Hello,

The big event has finally arrived.  The Conservation Tillage Conference (CTC) will be this coming week at Ohio Northern University in Ada.  If you haven’t registered but are still thinking about going, you can register the day of the event.  On-site registration starts at 7:00 am on both Tuesday, March 4 and Wednesday, March 5. Go to ctc.osu.edu for a schedule and other conference information or read the attached news release.   If you are planning to attend, I have an additional opportunity for you to become involved in a Nutrient Management Water Quality focus group.  If you participate in this group, you will get a complimentary dinner Tuesday evening at the Inn (ONU) along with $25 cash.

CTC News Release

Dr. Eric Toman, School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, is looking for a group of 8-12 crop farmers, livestock farmers who spread manure, or commercial applicators to find out your views on challenges, adoption, concerns, impact, and effectiveness that the upcoming new policies in the area of nutrient management practices will have on your operation.  This is a discussion group to find out your experiences and opinions about current nutrient management practices, factors that influence your ability to adopt and maintain practices, and your expectations or thoughts about future practices policies.  For more information, see the attached flyer.  If you would like to participate in this focus group, please respond to this email by Monday at noon so I can let him know you are interested.

Focus Group Flyer Final

Other events going on in the county this coming week include Ag Council on Friday, March 7 at Henry’s Restaurant.  Mark Light is the program speaker for this breakfast meeting which starts at 7:00 am.  The annual Consignment Sale is being held at the Hardin County Fairgrounds on Saturday, March 8, starting at 9:00 am.  Consignment deliveries are being accepted Wednesday (3/5), Thursday (3/6), and Friday (3/7) from 9:00 am-5:00 pm with none on sale day.

 

The Hardin County Cattle Producers have decided to open up their Beef Scholarship to more applicants.  See the attached addendum for further information.  Applications can be downloaded from hardin.osu.edu or obtained from any county FFA advisor or high school guidance counselor and are due March 20.  OSU Extension Sheep Specialist Roger High has asked me to include information about the Cache Valley Virus, which is a virus that causes infertility, abortions and congenital abnormalities in sheep during lambing season.  See the attached file for further details about the Cache Valley Virus.  Also, I have included some articles that you might find interesting if you have additional reading time due to winter weather.

Scholarship Application HCCP

Cache Valley Virus

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

The 2014 Overholt Drainage School – March 10-14 – Fulton SWCD in Wauseon – Larry Brown

This year’s program includes three sessions: Agricultural subsurface drainage: System design and installation;  Drainage water management: Controlled drainage system design and installation; and Water table management with subirrigation: System design, installation and management. The session on Subirrigation has not been taught since 2005. Dr. Bud Belcher (MSU Retired) will lead this session.   For more information, go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2014/2014-5/the-2014-overholt-drainage-school-will-be-held-march-10-14-2014.

 

 

 

 

 

Ohio Beef Expo Kicks Off March 14

The Ohio Beef Expo, the premier event of Ohio’s beef industry, takes place March 14 – 16 at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus. This year’s schedule once again includes breed sales, shows, educational seminars, trade show and a highly competitive junior show. Attendees will also be able to take part in a silent auction and social hour on Friday and Saturday. The trade show, kicking off the Expo at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, will run throughout the event and features more than 100 exhibitors from 15 states. A series of educational seminars will run throughout Friday, giving producers an opportunity to gain useful knowledge from industry experts about advancements and current trends, and will allow producers to improve their own operations in areas such as marketing and herd management. A complete list of seminars is available at www.ohiobeefexpo.com.  To read more about the Ohio Beef Expo and other beef cattle articles, go to http://beef.osu.edu/beef/beefFeb2614.html.

 

 

 

 

 

Is It Too Early to Apply N to Wheat?  – Ed Lentz,  Laura Lindsey

Each year producers ask the question when is the best time to apply N to wheat? Also, is it ok to apply N on frozen ground? For any N application the question to ask is when does the crop need N. Wheat does not require large amounts of N until stem elongation (Feekes Growth Stage 6), which is the middle or the end of April depending on the location in state. Ohio research has shown no yield benefit from applications made prior to this time period. Soil organic matter or N applied at planting generally provides sufficient N for early growth until stem elongation. To continue reading this article, go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2014/2014-5/is-it-too-early-to-apply-n-to-wheat.

 

 

 

 

 

DHIA Results for Ohio – Maurice Eastridge

Hot off the press this week!  See how Hardin County Dairies on test did compared to the statewide average.  Compare the different dairy breeds for production in pounds of milk, fat, and protein.  The only people who I have shared this with in Hardin County were the attendees at the Dairy Service Unit annual meeting this past week.  Find out which dairies had the top productive cows for each of the breeds.  See the attached file to look through this report.

2013 Annual Dairy Report

 

 

 

 

 

2014 Farm Bill Meeting – How will it affect me, the farmer? – March 20, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. – Versailles Schools Cafetorium – Sam Custer

On February 4, 2014, the 2014 Farm Bill (named the Agriculture Act of 2014) cleared its final Congressional hurdle.  The President signed the bill into law on February 7, 2014. It now goes to the United States Department of Agriculture for implementation.  The commodity programs in Title I of the farm bill and the choices required all begin with the 2014 crop year.  The final regulations will further determine program and decision parameters, as well as when farmers can begin to sign up.  See the attached article from Darke County Extension for more information about this panel program.

2014 Farm Bill News Release

 

 

 

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 morning started off right with an appreciation breakfast sponsored by the Hardin Northern FFA chapter.  Previously this fall, I had the opportunity to observe their Soil Judging Invitational contest, and served as a judge for their Job Interview competition last week.  I have seen the great work that Anna Creswell and Don Paullin, as well as the other agricultural educators are doing around the county to prepare young people for careers in agriculture.  This week county FFA chapters celebrated National FFA Week and each school had activities planned to promote the organization in their communities.

 

If you know of any young people involved with the beef industry, the Hardin County Cattle Producers have made their applications available for scholarships and beef royalty.  See the attached press release for further information, and I have also attached applications for sharing with those who are eligible.  Have you registered for the Conservation Tillage & Technology Conference yet?  Early bird registration was due today, but you can still pre-register through February 26.  I have attached a brochure for this annual conference which will be take place March 4-5 at Ohio Northern University in Ada.

Beef Princess-Queen-Scholarship News Release

2014 Queen of Beef Application

2014 Queen of Beef Application

2014 Princess Application

2014 Princess Application

2014 Hardin County Cattle Producers Scholarship Application

2014 Hardin County Cattle Producers Scholarship Application

CTC Flyer 2014

Next week will be full of meetings and events to attend.  See the list below and also the attached news release about upcoming Ag programs.

February 25 Ag Programs News Release

Monday, February 24 – Master Gardener Meeting – Defining Organic Production – 7:00 pm – HARCO Industries – Kenton

Monday, February 24 – Sheep and Goat Webinar – Selecting the right breed for your market – 7:00 pm – Hardin Co. Extension Office – Kenton

Tuesday, February 25 – Conservation Tillage Club breakfast – Ag Law & CDL for Agriculture – 7:30 am – Plaza Inn – Mt. Victory

Tuesday, February 25 – Corn, Soybean & Wheat Connection Webinar – Weed Control – 10:00 am – Hardin Co. Extension Office – Kenton

Thursday, February 27 – Dairy Service Unit Annual Meeting – China’s Dairy Industry – 7:00 pm – Goshen Grange Hall – Kenton

Saturday, March 1 – Hardin County Lamb Banquet – Processing & Marketing Wool – 6:30 pm – St. John’s United Church of Christ – Kenton

Saturday, March 1 – Hardin County Ag Society – Fairboard  Meeting – 7:30 pm – Fairgrounds office – Kenton

 

I hope you take advantage of these educational events that have been planned with you in mind.  Also, I have included some articles below that you might be interested in reading.  Have a nice weekend.

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

Spread of giant ragweed across the North Central Region – results of a CCA survey  – Emilie Regnier, Mark Loux

Weed scientists at OSU recently completed a survey of Certified Crop Advisors across the North Central region to determine the relative abundance of giant ragweed, and the factors influencing its spread. The results of this survey are summarized in a Powerpoint file posted to the giant ragweed section of the OSU Weed Management website http://agcrops.osu.edu/specialists/weeds. Dr. Emilie Regnier, lead investigator on the survey, also provided the following abbreviated summary of the findings.  To continue reading this article, go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2014/2014-4/spread-of-giant-ragweed-across-the-north-central-region-2013-results-of-a-cca-survey.

 

 

 

 

 

Creating an Enforceable Farm Lease – Caty Daniels, Peggy Kirk Hall

A farm lease is a valuable transaction for landowners and farm operators alike, so it is important to ensure that the lease conforms to Ohio’s legal requirements. Here’s what Ohio law requires for creating a legally enforceable lease: The lease must be in writing. Enforcing a verbal farm lease is very difficult in Ohio due to our “Statute of Frauds.” The statute states that a lease of land must be in writing to be legally enforceable in Ohio. Despite this law, many verbal farm leases do exist. If a problem arises under a verbal farm lease, the law would not uphold the verbal lease unless a party could prove that the court should grant an exception from the Statute of Frauds writing requirement. This is a risky position and forces a party to go to court simply to try to prove that there is a valid lease.  To find out more about farm leases, go to http://aglaw.osu.edu/blog/wed-01152014-1406/creating-enforceable-farm-lease.

 

 

 

 

 

The Cold Temperatures and Alfalfa – Dr. Dan Undersander, Forage Agronomist, University of Wisconsin

Concern always arises in cold periods over winter about the effect of the low temperatures on alfalfa winter survival. This is of some concern because certainly the alfalfa plant will die if exposed to cold enough temperatures.

However, generally alfalfa survives the winter and its periodic cold spells. The reasons are:

1) Alfalfa can survive temperatures of -10 to -15 degrees F.

2) This is the temperature of the crown not the top growth.

3) As little as 4 inches of loose snow will insulate against up to 16 degrees F of air temperature.

4) The crown is insulated by soil as well; therefore the crucial temperature is the temperature at 2 to 4 inches below the soil surface.

The soil temperature on Jan 8 (after the last cold spell) is generally above 0 degrees F and most of the Midwest. The higher temperature than the air the last few days is due to insulating ability of both snow (most of Midwest had at least 4 inches of snow cover) and the insulating ability of the soil. This situation should indicate little to no injury or kill of alfalfa.

 

 

 

 

 

Awareness Can Help Prevent Grain Bin Engulfments, Increase Grain Bin Safety  – Tracy Turner, Dee Jepsen

With many grain bins statewide full of stored grain this time of year,  safety experts with Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences are reminding farmers to be aware of safety precautions to prevent grain engulfments and to have an overall awareness and understanding of grain bin safety. The issue is significant considering that every year, an average of 26 Ohio farm workers lose their lives to production agriculture, said Dee Jepsen, state safety leader for Ohio State University Extension. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of the college. To learn more about grain bin safety, go to http://extension.osu.edu/news-releases/archives/2014/february/awareness-can-help-prevent-grain-bin-engulfments-increase-grain-bin-safety.

 

 

 

 

 

Soybean Cyst Nematode expands range in Ohio – Terry Niblack, Nancy Taylor, Anne Dorrance

Approximately every three years the map is updated where SCN is found in the US.  To do this task records from the diagnostic clinic and data from field studies are collected and the findings are plotted on the map.  Greg Tylka from Iowa State University coordinates this effort.  As expected, in the last 3 years SCN was identified in more counties in Ohio.  For a county to be colored red, at least one field has to be identified with populations over 200 eggs/cup soil.  We have identified fields across Ohio from west to east, next to the Pennsylvania border that have SCN.  In addition, we are identifying more fields in the state with populations above the economic thresholds.  To continue reading this article, go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2014/2014-4/soybean-cyst-nematode-expands-range-in-ohio.

