Hardin County Agriculture and Natural Resources

Hello,

It’s been awhile since I sent out a Hardin County Agriculture and Natural Resources Update so I have a lot of information to share.  I will try to keep this edition brief as I am sure many of you are busy with harvest.  The Hardin County Carcass Show of Champions was held on September 12 at Mt. Victory Meats.  I have attached an article and score sheet if you are interested in knowing how the results of the carcass show came out.  Thanks to all the sponsors who made this event possible.  The Dairy Service Unit is currently collecting orders for their fall cheese sale.  See the attached article and order form if you are interested in ordering cheese from this commodity group’s annual fundraiser by October 17 to support dairy youth in the county.

Carcass Show Results News Release

Hardin County Carcass Show 2018

Fall Cheese Sale News Release

Cheese Sale Flyer Fall 2018

I completed the county weed survey on September 14 in the southern part of the county and September 17 in the northern part of the county.  Read the attached article for information about which weeds were found in 175 soybean fields surveyed.  The good news is that 26% of the fields were weed free.  The bad news is that several weeds are becoming resistant and spreading.  Did you nominate anyone for the Agriculture Hall of Fame yet?  Nominations are due October 15 to the Extension office.  Please share the attached application with a family member of someone you think is deserving.  It’s that time of year for our annual Hardin County Sheep Management Tour.  This year our group is visiting sheep farms in the northwestern corner of the state.  I have included the letter sent out with more information about this event coming up the weekend of October 20-21.

County Weed Survey News Release

Ag Hall of Fame Purpose and Nomination Form

Sheep Tour Invitation Letter

We were able to harvest the soybean population test plot this past Monday.  Harvest across the county has progressed in between rains and as field conditions permitted.  See the attached Ohio Crop Weather Reports for September 17, 24, and October 1 for more details.  There are Ag Lender Seminars coming up this month in Urbana, Ottawa, and Wooster.  See that attached brochure for registration information for opportunities to participate.  Finally, the USDA has introduced the Market Facilitation Program in response to tariff retaliation for agricultural commodities.  Check out this brochure to get a summary of these programs that have a sign-up deadline of January 15 at the local FSA office.

Crop Weather 9/17

Crop Weather 9/24

Crop Weather 10/1

Ag Lender Trifold 2018

MFP Brochure

Upcoming events include a Fairboard meeting at the fair office Thursday (10/11) starting at 7:00 pm; and a Soil and Water Conservation District meeting at the SWCD office Thursday (10/18) starting at 7:30 am.  As usual, I have provided some ag crops articles below that you may interested in reading.

Mark

Syngenta Corn Seed Settlement Claims Due Oct.12^th – Peggy Hall

Those post cards advising producers of a $1.51 billion settlement in the Syngenta corn seed lawsuits are legitimate, and corn producers seeking compensation from the settlement must file claims by 11:59 p.m. on October 12, 2018.  The settlement is the result of class action and individual lawsuits alleging that Syngenta failed to receive import approval from China before selling its genetically modified Viptera and Duracade seeds in the United States, which led to the rejection of U.S. corn shipments and a lowering of corn prices from 2013 to 2018.  To read more, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-34/syngenta-corn-seed-settlement-claims-due-oct12th.

Sprouting Soybeans – Laura Lindsey

We’ve received a few pictures from around the state of green soybean pods splitting and also seed sprouting out of pods. While it is not uncommon to see pre-harvest pod shatter just prior to harvest due to re-wetting of dry pods, the pictures we’ve received have been of soybeans at the R6 growth stage.  Splitting of green pods may be related to the recent warm, wet (high intensity rainfall), and humid weather. (The Western Agricultural Research Station in Clark County had a high temperature of ≥93°F over a three day period in September followed by 3.5 inches of rain in a four day period.) Wet conditions at the R6 growth stage results in a large seed size that may split pods. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-31/sprouting-soybeans to read more of this article.

Stalk Quality Concerns – Peter Thomison, Pierce Paul

Poor stalk quality is being observed and reported in Ohio corn fields. One of the primary causes of this problem is stalk rot. Corn stalk rot, and consequently, lodging, are the results of several different but interrelated factors. The actual disease, stalk rot, is caused by one or more of several fungi capable of colonizing and disintegrating of the inner tissues of the stalk. The most common members of the stalk rot complex are Gibberella zeae, Colletotrichum graminicola, Stenocarpella maydis and members of the genus Fusarium. Read more about stalk quality at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-33/stalk-quality-concerns.

Preparation of Grain Bins for Storage of Corn and Soybeans – Curtis Young

(Empty Bin Treatments for Grain Bins for Storage of Corn, Popcorn and Soybeans) First – before using any product to treat grain bins, always read the most current label for the product to assure that the product is used correctly.  This is for the protection of the grain to be stored in the bin as well as for the protection of the applicator of the product.  Labels for products are subject to change from one year to the next, product registrations can be changed and/or canceled and rates may be changed.  Errors made because of not reading the most current label could result in injury to the applicator or contamination of the grain with a non-labeled product making it unsalable.  Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-31/preparation-grain-bins-storage-corn-and-soybeans to finish reading about grain bin preparation. 

It’s almost that time of year … Don’t forget to calibrate your yield monitor! – John Barker

Remember the old adage … Garbage in = Garbage out.  Many of us use our yield data to make additional management decisions on our farms such as hybrid or variety selection, fertilizer applications, marketing, etc.  Data from an uncalibrated yield monitor can haunt us for many years by leading us into improper decisions with lasting financial affects.  In today’s Ag economy we can ill afford any decision with adverse financial implications. To read more about calibrating yield monitors, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-31/it%E2%80%99s-almost-time-year-%E2%80%A6-don%E2%80%99t-forget-calibrate-your-yield-monitor.

Mark A. Badertscher

Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator

OSU Extension Hardin County

1021 W. Lima Street, Suite 103, Kenton, OH 43326

419-674-2297 Office

hardin.osu.edu

Hello,

I hope that you had the opportunity to get out to the Hardin County Fair this past week.  Now that the fair is over for this year, the next big event on the calendar is the Farm Science Review.  We still have tickets for sale at the Extension office through Monday for $7 per person.  $1 of that total stays in the county and if you wait until the day of the Farm Science Review on September 18-20, you will have to pay $10 at the gate.  The Farm Science Review has increased its size this year, enclosing the Ag Crops Team plots and surrounding area for the ride and drive part of the show.  If you are planning to attend this year’s FSR Tuesday-Thursday of next week, make sure you stop by this new section of the exhibit area.  I will be doing a presentation on Nitrogen Management in Corn in the Small Farm Center Building on Thursday at 10:30 so see the attached poster for details if you are interested.

Farm Science Review Nitrogen in Corn

According to the USDA, corn is rated 79% good to excellent and soybeans are rated up to 80% good to excellent according to the latest Ohio Crop Weather Reports.  I have attached both the September 4^th and September 10 reports for you to read more about Ohio’s crop progress.  I noticed one soybean field partially harvested here locally and they have begun to open up the fields at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London in preparation for this year’s Farm Science Review.  Rain continues to fall here in Hardin County with 4.78 inches recorded in August and 19.60 inches for the growing season as of April 15.  See the attached August 2018 Rainfall Summary for more information about how the rainfall has affected crops.

Ohio Crop Weather Report September 4

Ohio Crop Weather Report September 10

August 2018 Rainfall Summary News Release

Hardin County Agriculture Hall of Fame nominations are being collected for 2018.  This year’s Ag Hall of Fame Banquet is scheduled for Tuesday, December 4 with nominations due to the Extension office by October 15.  Nominees must have made their major contribution to agriculture primarily as a result of being born, growing up, living in, or working in Hardin County, Ohio. Outstanding agriculturalists may be nominated by individuals or organizations.  Please take a look at the attached news release and nomination form and encourage someone you know to nominate a family member or individual you believe is worthy of this honor.  Often times people are too humble to nominate themselves, so all it takes is a little encouragement to get the person properly recognized.

Ag Hall of Fame Nominations News Release

Ag Hall of Fame Purpose and Nomination Form

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced a new sign-up deadline for its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).  The local NRCS office is currently planning for the next crop year, and this October 19, 2018 deadline applies to the 2019 crop year.  EQIP is a very popular and important program for Hardin County farmers and landowners.  In 2018, Hardin County NRCS obligated 22 contracts for more than $1.7M.  Currently Hardin County has 50 active EQIP contracts for almost $6M.  Stop by the Hardin Ag Service Center and see Megan Burgess for more details.  I have attached a copy of the news release which will provide more information about the procedure.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program News Release

Upcoming events include a Pumpkin Disease Diagnosis Field Night October 3 in Piketon.  See the attached flyer for more information.  Locally, Ag Council will be meeting for breakfast tomorrow morning (9/14) starting at 7:00 am in Henry’s Restaurant to discuss waterhemp and Palmer amaranth along with other topics; Ada Harvest and Herb Festival is Saturday (9/15); Hardin Soil and Water Conservation District is meeting Thursday (9/20) starting at 7:30 am in the SWCD office; and the Farm Bureau ATV Tour is being held in combination with Van Scoy Farms ‘Feast on the Farm’ Sunday (9/23).  I have included some Ag Crops articles for you to read as we wait for the crops to be ready for harvest.

Pumpkin Disease Diagnosis Field Night Flyer

Mark

Tropical Moisture Invades Ohio – Aaron Wilson

It was quite the wet week across the state of Ohio! Scattered thunderstorms throughout the week brought isolated 1-2” rainfall amounts. The big story began on Friday night, as a stalled out front provided a path for the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon to move through the region, bringing steady to moderate rain and gusty winds from Friday night through Monday morning. While rainfall was certainly heaviest across the southern counties of Ohio this weekend, almost the entire state picked up appreciable amounts of rain. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-30/tropical-moisture-invades-ohio to read more about the weather.

Farm Science Review is September 18, 19 & 20 – Harold Watters

The Farm Science Review this year is September 18, 19 and 20 at the London, Ohio location. The parking lots have been reworked, seeded and improved over the past year with more gravel areas added. Drainage has also been improved in the exhibit area to fasten water removal – all to give you a better experience. Tickets can be purchased from your local Extension office and from many ag retailers, or go on-line to the FSR website: https://fsr.osu.edu/onlineticketform. A repeat this year, the Farm Science Review app will help you find and locate what it is you are looking for – look for “Farm Science Review 2018” on Google Play or the Apple App stores. Finish reading this article at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-30/farm-science-review-september-18-19-20.

Wheat Management for Fall 2018 – Laura Lindsey, Pierce Paul, Ed Lentz

Wheat helps reduce problems associated with the continuous planting of soybean and corn and provides an ideal time to apply fertilizer in July/August after harvest. With soybean harvest around the corner, we would like to remind farmers of a few management decisions that are important for a successful crop. For additional information on winter wheat management, download a free pdf of the Ohio Agronomy Guide available here:https://stepupsoy.osu.edu/wheat-production/ohio-agronomy-guide-15th-edition. To read the rest of this article, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-29/wheat-management-fall-2018.

Early Yellowing Soybeans – Anne Dorrance

Soybeans across the state range from ready to harvest to still flowering.  But in some fields, the yellowing was limited to pockets – some was sudden death syndrome or brown stem rot, charcoal rot, Phytophthora stem rot, and soybean cyst nematode.  There are some other early yellowing situations that we are still working on an accurate diagnosis, but yellowing in these cases may be linked to fertility issues and/or related to late flooding injury. To read more, click on https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-29/early-yellowing-soybeans.

Mexican Bean Beetles Make an Appearance – Kelley Tilmon, Andy Michel, Clifton Martin

Though less common than it once was, the Mexican bean beetle still maintains a presence in Ohio, and we have been getting a few reports of economic populations in soybean this month, largely in the east-central part of the state.  The Mexican bean beetle adult is a small, copper-colored beetle with numerous black spots, while the larva (immature) is yellow with black spines. The adult beetle resembles a ladybeetle because they are members of the same insect family, Coccinellidae. Mexican bean beetles are one of the few members of this family that are plant pests. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-28/mexican-bean-beetles-make-appearance to finish reading this article.

Mark A. Badertscher

Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator

OSU Extension Hardin County

1021 W. Lima Street, Suite 103, Kenton, OH 43326

419-674-2297 Office

hardin.osu.edu

Good afternoon,

The Hardin County Fair is underway!  Make sure you take the time to get out to the fairgrounds to support both the youth and adults who have entries in this year’s county fair.  While you are out there, be sure you stop by the Cattle Producers, Pork Producers, and Sheep Improvement Association food buildings to support these local livestock commodity groups who do projects to support Hardin County junior fair youth.  If you don’t plan to attend this year’s Hardin County Fair, you can also support your favorite non-profit group through America’s Farmers Grow Communities at https://www.facebook.com/AmericasFarmers/videos/10156566110773524/.  You won’t want to miss the Hardin County Carcass Show of Champions being held Wednesday, September 12, 6:00 pm at Mt. Victory Meats.  This carcass show will compare the champion and reserve champion steers, barrows, gilts, lambs, and goats from the county fair.  See the attached news release and flyer for more details about this coming event.

Carcass Show News Release

Carcass Show Flyer

Corn silage harvest has started in the county this past week.  A field of corn was shelled in Darke County with 18.3% moisture.  Today I heard on a conference call that a few soybean fields in other counties are close to being harvested.  See the August 27 Ohio Crop Weather report provided by USDA for numbers specific to Ohio crops.  Before harvest begins, there will be an opportunity for agronomists, Certified Crop Advisers, custom applicators and farmers to attend this year’s Farm Science Review Agronomy College being held September 11 in London.  See the attached flyer for more details and how to register.  Are you interested in learning how to shear sheep?  If so, don’t miss out on this year’s Statewide Sheep Shearing School being held September 14-15, sponsored by the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association and OSU Extension.  See the attached registration flyer for more information about this school.

Ohio Crop Weather August 27

Agronomy College Flyer

Statewide Sheep Shearing School  Form

This year’s Hardin County Farm Bureau ATV Tour is Sunday, September 23 in combination with Van Scoy Farm’s Feast on the Farm.  You do not have to be a Farm Bureau member to participate, and this year there is also a car/truck tour that visits the same farms.  See the attached flyer to find out how to experience local agriculture close to home.  Registration for this tour is due by September 10.  Other upcoming local events include Ag Council breakfast on Friday, September 14 starting at 7:00 am at Henry’s Restaurant and the Ada Harvest and Herb Festival, which is taking place Saturday, September 15 in that village.  If you are interested in reading ag crops articles, see the ones below that I have included in this newsletter.  I hope to see you at the fair!

ATV Farm Tour Flyer

Mark

Ear Rots of Corn: Telling them Apart – Pierce Paul, Felipe Dalla Lana da Silva

Over the last few weeks, we have received samples with at least four different types of ear rots – Diplodia, Gibberella, Fusarium, and Trichoderma. Of these, Diplodia ear rot seems to be the most prevalent. Ear rots differ from each other in terms of the damage they cause (their symptoms), the toxins they produce, and the specific conditions under which they develop. Most are favored by wet, humid conditions during silk emergence (R1) and just prior to harvest. But they vary in their temperature requirements, with most being restricted my excessively warm conditions such as the 90+ F forecasted for the next several days. However, it should be noted that even when conditions are not optimum for ear rot development, mycotoxins may accumulate in infected ears.  Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-28/ear-rots-corn-telling-them-apart to finish reading about corn ear rots.

Late-Season Pod Feeding by Bean Leaf Beetle or Grasshopper – Kelley Tilmon, Andy Michel

We have heard a few reports of either bean leaf beetles or grasshoppers increasing in soybeans.  As we start to approach the end of the growing season the larger concern with these insects is the potential for pod feeding, rather than foliage feeding.  Pod feeding directly impacts grain quality.  Crop stage is also an important consideration.  Late-planted fields or double-cropped soybeans which are still green when other fields are drying down can be “trap crops,” attracting both bean leaf beetles or grasshoppers leaving the other fields.  Such fields bear close watching.  Read the rest of this article at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-27/late-season-pod-feeding-bean-leaf-beetle-or-grasshopper.

Tillage After Wheat Harvest – A Good Idea? – Steve Culman

After winter wheat harvest, it’s not an uncommon sight in Ohio to see producers tilling their fields to incorporate wheat residue. These fields are often left fallow until the following spring before there are crops planted again. But is this a good idea? Of course, the answer will depend on the goals of using tillage, but from a soil conservation perspective the answer is nearly always ‘no’. Tillage after wheat with no crop planted until the following spring will leave soil exposed for nine months or more, giving the erosive forces of wind and water time to reduce and devalue one of the most important assets producers have – the soil on their farms.  To finish reading this article, click on https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-25/tillage-after-wheat-harvest-%E2%80%93-good-idea.

Late Season Alfalfa Management – Rory Lewandowski, Mark Sulc

Late season alfalfa management decisions often come down to balancing a need for forage versus stand health and winter survival.  Weather patterns across the state in 2018 have been variable.  Lack of summer rain in some areas have decreased forage yields, frequent rains or too much rainfall in other areas have blown apart harvest schedules and/or resulted in low quality forage inventories.  Taking a fall alfalfa harvest is an opportunity to increase both the quality and quantity of the farm forage inventory.  Like most farming decisions, there are trade-offs and risk factors to consider when making a fall alfalfa harvest. The decision of when to take the last harvest of alfalfa to insure good winter survival and yield potential for the following year can be boiled down to two choices.  To read more about these choices, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-27/late-season-alfalfa-management.

Western Bean Cutworm: Final Adult Moth Update – John Schoenhals, Mark Badertscher, Lee Beers, Bruce Clevenger, Sam Custer, Tom Dehass, Allen Gahler, Jason Hartschuh, Ed Lentz, Cecilia Lokai-Minnich, David Marrison, Sarah Noggle, Les Ober, Eric Richer, Garth Ruff, Jeff Stachler, Alan Sundermeier, Curtis Young, Megan Zerrer, Chris Zoller, Andy Michel, Kelley Tilmon

As Western bean cutworm (WBC) adult trap monitoring comes to an end for the 2018 season, we would like to thank everyone for their participation including land owners and farm cooperators who allowed us to place traps in their fields. Week ending August 25, 2018 was our final week monitoring WBC adult moth catches in Ohio as very few adult moths are being reported in the bucket traps. Overall, 23 counties monitored 69 traps and resulted in a statewide average of 0.7 adult moths per trap (51 total captured). This is a decrease from an average of 1.2 moths per trap (76 total captured) the previous week. See the above graphic for average WBC adult per trap in Ohio counties, followed in parentheses by total number of traps monitored in each county for the week ending August 25, 2018. Legend (bottom right) describes the color coding on map for the average WBC per county.

Mark A. Badertscher

Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator

OSU Extension Hardin County

1021 W. Lima Street, Suite 103, Kenton, OH 43326

419-674-2297 Office

hardin.osu.edu

Good evening,

Rains continued this past week to provide moisture for soybean and corn crops.  According to the attached August 20 Ohio Crop Weather Report, Findlay received 1.37 inches and Lima/Allen County received 0.93 inches for the week.  Although this will help the soybeans fill their pods, it can also bring about possible disease.  Now is a good time to check soybeans for root rot, white mold, and frogeye if you have a history of these diseases in your field.  There have been some reports of sudden death syndrome in soybean as well.  If you have a susceptible variety, you may want to take a look at your seed line-up for disease resistance packages in 2019.  Scouting corn this past week, I did notice some stalk rot in a field that I was checking.  Previously, we have noticed gray leaf spot and northern corn leaf blight in several area corn fields.  This can be expected with the weather we have been receiving this summer.

Ohio Crop Weather Report August 20

Waterhemp and Palmer amaranth continue to be a major concern in western Ohio.  I have noticed the spread of waterhemp in Hardin County.  This past year I estimated it was infesting 4% of the soybean fields in the county, but this year I believe that number will be higher.  If you see waterhemp in your fields now, the only thing you can do at this point is hand pull it or cut it before the seeds become viable.  See the attached articles written by Dr. Mark Loux, OSU Extension Weed Scientist for information about scouting and what to do if you have these weeds.  I have also included an article written by Dr. Jeff Stachler, OSU Extension Educator-Auglaize County for information regarding the number of seeds that each type of weed produces and how long they stay viable in the soil.  The main point is that you want to do everything possible to prevent seed dispersal and prevent infestation with a well thought out herbicide management program in 2019.  If not, these weeds can take over a field and reduce profitability quickly.  If you are not aware of what these weeds look like, I have attached a photo.

Waterhemp-Palmer Amaranth News Release

Weed Seeds News Release

Upcoming events in the area that I have included flyers are Beef Quality Assurance training August 27 and ‘Our Land, Our Water’ farm tour September 9 in Mercer County.  Shelby County is hosting Beef Quality Assurance training September 8 and ‘Drive-It-Yourself Agriculture Tour’ on September 16.  If you need to renew your fertilizer certification, Auglaize County is hosting a fertilizer recertification meeting on September 7.  If you are interested in knowing how the wheat varieties did this year, check out the attached 2018 Ohio Wheat Performance Test.  We now have Farm Science Review tickets for sale at the Extension office for $7 per person.  If you wait until the Farm Science Review on September 18-20, you will need to pay $10 at the gate.

Beef Quality Assurance Flyer – Mercer

Our Land Our Water 2018 Flyer

Beef Quality Assurance Flyer – Shelby

Shelby County Ag Tour 2018 Flyer

2018 Ohio Wheat Performance Test

Fertilizer Recertification Flyer

Upcoming local events include the Hardin County Cattle Producers Picnic Saturday (8/25) starting at 6:00 pm in the Community Building at the fairgrounds; OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers meeting Monday (8/27) starting at 7:00 pm at Harco Industries, Ag Hall of Fame fair booth set-up Wednesday (8/29) starting at 5:00 pm in the Machinery Building at the fairgrounds; Fairboard meeting Wednesday (8/29) starting at 7:00 pm in the Community Building at the fairgrounds; and Farm Bureau meeting/fair booth set-up Thursday (8/30) starting at 6:30 pm in the Machinery Building at the fairgrounds.  I have included some agronomy articles below that you may be interested in reading.

Mark

Soybean Disease Outlook for August – Anne Dorrance

We have soybeans in all different growth stages but the majority of the crop looks great but there are a few highlights based on some scouting and reports from last week. Frogeye leaf spot – the fungicides do seem to be holding this at bay for those fields where it got an early start.  It is now showing up in northern Ohio, but too little too late to do any damage.  The caveat for this will be to monitor these fields to identify the susceptible varieties – and then avoid those varieties in those fields for 2019. Sclerotinia stem rot – white mold is just beginning.  At two of my field research plots there were a few plants with 1” long lesions and white mold.  To read more about late season soybean diseases, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-26/soybean-disease-outlook-august.

