSU Land-Grant e-News (published on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month). We keep you in the know of happenings in the CSU 1890 Land-Grant Programs, Extension, and Agricultural Research and Development (ARD). Each issue brings you new and engaging content. Enjoy!

CSU welcomes new VP for RED and Director of 1890 Land-Grant Programs

The CSU family welcomed Jose Ulises Toledo, Ph.D., as the new Vice President for Research and Economic Development (RED) and Director of 1890 Land-Grant Programs Aug. 1 in the Norman E. Ward Sr. Center ballroom with delightful pastry and beverages. CSU President Dr. Morakinyo A.O. Kuti, who was Dr. Toledo's immediate predecessor in that position, told CSU staff present that "I know Dr. Toledo is the right man for the job." At the same time, Dr. Kuti said to Dr. Toledo: "They will give you all the support you will need."

Dr. Toledo expressed gratitude to Dr. Kuti and the CSU search committee for giving him the opportunity to serve in his new position. "I am actually very happy to be here. I am going to do my best so that we can take [CSU RED and Land-Grant] to the next level," he said.

Before coming to CSU, Dr. Toledo was Vice Chancellor for Research at the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Baton Rouge, La. Prior to joining Southern University, he was Vice President for Research, Public Service, and Dean and Director of Land-Grant Programs at West Virginia State University.

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Photos by Cyril Ibe/Land-Grant Communications



Central State University’s food safety lab and plant pathology has been relocated to a temporary, leased space at Wright State University since July 2.

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Urban corner flourishes with Brighton Grows Community Garden

Submitted photos

In photo: Denise Natoli Brooks (l) joins in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Natoli Brooks is Extension Educator, Southeast Ohio, Agricultural and Natural Resources.

Brighton Grows Community Garden in Zanesville, Ohio, is the home of the Central State University (CSU) Extension Beginning Farmer Demonstration Site, offering a hands-on learning environment for novice and aspiring farmers. This urban corner, shared with a Veterans Garden, Food Pantry Garden, and Youth Garden, serves as a vibrant hub for cultivating seasonal vegetables and fostering community engagement.

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Seed-saving Frenzy

Submitted Photos

It was seed-saving frenzy on Aug. 1 at the Central State University’s Seed to Bloom Botanical and Community Garden, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The purpose of saving heirloom seeds is to preserve the diversity of food crops. Heirloom seeds will be true to the parent crop, while hybrid seeds will produce characteristics of one parent or another, not giving the desired crop.

A small group of gardening enthusiasts braved the pending storms on that day to visit the Garden to learn how to save seeds for next year’s planting. The CSU exercise primarily focused on heirloom tomato varieties of Purple Cherokee, Brandywine, Amana Orange, and a few unknown varieties. The attendees enjoyed tasting the varieties after scooping seeds into small condiment cups, adding some water to help the fermenting process begin. After a week or so, the gelatinous seed coat will fall off; the seeds can be rinsed, dried, and labeled for the next planting season. 

"Food varieties extinction is happening all over the world – and it’s happening fast. In the United States, an estimated 90 percent of our historic fruit and vegetable varieties have vanished,” according to a July 2021 “Food Ark” column published in National Geographic magazine. “Experts estimate that we have lost more than half of the world's food varieties over the past century.”

-- Clare Thorn, Extension Associate, Agriculture and Natural Resources

Watch out in all Land-Grant publications for more coverage of numerous other summer camps and activities across Ohio.

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CSU Land-Grant e-News is published on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. Feel free to share the newsletter with your work colleagues, friends, and family members.

Research and Economic Development & 1890 Land-Grant Programs

Jose U. Toledo, Ph.D.

Vice President for Research and Economic Development & Director, 1890 Land-Grant Programs

Land-Grant Communications Team

Cyril Ibe, Ph.D.

Interim Communications Coordinator/Editor

Crystal Duckett

Media Relations Specialist

Jesse Montgomery

Videographer/App Developer/Photographer

Extension

Cindy (Alcinda) Folck, Ph.D.

Interim Associate Extension Administrator

Agricultural Research and Development Program (ARDP)

Shafiqur (Shafi) Rahman, Ph.D.

Associate Research Director

Contact:

937.376.6276

landgrantcommunications@centralstate.edu

YOU CAN GET IN TOUCH WITH US

CSU Extension has offices in five regions in Ohio, covering 42 counties. You can contact Alcinda Folck, Ph.D., interim associate Extension administrator, at (937) 376-6101, or via email: afolck@centralstate.edu.



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Central State University, an 1890 Land-Grant Institution, is committed to the full inclusion of all people and does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, race, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, marital or family status, military status, national origin, political beliefs, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. If reasonable accommodations are needed, please contact the Department of Human Resources at (937) 376-6540. Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution.