First Sharing of Articles – June 24, 2013

Hello,

I am sending out this week’s information regarding upcoming field days, programs, and news that I believe you may be interested in reading. I am hoping to later divide news according to specific producer interests so that I don’t send you too much information that may not be relevant to your operation. As time goes on, I hope to refine the different email lists that I have so that I can deliver specific useful information in a timely fashion. If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to let me know. Hopefully this week we can get some more rain around the county as the rain so far has been hit or miss for the corn and soybean crops.

Mark

Proposed regulation to certify applicators of agricultural nutrients in Ohio – (as of June 21, 2013)

A bill is waiting to be introduced in the state legislature to require certification for farmers or commercial applicators who are applying fertilizer to ten acres or more for agricultural production. If the legislation is passed, the fertilizer certification would be phased in over three years. The regulation would be overseen by the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

The specifics of the certification process would be developed either within the legislation or immediately after passage. Currently, the proposal is for agriculture nutrients to be added as a category for anyone with an Ohio Pesticide Applicator License. Farmers who do not have a pesticide license would be able to attend initial training to become certified for fertilizer applications. Recertification would be required every three years for the license.

Currently, application of animal manure is not considered to be under this regulation. Changes to the regulation may surface as the legislation is introduced and proceeds through the legislative process.

Is the Potato Leafhopper infesting your alfalfa? – Ron Hammond and Andy Michel, OSU Extension and Department of Entomolgy

With most alfalfa having had their first cutting, it is time to begin sampling for potato leafhoppers as the crop reaches a sufficient height for sweep-net sampling. A single sample is 10 sweeps of a sweep net. When the average number of adults and nymphs in a sample is equal to or greater than the average height of the alfalfa stand, insecticide treatment is warranted. For example, if the alfalfa is 6 inches tall and the average number of leafhoppers is 6 or higher, insecticide treatment is warranted. If the average is lower, the grower should re-sample in a few days. In glandular-haired, leafhopper-resistant alfalfa, the economic threshold is 3X the normal threshold, or three leafhoppers per inch of growth (18 leafhoppers for 6 inch tall alfalfa, for example). However, if the resistant alfalfa is a new planting this spring, growers might want to use thresholds meant for regular alfalfa during the very first growth from seeding. After the first cutting, growers can then use 3X times the normal level threshold. More information on potato leafhopper, including how alfalfa growing conditions might affect the threshold, is available at http://ohioline.osu.edu/ent-fact/pdf/0033.pdf

New Hog Facility Open House – June 30 – 2:00-6:00 pm – 9528 Township Road 245, Kenton – Levern and Nathan Weaver would like to invite you to see their new facility built by Farmer Boy. The new wean to finish facility is a double-wide building 100 feet wide by 200 feet long with an aisle down the center. Capable of holding 2400 head, this structure has an office and loading dock on the front. Stop by to see the latest technology in swine housing.

Cover Crop Field Day – July 2 – 9:00-11:00 am – OARDC NW Ag Research Station 4240 Range Line Road Custar, OH 43511. View demo cover crop plantings, cereal rye no-till soybean, crimper/roller demo, cover crop supplies discussion. For more information regarding this upcoming field day, see http://agcrops.osu.edu/calendar/cover-crop-field-day

Youth on the Farm: What Type of Farm Work Can They Perform?
Are you looking for someone to help bale hay, hoe out marestail, apply nitrogen, move livestock or some other task on your farm. These summer tasks create both a high need to employ youth on the farm and the challenging task of understanding farm youth labor laws. Take a look at the attached file Farm Youth Labor for information about what jobs youth are allowed to do on the farm.

Farm Youth Labor

Rinsing & Recycling Caged Tanks free webinar – 7/10/13 – register now!
On Wednesday, July 10, 2013, The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance (TPSA) will hold a webinar on “Rinsing and Recycling Caged Tanks.” Penton Media is hosting the free webinar, which will be at 2:00 Eastern time (1:00 Central or 11:00 am Pacific). The webinar is focused on an audience of growers and applicators, but is open to all interested parties. To register, see TPSA’s home page (http://www.tpsalliance.org/) or Penton Media’s web site (www.deltafarmpress.com/tpsa).

The speakers are Nebraska grower Scott McPheeters, University of Arkansas’ Ples Spradley, FarmChem’s Bryan Gran, and the EPA’s Nancy Fitz. They will cover the following topics:

• how to clean and prepare tanks for recycling, including in-field rinsing
• why cleaning tanks is important
• recycling tanks with contractors experienced with pesticide containers
• coordinating on-site pickup of clean tanks
• procedures for recycling uncleaned tanks and obsolete containers.