Did You See Crop injury from Slugs or Voles in 2017 or 2018? –  Greg LaBarge

We have heard varying reports of crop injury including replanting, treatment with control products or tillage from slugs and vole in corn and soybeans across the state. To get a better feel for where and under what conditions these two pests have been active in 2017 and 2018, a short 6-question survey has been put together. The survey is intended for farmers or professionals. The survey will be available until August 31 and should take less than 3 minutes. Please go to http://go.osu.edu/slugvole. For more information on “Slugs on Field Crops,” visit https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ENT-20. A summary of responses will be posted in an upcoming fall issue of the CORN newsletter. If you have any question please contact Greg LaBarge, labarge.1@osu.edu

Recommendations for Seeding Cover Crops in Late Summer – Alan Sundermeier

Just Do It !! Now is an excellent time to improve your soil by planting cover crops.  Leaving soil bare exposes it to erosion and nutrient loss.  Get it covered and protected. There are many cover crop seed choices when planting after small grain harvest.  You can get complex with various mixtures or keep it simple.  An easy to manage, simple cover crop mix that does well this time of year in wheat stubble is oats (1 bu/acre), crimson clover (12 lb/acre), and radish or rape (2 lb/acre).   Mixtures provide a variety of benefits that outperform single species plantings. When using legumes, be sure to inoculate seed with rhizobia for maximum nitrogen gain.  Also be careful about hosting soybean cyst nematode if planting to soybeans next year.  Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-27/recommendations-seeding-cover-crops-late-summer to continue reading this article.

Will Soybean Aphids Reach Threshold This Year? – Andy Michel, Kelley Tilmon

We have heard from a few extension educators and scouts that soybean aphids are starting to make their appearance.  Right now, the number of infested plants is very low (around 5%) and the number of aphids on the plants is also low (average 5-10).  With this level of infestation, it is highly doubtful that soybean aphids will reach threshold, especially in soybean that has already entered the late R stages (R5 and R6).  However, there is a fair amount of late planted soybean that could still be at risk—in fact we were in a field last week that just reached R2.  We recommend that growers continue to scout their fields to make sure that soybean aphid populations remain under the treatment threshold which is 250 aphids per plant.

Western Bean Cutworm: Adult Moth Update – John Schoenhals, Mark Badertscher, Sam Custer, Tom Dehass, Allen Gahler, Mike Gastier, Ed Lentz, Rory Lewandowski, Cecilia Lokai-Minnich, David Marrison, Sarah Noggle, Les Ober, Eric Richer, Garth Ruff, Jeff Stachler, Alan Sundermeier, Curtis Young, Megan Zerrer, Andy Michel, Kelley Tilmon

Western bean cutworm (WBC) adult moth trapping is winding down across the state as very few adults are being captured in the bucket traps. For week ending August 18, 11 counties reported zeros and the statewide average was 1.2 moths per trap (76 total captured). This data was collected from 20 counties that monitored 61 traps. The previous week trap average was 3.0 moths per trap (221 total captured). See more at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-27/western-bean-cutworm-adult-moth-update.

Mark A. Badertscher

Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator

OSU Extension Hardin County

1021 W. Lima Street, Suite 103, Kenton, OH 43326

419-674-2297 Office

hardin.osu.edu

Good afternoon,

During the month of July, Extension rainfall reporters recorded an average of 3.76 inches of rain in Hardin County. Last year, the average rainfall for July was 8.23 inches. Although less rain has been received this year during July, adequate amounts have fallen in most areas of the county for crop production.  About a third of the townships in the county were fairly dry in July while three other townships received substantially above average rainfall.  See the attached July Rainfall Summary for a listing of township rainfall amounts and their effect on crop production.  According to the attached August 13 Crop and Weather Report, corn kernels are developing faster than average and soybeans pods are filling faster than normal due to timely rains and warm temperatures.  If you look back to the attached August 6 Crop and Weather Report, most of the corn and soybeans have been in good condition.  If you take a look at the attached USDA Ohio August 1 Crop Forecast, Ohio corn is expected to average 180 bushels per acre, while soybeans are estimated to average 56 bushels per acre in Ohio this year.  If realized, both would be new record average yields for the state.

July 2018 Rainfall Summary

Ohio Crop Weather Report August 13

Ohio Crop Weather Report August 6

Ohio Crop Forecast August 1 

Are you utilizing variable rate seeding with soybeans?  There will be a soybean Variable Rate Seeding Focus Group meeting in Columbus at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center August 21.  Topics include Creating seeding rate zones and ideal seeding rate within each zone- Dr. Laura Lindsey (Ohio State) and Dr. Maninder Singh (Michigan State).  There will be an expert panel featuring farmers and Dr. Elizabeth Hawkins.  Participants will be asked to fill out a survey and be paid $80.  See the attached flyer for details to register to Laura Lindsey- lindsey.233@osu.edu (614-292-9080).  Another interesting opportunity is the Tile Drainage and Soil Health Field Day taking place August 22 near Bucyrus.  Before doing any tiling or field work, make sure you call 811 to locate pipelines, telecommunications, and other buried hazards at least 2-3 days before digging.  I have attached a news release dealing with this topic.  If you are looking for Ohio Farm Custom Rates, I have attached the newly finished document published every two years by OSU Extension.

Variable Rate Focus Group Flyer

Tile Drainage and Soil Health Field Day

Pipeline Safety News Release

Ohio Farm Custom Rates 2018

This year’s Ohio Summer No-Till Field Day is being held in Wooster on August 29.  Local Hardin County farmer Jan Layman is president of the Ohio No-Till Council this year.  Make sure you read about this event in the August edition of the Ohio No-Till News which I have attached.  Another area field day coming up on the same day is the Precision Ag Day, focusing on Data Management near Milford Center.  Check out the attached flyer for an agenda of the day as well as registration information.  Other upcoming local events include a Pork Producers meeting tonight (8/14) starting at 6:30 pm at Ag Credit; Soil and Water Conservation District board meeting Thursday (8/16) starting at 1:00 pm, followed by voting and meal at 5:00, and annual meeting at 6:30 pm.  This event is being held at the fairgrounds shelter house.  The OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers are having a Monarch Butterflies program Saturday (8/18) starting at 9:00 am in the Friendship Gardens of Hardin County located at 960 W Kohler Street in Kenton.  See the attached flyer for more information.

No-Till News

2018 Precision Ag Field Day Flyer

OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers Summer Garden Programs Flyer

Ohio State University Extension is conducting a needs assessment of the Hardin County Community so that we can better serve you!  As a supporter and patron of our office, you may receive the needs assessment survey via email from our Extension Director, Dr. Roger Rennekamp just after Labor Day.  Please watch your inbox for this survey, which will only take 10-15 minutes of your time to complete.  By providing information on the programs you use and the topic areas that you feel we need to address, you will be helping our office develop a plan of work that can have a greater impact on the Hardin County Community.  As always, I have provided some agronomy articles below that I thought you might be interested in reading.

Mark

Estimating Corn Yields at Early Stages of Kernel Development – Peter Thomison

Corn growers often want to estimate grain yields prior to harvest in order to help with marketing and harvest plans. Two procedures that are widely used for estimating corn grain yields prior to harvest are the YIELD COMPONENT METHOD (also referred to as the “slide rule” or corn yield calculator) and the EAR WEIGHT METHOD. Each method will often produce yield estimates that are within 20 bu/ac of actual yield. Such estimates can be helpful for general planning purposes. For information about estimating corn yield, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-24/estimating-corn-yields-early-stages-kernel-development.

Estimating Soybean Yield – Laura Lindsey

To estimate soybean yield, four yield components need to be considered: plants per acre, pods per plant, seeds per pod, and seeds per pound (seed size).  A printable worksheet to estimate soybean yield can be found by clicking on https://agcrops.osu.edu/sites/agcrops/files/imce/Soybean%20Yield%20Estimate%20Worksheet_1.pdf. Proceed with caution when estimating soybean yield. It is difficult to accurately predict soybean yield because of plant-to-plant variability and fall weather conditions can influence seed size.  Estimates are more accurate later in the growing season and on uniform stands.  Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-24/estimating-soybean-yield for more information.

2018 Ohio Wheat Performance Test – Laura Lindsey

Results of the 2018 Ohio Wheat Performance Test are available online at: https://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/wheattrials/. The purpose of the Ohio Wheat Performance Test is to evaluate wheat varieties, blends, brands, and breeding lines for yield, grain quality, and other important performance characteristics. This information gives wheat producers comparative information for selecting the varieties best suited for their production system and market. Varieties differ in yield potential, winter hardiness, maturity, standability, disease and insect resistance, and other agronomic characteristics. Selection should be based on performance from multiple test sites and years.  Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-24/2018-ohio-wheat-performance-test to read the complete article.

Late Summer Establishment of Perennial Forages – Rory Lewandowski, Mark Sulc

Ohio growers experienced another wet spring and compressed 2018 spring planting season.  On some farms, this caused postponement of plans for spring seeding of alfalfa and other perennial forages.  In some areas, the prolonged wet weather affected forage harvest schedules, resulting in harvest equipment running on wet forage fields leaving ruts, compacted soils and damage to alfalfa crowns.  Some of these forage acres need to be re-seeded.  Read more at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-24/late-summer-establishment-perennial-forages.

Western Bean Cutworm: Adult Moth Update – Amy Raudenbush, John Schoenhals, Mark Badertscher, Lee Beers, Amanda Bennett, JD Bethel, Bruce Clevenger, Sam Custer, Tom Dehass, Jason Hartschuh, Ed Lentz, Rory Lewandowski, Cecilia Lokai-Minnich, David Marrison, Sarah Noggle, Les Ober, Eric Richer, Garth Ruff, Jeff Stachler, Alan Sundermeier, Curtis Young, Megan Zerrer, Andy Michel, Kelley Tilmon

The number of Western bean cutworm (WBC) adult moth catches are decreasing across Ohio. For week ending August 11, 24 counties monitored 74 traps (Figure 1). Overall, there was a statewide average of 3.0 moths per trap (221 total captured). This is a decrease from an average of 5.6 moths per trap (406 total captured) the previous week. Figure 1. Average WBC adult per trap in Ohio counties, followed in parentheses by total number of traps monitored in each county for the week ending August 11, 2018. Legend (bottom right) describes the color coding on map for the average WBC per county.

Mark A. Badertscher

Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator

OSU Extension Hardin County

1021 W. Lima Street, Suite 103, Kenton, OH 43326

419-674-2297 Office

hardin.osu.edu

Good afternoon,

Wheat harvest is now complete and the focus has shifted to the progress of the growing season for corn and soybeans.  Manure is being applied around the county to area wheat stubble fields.  If you  have livestock or are involved with manure application in Ohio, you won’t want to miss the upcoming Manure Science Review being held at the Watkins Farm near Forest on July 25.  Register by Monday at www.go.osu.edu/msr2018 to get the best ticket price for this field day being held in Hardin County.  I have also attached the most recent version of the flyer for this event.  Double crop soybeans have been planted as well following the cutting of the wheat.  The most recent Ohio Crop Weather report for July 9 indicates that 44% of soybeans are blooming and 30% of corn is silking in the state.  Check out this attached report from USDA for more information about our crop progress to this point in time.

Manure Science Review Flyer

Ohio Crop Weather-July 9 

Next week on Tuesday, July 17 there is going to be the 4R Technology Review Field Day sponsored by the Ohio Agribusiness Association.  This event will also have a full slate of speakers in the morning and field demonstrations after lunch focusing on nutrient management.  It is being held at the Kellogg Farm near Forest so you will want to go to http://www.oaba.net/ to register for this event.  Read the attached news release for more details about this event also being held in Hardin County.  If you raise fruits and vegetables, you may be interested in going to this year’s Hardin County Crop Walk, which is actually taking place in Marion County, just over the county line near LaRue on Wednesday, July 18.  See the attached news release and flyer for more information about this program which will focus on insects, disease, and weed control in produce.  The OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers are having a Fairy Gardens workshop Saturday, July 21 starting at 9:00 am at the Friendship Gardens of Hardin County (see attached flyer).

4R Technology Review Field Day News Release

Crop Walk News Release

Crop Walk Flyer

Friendship Gardens Workshop Flyer

Other events that you won’t want to miss are the Western OARDC Agronomy Field Day on Wednesday, July 18 in Clark County.  See the article below for more information about this event and other ag crops topics.  Another field day that is coming up August 8 in Auglaize County is the Manure Management and Cover Crops Field Day being held near Wapakoneta.  I have attached a flyer for this event so you can register to attend before July 25.  Another opportunity to learn about hops production is a July 19 Backyard Hops program that has been announced in Madison County at the Farm Science Review site.  See the attached flyer for more information and how to register by July 18.  Another interesting read for you is ‘The Impact of the Agricultural and Food Production Cluster to Hardin County’ report that I shared this past Friday at the Ag Council breakfast.  Check it out to find out how important Hardin County Agriculture is to the local economy.  These numbers compiled by The Ohio State University Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics are based on net income, not gross income as you may have seen on other reports.

Manure Management and Cover Crops Field Day Flyer

Backyard Hops Flyer

The Impact of the Agricultural and Food Production Cluster to Hardin County

Other local events this coming week include Farm Bureau meeting Tuesday (7/17) starting at 6:30 pm at the Kenton Christian Missionary Alliance Church.  There is a Soil and Water Conservation District meeting Thursday (7/19) starting at 7:30 am at the SWCD office.    The OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers are meeting Monday (7/23) starting at 7:00 pm at Harco Industries.

Mark

Foliar Fungicide Use in Corn – Pierce Paul

Foliar diseases, especially Gray Leaf Spot (GLS), are beginning to show up in some corn fields. This is not at all surprising, given that the crop was planted relatively late and it has been wet and humid in some areas. GLS is favored by humid conditions, particularly if temperatures are between 70 and 90 F. Foliar diseases of corn are generally a concern when they develop early and progress up the plant before grain fill is complete. This is especially true when the hybrid is susceptible. In most years, GLS and NCLB usually develop late or remain restricted to the lower leaves. However, if it continues to rain and stays humid, this will likely not be the case this year. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-20/foliar-fungicide-use-corn to finish reading about foliar fungicide use in corn.

Only Susceptible Varieties are Prone to Diseases and May Require a Fungicide Application– Anne Dorrance

From the scouting reports from the county educators and crop consultants – most of the soybeans in the state are very healthy with no disease symptoms.  However, as the news reports have indicated, there are a few varieties in a few locations that have higher incidence of frogeye leaf spot than we are accustomed to seeing at this growth stage – mid R2 – flowering in Ohio.  Most of the reports to date are along and south of route 70, which based on the past 12 years is where frogeye is the most common.  When this disease occurs this early in the season, where it can be readily observed, this is a big problem and should be addressed right away with a fungicide soon and a second application at 14-21 days later depending on if disease continues to develop and if environmental conditions (cool nights, fogs, heavy dews, rains) continue. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-21/only-susceptible-varieties-are-prone-diseases-and-may-require to finish reading this article.