TPSA would like to thank the organizations who sponsored the webinar: Bayer CropScience, IBC North America, Interstate Ag Plastics, Monsanto, National Container Group, and TankLink.

Mark your calendars and register for the webinar! Please forward this information to your colleagues and contacts who would be interested in participating.

If you have any questions about the webinar, please contact Nancy Fitz at fitz.nancy@epa.gov or 703-305-7385.

Bonnie McCarvel, Operations Manager
The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance (TPSA)
11327 Gravois Road, Suite 201
St. Louis, MO 63126
314-849-9137
www.tpsalliance.org

2013 Ohio Sheep Day – July 13 – 8:00 am – 3:30 am – OARDC Sheep Research Unit, 5743 Fredericksburg Road, Wooster, OH 44691

Keynote address for the 2013 Ohio Sheep Day is “Myths of Successful Sheep Production”, Francis Fluharty, OSU Animal Sciences. The program for the day is to include such topics as:

-Starting a small ruminant farm
-Successful pasture and barn lambing strategies
-Successful pasture and barn weaning strategies
-Alternative forages for grazing small ruminants
-Myths of internal parasite control in small ruminants
-Basic sheep management practices for the beginning shepherd
-Minerals for small ruminants
-Small ruminant livestock handling
-Dealing with drought – alternative feeds
-Use of small ruminants to control weeds and build fertility

For more information, see the attached flier.

2013SheepDayDraft

Court Will Hold Monsanto to its Promise Not to Sue Organic Farmers – Catharine Daniels, Attorney, OSUE Agricultural & Resource Law Program

The court’s decision was not exactly what a group of farmers, seed sellers, and agricultural organizations was hoping for, but they are nevertheless claiming partial victory against Monsanto in a recent lawsuit centered on genetically modified seed. On June 10, 2013, the United States Court of Appeals denied the group’s request for a judgment against Monsanto but at the same time declared that Monsanto would be judicially bound to its promise not to pursue future patent infringement suits against the growers, seed sellers or organizations for “inadvertently using or selling ‘trace amounts’ of genetically modified seeds.”

To read more, go to http://ohioaglaw.wordpress.com/2013/06/18

TheOhioStateUniversity-Horiz-RGBHEX
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

First Week in Hardin County Extension – June 7, 2013

Hello,

I am Mark Badertscher, the new Hardin County OSU Extension Educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources. I have officially worked one week in the Hardin County Extension office and have been so fortunate to meet so many people. Just this morning at Ag Council breakfast held at Henry’s Restaurant, I met several new individuals and learned about what they are doing at the current time with their work in agriculture. We spent the afternoon Wednesday visiting eight farms and agribusinesses. I hope that I can continue to put names with faces and get to know as many of you as I can over time. My start has been interesting with so many different phone calls, emails, meetings, and on-site visits. I believe that in order for an Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator to be effective, they need to be out and about in the county to find out what the problems and needs are. This way we can deliver quality programming that fits the needs of the people.

There are a couple of Agronomy related research studies that are being started in Hardin County. One is soybean production yield-limiting factor study which requires the testing of soil, plant tissue, and grain. The other is the setting up of insect traps for the Western Bean Cutworm, which is a pest of corn. We have four traps to set around the county and one is already spoken for so I am looking for three more farmers who would approve of me setting up a trap so that I can check it periodically. We are continuing the research involving the monthly rainfall amounts in the 15 Hardin County townships and I have attached a report for the April 15-May 31 time period. This is the first report of the growing season. On a related note, I had someone ask me if anyone knew of straw available in the area. If you or someone you know has straw available or will once wheat harvest is complete, I would appreciate it if you would contact me regarding the amount available and the price per bale.

I want to thank both Mark Light and Gene McCluer, along with the office staff helping me get started in this new position. Being new to extension, it will take me some time to become efficient with this job. I have been an agricultural education instructor and FFA advisor for 25 years, so many things are similar. Thanks to all who have made me feel welcome so far and I look forward to meeting you soon at a meeting, program, our when I am around the communities that make up Hardin County. Feel free to stop by and say hello if you are in the area. Let’s hope there are some rainy days on their way which will allow you to do that.

April 15-May 31 2013 summary

Thank you,
Mark Badertscher
TheOhioStateUniversity-Horiz-RGBHEX

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