Controlling Marestail in Double-Crop Soybeans – Mark Loux
A uniform wheat crop can provide effective suppression of marestail, especially when combined with some in-crop herbicides.  It is nonetheless typical for marestail plants to be evident after the wheat is harvested, and these should be controlled prior to double crop soybean emergence.  There can be a couple types of marestail plants to deal with in this situation:  1) small ones that were lurking near the base of the wheat plants, which are largely not disturbed by the combine; and 2) larger ones that may have been present in areas of thin wheat stand, which get cut off by the combine and then regrow.  To read more, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-21/controlling-marestail-double-crop-soybeans.

Mark Your Calendars for These Important Field Days – Harold D. Watters

The Western ARS Agronomy Field Day will be held July 18th from 9 AM to 3 PM. No charge this year as we are soliciting sponsors to offset that cost. Lunch is included, and we will of course have in-season updates as well as talk about some on-going research. The location is the Western Agricultural Research Station at 7721 So. Charleston Pike, South Charleston south of I-70 and just west of the Ohio 54 and SR 41 intersection or from the west exit from I-71 onto SR 41, south, drive about 4 miles and you will see the station on the right.  To see the agenda and registration for this field day at the Western OARDC research station, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-20/mark-your-calendars-these-important-field-days.

Western Bean Cutworm Montoring – Amy Raudenbush, John Schoenhals, CCA, Mark Badertscher, Lee Beers, CCA, Amanda Bennett, Bruce Clevenger, CCA, Sam Custer, Tom Dehass, Mike Gastier, CCA, Jason Hartschuh, CCA, Ed Lentz, CCA, Rory Lewandowski, CCA, Cecilia Lokai-Minnich, David Marrison, Sarah Noggle, Les Ober, CCA, Eric Richer, CCA, Garth Ruff, Jeff Stachler, Alan Sundermeier, CCA, Chris Zoller, Andy Michel, Kelley Tilmon

Monitoring for WBC adults continues across Ohio with trap counts slowly increasing for July 1 through 7. Last week, 21 counties monitored 61 traps (Figure 1). Overall across all locations, there was an average of 3.4 moths per trap (217 captured).  This is an increase from an average of 1.2 moths/trap the previous week.  The general trend of WBC trap catches appears to be similar to 2016 where peak flight was the third week in July; however, average trap numbers are currently lower than 2016 (Figure 2). Western bean cutworm adults can peak during any week in July depending on the year. Click on https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-21/western-bean-cutworm-montoring for additional information.

Mark A. Badertscher

Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator

OSU Extension Hardin County

1021 W. Lima Street, Suite 103, Kenton, OH 43326

419-674-2297 Office

hardin.osu.edu

Hello,

This past week was eventful with our Evening Garden Affair and Ag Law program.  If you didn’t get a chance to go to the Evening Garden Affair, I have attached a copy of the third article written by OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Carol McKinley that discussed the benefits of gardening.  If you were unable to attend the Ag Law program with Peggy Kirk Hall, I have attached a copy of her presentation ‘5 Property Laws Farmers Need to Know.’  Corn continues to grow with the hot weather and adequate moisture, while the soybean fields that looked water weary are starting to improve.  Wheat harvest was in full swing this weekend in Hardin County with yields reported lower than expected.  See the attached Ohio Crop Weather Reports for June 25 and July 2 for more details about crop production progress.  The question that has some people thinking is whether they should double crop soybean into their wheat stubble.  This year we have plenty of moisture, so double cropping soybean is a viable option depending on the weather the rest of the season.  Read the attached article written by OSU Extension State Soybean and Small Grains specialist Dr. Laura Lindsey for more guidance with this topic.

Evening Garden Affair News Release Part 3

5 Property Laws Farmers Need to Know Hardin County

Ohio Crop Weather Report July 2

Ohio Crop Weather Report June 25

Double Crop Soybean News Release

There continues to be a wide variety of field days coming up in western Ohio and elsewhere around the state.  In addition to the Manure Science Review being held in Hardin County at the Watkins Farm near Forest on July 25 (see attached flyer for registration information), the Ohio Agribusiness Association is sponsoring a 4R Technology Review Field Day at the Kellogg Farm near Forest on July 17.  I have attached an agenda that you can read more about this local field day to make plans to attend.  There have been some calls to the Extension office about growing hops.  In the past, there have not been very many opportunities to learn about hops production locally.  July 24 there is a Hops Production and Management Field Day planned in Mechanicsburg, located in Champaign County.  I have also included the Spring Bulletin for Ohio Hops producers if you would like to learn more about this alternative crop.

Manure Science Review Flyer

OHIO 4R Tech Review Day – Agenda

Hops Bulletin-Spring 2018

Hop Production Field Day Flyer

Feel free to join us for our Ag Council Breakfast on Friday, July 6.  We will begin at 7:00 am in the Henry’s Restaurant banquet room in Kenton with breakfast, and then a round table discussion of agricultural issues, followed by sharing of information about the financial impact of Hardin County Agriculture.  The Men’s Garden Club is meeting Monday, July 9 at the home of Chuck Rife near Wharton at 6:30 pm.  Tuesday, July 10 the Sheep Improvement Association is meeting starting at 7:30 pm at the Extension office.  Make sure you read the agronomy articles below and I hope you and your family have a happy 4^th of July.

Mark

Reminders about dicamba – Mark Loux

This is the time of year when we received our first call about dicamba problems in soybeans in 2017.  We can probably expect any problems to become evident soon, based on the timing of postemergence applications and timeline for development of symptoms.  Off-target issues have already developed in states farther west and south, and we would expect at least some to occur here, unless we’re really lucky. The symptoms of dicamba injury show in new soybean growth within approximately 7 to 21 days after exposure, and most of our soybeans receive postemergence applications from early June on.  It’s been a challenging year to properly steward postemergence applications.  To read more, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-19/reminders-about-dicamba.

Impact of ponding and saturated soils on corn – Peter Thomison, Alexander Lindsey

Persistent rains during the past two weeks have resulted in ponding and saturated soils in many Ohio corn fields and led to questions concerning what impact these conditions will have on corn performance. The extent to which ponding injures corn is determined by several factors including: (1) plant stage of development when ponding occurs, (2) duration of ponding and (3) air/soil temperatures. Corn is affected most by flooding at the early stages of growth (see https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-15/young-corn-wet-feet-what-can-we-expect). Once corn has reached the late vegetative stages, saturated soil conditions will usually not cause significant damage.  To finish reading this article, click on https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-19/impact-ponding-and-saturated-soils-corn

Brown Spot IS NOT an economically important disease – Anne Dorrance

As farmers and consultants have been out checking their soybean stands, they are finding spots on the leaves.  The most common spotting on the unifoliates and first leaves is caused by Septoria glycines.  This is a fungus that overwinters on the previous soybean crop residue and in modern cultivars it is limited to the lower canopy.  We’ve done extensive studies on this disease over the past decade and I have yet to attribute an economic value in managing this. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-18/it%E2%80%99s-probably-not-frogeye-leafspot-and-no-brown-spot-not to read more about Brown Spot in soybean.

Western Ohio Precision Ag Field Day Planned – Sam Custer, Amanda Bennett

Western Ohio Precision Ag Field Day is planned for July 16, 2018 beginning at 8 a.m. at 9060 Versailles, Southeastern Road, Versailles. This event will feature field demonstrations on nutrient placement, management, and utilizing field data to make decisions. Credits will be available for fertilizer applicator re-certification, certified crop consultants, and certified livestock managers. Several agribusinesses will be participating in the trade show. Those currently include Integrated Ag Services, Apple Farm Service, Green Field Ag, Precision Agri-Service, Fennig Equipment, Crop Production Services, Southwest Automation, Ohio Ag Equipment, Koenig Equipment, Bumper Crop Imagery, Otte Ag, Rogers Grain, Ohio Soybean Council, Graves-Fearon Agency, Ebberts Field Seed, and Heritage Cooperative. To read more about this upcoming field day, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-17/western-ohio-precision-ag-field-day-planned.

Western Bean Cutworm Montoring – Amy Raudenbush, John Schoenhals, Mark Badertscher, Lee Beers, Amanda Bennett, Bruce Clevenger, Sam Custer, Tom Dehass, Mike Gastier, Jason Hartschuh, Ed Lentz, Rory Lewandowski, Cecilia Lokai-Minnich, David Marrison, Eric Richer, Garth Ruff, Jeff Stachler, Curtis Young, Chris Zoller, Andy Michel, Kelley Tilmon

Another season of Western bean cutworm (WBC) trapping has officially begun! Bucket traps placed along the edge of a corn field with a lure were set between June 17th through 23rd and our first trap count is for WBC adults captured for week ending June 30th. Last week, 18 counties monitored 66 traps across Ohio for WBC adults. Overall, 76 WBC adults were captured and average moth per trap was 1.2.  Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-20/western-bean-cutworm-montoring to read more about Western Bean Cutworm monitoring.

Mark A. Badertscher

Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator

OSU Extension Hardin County

1021 W. Lima Street, Suite 103, Kenton, OH 43326

419-674-2297 Office

hardin.osu.edu

Good afternoon,

If you are looking for something to do, there are a lot of programs and events taking place in the next few weeks.  Most of the nitrogen has been applied to the corn in the county, first cutting of hay has been made, and herbicide applications continue in area fields.  According to the USDA, 100% of the corn is planted and 95% of the soybeans are planted in Ohio with 60% in good condition.  I have attached the latest Ohio Crop Weather report to this email.  Tonight (June 25) is ‘An Evening Garden Affair’ with Laura Akgerman discussing gardening with arthritis and disabilities.  It will begin with a tour of the Friendship Gardens of Hardin County at 6:30, followed by her presentation at 7:00 pm in Harco Industries.  See the attached news release and flyer for more information if you are planning to attend.  Tomorrow evening (June 26) is the Ag Law program with OSU Extension’s Peggy Kirk Hall.  She will discuss the ‘5 Property Laws that Farmers Need to Know.’  Her talk is scheduled to begin at 7:30 pm at the Burnison Barn, located at the Hardin County Fairgrounds.  It will follow the Farm Bureau Summer Social, which is set to begin at 6:30 pm at the same location.  For more details about this event, see the attached flyer.

An Evening Garden Affair News Flyer

Evening Garden Affair News Release Part 2

Ag Law Flyer

The 2018 Ohio State University Manure Science Review is scheduled for Wednesday, July 25 at the Watkins farm located at 18361 Township Road 90, Forest, OH 45843 in Hardin County. The program will begin at 8:45 am, while registration, coffee and donuts will be offered in the morning starting at 8:15 am before the field day kicks off with the afternoon activities ending by 3:30 pm.  There will be several guest speakers in the morning, lunch provided by Tim Holbrook, and field demonstrations in the afternoon.  Make sure you check out the news release and flyer for registration and other information so you don’t miss this local field day geared towards our livestock producers and manure applicators.  Registration is due by July 16 to take advantage of the $25 rate.

Manure Science Review News Release

Manure Science Review Flyer

The Ohio Sheep Day is taking place July 14 at the OARDC Eastern Research Station with several educational topics to be addressed during this field day.   See the attached flyer and contact Roger High, 614-246-8299, rhigh@ofbf.org if you are interested in attending this year’s event.  The Western Ohio Precision Ag Field Day will be held July 16 near Versailles.  Register by July 2 if you are interested in attending this year’s event.  For more information, see the attached flyer as you won’t want to miss out on the nutrient placement discussion and field demonstrations.  As you can see, there are several events planned for you to update your knowledge and skills, so make sure you take advantage of these opportunities.  I have also included some agronomy articles below for you to read if you are interested.  I hope to see you at one of these events in the near future.

June 18 Ohio Crop Weather Report

Sheep Day Flyer

Western Ohio Precision Ag Field Day Flyer

Mark

Rest of June warmer than normal with high rainfall variability – Jim Noel

Not much has changed since last week in terms of the outlook. The rest of June is likely to be warmer than normal with high variability of rainfall but tendency to above normal rainfall. It appears a heat dome will be centered in the south central U.S. this summer with periods where it shifts over the corn and soybean belt and Ohio Valley. The next surge of heat will come this weekend into early next week. With these surges come a ring of fire of storms around the heat dome leading to locally heavy rainfall. However, that rain will be scattered in nature.  To finish reading this article, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-17/rest-june-warmer-normal-high-rainfall-variability.

Corn leaf striping often temporary – Steve Culman, Peter Thomison

Leaf striping (interveinal chlorosis) in corn is appearing in many Ohio fields.  There are several nutrient deficiencies (including sulfur, zinc, magnesium, and manganese) that result in leaf striping and some of these look similar. The severity of the striping may vary considerably within a field and may be associated with differences in soil pH, organic matter, compaction, tillage, temperature and moisture. Bright yellow to white interveinal striping running the length of leaves may be the result of “genetic stripe”, but it’s usually limited to scattered plants within a field.  Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-16/corn-leaf-striping-often-temporary to read more about this issue.

Wheat and Barley: Cool, Wet Late-Season Conditions – Pierce Paul

Cool weather and moisture after flowering often means extended grain-fill and high yields, especially when disease levels are as low as they were at the time of pollination and early grain development in some fields. However, excessive rainfall associated with the cool temperatures could increase the severity of diseases that thrive under cool conditions. But with the crop now well into grain-fill and even turning in some locations, there is very little you can do about late-season diseases. The pre-harvest interval for some of the best fungicides is 30-45 days, which mean that they are now off-label in most areas, given that harvest will likely begin in less than 30 days. Click on https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-17/wheat-and-barley-cool-wet-late-season-conditions to finish reading this article.

Diagnosing Soybean Seedling Issues in 2018 – Anne Dorrance, Kelley Tilmon, Laura Lindsey, Mark Loux

It seemed to take forever this spring, but hopefully all of your soybeans are planted – for the first and only time.  Ohio’s biggest challenge is replanting; it is costly (new seed, cost of planting, lower yields due to delay in planting).  The first step is assessing overall stand health – do you have enough plants to obtain the best yields?  Based on a substantial amount of data, for soybeans planted in May, a harvest population of at least 100,000 plants/acre is generally adequate to maximize yield. Data from the Ag Crops Team on-farm trials indicate that a stand of 50,000 plants/acre only reduced yield by 15% compared to a stand of 116,000 plants/acre (when planting in May). Soybeans have the ability to compensate for low populations by increasing the number of branches, nodes, and pods per plant.   Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-17/diagnosing-soybean-seedling-issues-2018 to read more about diagnosing soybean seedling issues.

Using PEAQ to Estimate Alfalfa NDF for Multiple Cuttings – Rory Lewandowski, Mark Sulc

Much of the region’s alfalfa crop has been harvested over the past two weeks.  As cooler temperatures move into the area regrowth will likely slow down. Once regrowth reaches 16 inches tall again, the NDF (neutral detergent fiber crude protein) can rapidly be estimated in the field using the predictive equations for alfalfa quality (PEAQ). Instructions on how to rapidly measure NDF in the field can be found at https://forages.osu.edu/sites/forages/files/imce/Estimate%20Alfalfa%20NDF.pdf. This in-field estimate can be useful for timing each of your subsequent harvests in different fields, based on your forage quality goals. It’s important to remember PEAQ NDF estimates are to be only used in standing pure alfalfa stands. PEAQ will not provide growers with an accurate representation of quality once the alfalfa has been cut, cured, and stored. After the forage is stored, samples should be sent to a lab to determine nutritive values for fitting the forage into a ration.

Mark A. Badertscher

Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator

OSU Extension Hardin County

1021 W. Lima Street, Suite 103, Kenton, OH 43326

419-674-2297 Office

hardin.osu.edu

Good afternoon,

This week our Hardin County OSU Extension summer intern Dillon Rall and I have been busy doing stand counts in the soybean populations plot and setting traps to monitor insect pests around the county.  Insects that we are currently trapping include common armyworm, black cutworm, European corn borer, and spotted wing drosophila.  These traps are located around the county where we are monitoring the presence of these pests of wheat, corn, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, grapes, and peaches.  We plan to set up additional types of traps as the season progresses, inform farmers of possible issues, and provide management information if necessary.  Since my last newsletter, the crops have really progressed with the exception of some soybeans that have had issues.  According to this past week’s Ohio Crop Weather report that I have attached, Ohio is at 97% corn planted and 90% soybeans planted.  This is up from a week ago, which had corn at 90% and soybeans at 81% planted (see additional attached report).  It appears that only a few soybean fields need to be planted in Hardin County, and possibly some that might be candidates for replanting, at least in spots.  May rainfall in the county ended up at 3.40 inches with 4.96 inches for the growing season beginning April 15.  To see a township breakdown, check out the attached May 2018 Rainfall Summary.

June 11th Ohio Crop Weather Report

June 4th Ohio Crop Weather Report

May 2018 Rainfall Summary

There are some local garden programs coming up soon.  This Saturday, June 16 there is a program at the Friendship Gardens, 960 W Kohler Street in Kenton about how to design children’s gardens.  It is part of a monthly series and will begin at 9:00 am for an hour.  All children need to be accompanied by an adult.  I have attached a flyer with more information about this series and its location.  On June 25 you can learn about gardening with visual, physical or health limitations with Laura Akgerman, Disability Services Coordinator from the Ohio Agrability program.  Plan and practice good, safe habits while managing limits and preventing injury.  Design your garden to work the best for you, while using adaptive tools to keep your favorite hobby enjoyable.  These and other topics will be presented at ‘An Evening Garden Affair’ starting at 6:30 pm with a garden tour followed by the speaker and demonstrations at 7:00 pm.  See the attached flyer and news release written by OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Carol McKinley for more information.

Friendship Gardens Workshop Flyer

An Evening Garden Affair Flyer

Evening Garden Affair News Release

On Tuesday, June 26 Peggy Kirk Hall, Assistant Professor and Director, Agricultural & Resource Law Program for OSU Extension will be at the Burnison Barn at the Hardin County Heritage Farm located next to the fairgrounds at 14380 County Road 140 in Kenton.  She is going to be discussing the “Five Property Laws that Farmers Need to Know.”  Her talk will begin at 7:30 pm and last about 30 minutes with questions.  All farmers and property owners are welcome to attend.  This program is being provided in cooperation with the Hardin County Farm Bureau and Hardin County OSU Extension.  The Farm Bureau is having an ice cream social at 6:30 pm at the site with doors opening at 6:00 pm.  Farm Bureau members attending the summer social event are asked to RSVP by contacting the Hardin County Farm Bureau at 419-447-3091 or hardin@ofbf.org.  People who are interested in the ag law presentation only do not need to pre-register.  More details are in the news release which is attached to this email.  I have also included some agronomy articles below that you may be interested in reading.

Ag Law News Release

Mark

Young Corn with Wet Feet: What Can We Expect? – Alexander Lindsey, Peter Thomison, Steve Culman

Around the state, there are many corn fields with young plants with standing water due to the intense storms that have passed through. But what are the long-term effects of standing water on emerged corn? Preliminary data from two locations in Ohio in 2017 suggests that as long as a sidedress N application can be made following the waterlogging, yield loss may be minimal if the waterlogged conditions lasted 4 days or less. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-15/young-corn-wet-feet-what-can-we-expect to read more.

Increasing Variability In Rainfall – Jim Noel

As summer nears, the weather pattern supports an increasing risk of big differences in rainfall totals from too wet to too dry. There is a growing risk of a heat dome developing off the drought area in the south central to southwest parts of the U.S. The heat dome will expand northeast into parts of the corn and soybean belt from time to time over the next several weeks. This means enjoy the cooler than normal weather this week. Storms will ride along the northern edge of the heat dome as it shifts north and south. This means locally heavy rain will be next to areas that get missed. The end result will be a wide variety of rainfall reports in June.  Read more about the June weather pattern at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-16/increasing-variability-rainfall.

Weed of the Week: Cressleaf Groundsel – Sarah Noggle

Many questions come into the County Extension Office daily.  Many times those include a question about a weed identification.  During the month of June 2018, OSU Extension will be featuring a weed identification of the week.  This week’s weed is cressleaf groundsel, Senecio glabellus. Cressleaf groundsel is a member of the Aster/Composite family.  Cressleaf groundsel can go by many other common names like butterweed, yellowtop, golden ragwort, and yellow ragwort.  It can be identified by its small yellow daisy like flowers or its purplish hollow stem and leaves.  This plant is commonly found in no-till fields or low till fields.  Cressleaf groundsel is highly toxic to livestock and humans.  For any additional questions, you may contact your county extension office or go to you your county’s website at your county name.osu.edu for more information.  Source: https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/u.osu.edu/dist/7/3461/files/2014/04/Cressleaf_groundsel_article_-_p-zna9t9.pdf, https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-14/cressleaf-groundsel-wheat-and-hay.

Early Corn Coloration – Green, Purple, or Yellow? – Alexander Lindsey, Steve Culman, Peter Thomison

Corn seedlings often turn yellow (due to low nitrogen uptake and/or limited chlorophyll synthesis) or purple (reduced root development and/or increased anthocyanin production) under cool, wet conditions. Some hybrids are more likely to increase anthocyanin (purple pigment) content when plants are cool. Yellowing or purpling of corn plants at this stage of development generally has little or no effect on later crop performance or yield potential. If it’s induced by environmental conditions, the yellow or purple appearance should change to a healthy green after a few sunny days with temperatures above 70 degrees F. If plants remain yellow, then closer inspection and assessment is needed to determine if yellowing is caused by nutrient deficiency or some other factor.  To finish reading this article, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-16/early-corn-coloration-%E2%80%93-green-purple-or-yellow.

Agronomic Field Day June 21 at OARDC Northwest Ag Research Station – Alan Sundermeier

The public is invited to attend at no cost the 2018 Agronomic Field Day.  It will be held on Thursday, June 21 starting at 9:00 am to 11:30 am.  The location is 4240 Range Line Road, Custar, Ohio, 43511.

The topics for the field day include:

•Fertilizer Placement Options for Different Management Systems  – John Fulton, Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering

•The Impacts of a Half Century of No-Till on Soil Health and Properties – Steve Culman, School of Environment and Natural Resources

•Identifying and Developing Winter Barley Adapted to the Great Lakes, Midwestern and Northeastern State Regions – Eric Stockinger, Horticulture and Crop Science

•Agronomic Management of Winter Malting Barley and Double Crop Soybean – Laura Lindsey, Horticulture and Crop Science

•Management of Seedling Diseases, Wise Choices for Seed Treatments, Potential Herbicide Interactions and Better Cultivar Selection – Anne Dorrance, Plant Pathology

Contact information: Matt Davis, 419-257-2060, or davis.1095@osu.edu

Mark A. Badertscher

Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator

OSU Extension Hardin County

1021 W. Lima Street, Suite 103, Kenton, OH 43326

419-674-2297 Office

hardin.osu.edu