 

 

 

 

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,

Have you heard the news?  The Hardin County Pork Producers are offering six-$500 scholarships, one for each of the county schools.  Completed scholarship applications are due to Doug Heilman by March 1.  The group is also looking for applicants for the 2014 Hardin County Pork Queen.  Pork Queen applications are due to Nancy Weaver also by March 1.  I have attached a copy of the rules and applications, as well as a copy of the related news release if you know someone who qualifies and is interested in applying.  Applications are also available from the local FFA Advisors and high school guidance counselors, or can be downloaded from hardin.osu.edu.

2014 Pork Queen Application

Pork Queen Scholarship News Release

Pork Scholarship Rules & Application

March 1 is also the date of the Hardin County Sheep Improvement Association’s banquet.  This Lamb Banquet will start at 6:30 pm and will be held at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Kenton.  Tickets can be purchased until February 24 from the following county Sheep Improvement Association Directors: Adam Burbach, Scott Elliott, Matt Klingler, Barry Musselman, Dave Burkhart, Kristie Fay, Max Garmon, Don Haudenschield, Kenny Williams, Jeff Bowers, Bruce Oberlitner, Gene Haudenschield, Peter Previte, or Russell Senning. Tickets can also be purchased from Madelyn Lowery or from the Extension Office at 1021 West Lima Street, Suite 103, Kenton. The guest speaker will be Amy Schroeder, a sheep producer from Hancock County, who will be sharing information about wool processing and marketing opportunities.  See the attached news release for further details.

Lamb Banquet News Release

Speaking of sheep (and goats), this coming week’s Sheep and Goat Webinar topic has changed.  Monday night’s (February 17) presentation will be given by Dr. Richard Ehrhardt, Small Ruminant Specialist, Michigan State University Extension, talking about record keeping, why keep records, what records to keep, how to use records to improve farm profitability.  Please call the Extension office if you plan to attend so that we know how many to expect for this program.  This program will start at 7:00 pm and end by 9:00 pm.

 

The Hardin County Extension Advisory Committee will meet Wednesday, February 19 in the first floor meeting room of the courthouse at 4:00 pm.  Thursday, February 20 the USDA will be holding a meeting for residents in the Alger and Silver Creek area who are interested in the Gypsy Moth control program.  If you own a woods and live in this area, you might want to attend this program from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Extension office.  For more information, go to http://www.agri.ohio.gov/divs/plant/gypsy/gypsy-index.aspx.

 

Finally, our Family and Consumer Sciences Educator Kathy Oliver has asked me to include information about the Hardin County LEAD program.  Participants for the twenty-second annual Hardin Leadership class, a program designed for the development of informed and effective community leaders, are being recruited now until March 3rd .  Hardin Leadership is sponsored and conducted by OSU Extension, Hardin County office and the Hardin Leadership Steering Committee.  Nine monthly sessions will focus on the knowledge/skills required by today’s community leader, such as team building, public speaking, and marketing. This year’s program will be offered in morning sessions on the second Thursdays, March through November.  I have attached a brochure that further explains this program.

Hardin Leadership brochure

Below are some articles that you might be interested in reading.  Enjoy the warming trend and hopefully I will see you soon at a meeting or livestock commodity group banquet.

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

Sensitive Crop Registry Update – Ohio Pesticide Safety Education Program

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is introducing the Ohio Sensitive Crop Registry. This registry is a voluntary informational tool designed for producers and apiarists to communicate and protect sensitive crops and apiaries. The registry information will not be available to the general public; only registered users will have access. Producers and applicators will be able to register and access the site after February 18.  To continue reading this and other pesticide related articles, go to http://pested.osu.edu/pep-talk/pepv18i1.html.

 

 

 

 

 

What you need to know about landowner liability, trespassing laws – Leah Curtis – Ohio Farm Bureau

One problem we consistently hear about from Farm Bureau members is trespassing. Unfortunately, the amount of land that farmers have can often times be enticing to those who want to hike, ride ATVs, or just cause trouble. Members also are often concerned about what their liability is in certain situations, if visitors to their property get hurt. Go to http://ofbf.org/news-and-events/news/3755/  to find out the five things to know about Ohio’s trespassing and landowner liability laws.

 

 

 

 

 

Preparing Cows for Breeding – Dr. Les Anderson, Beef Extension Specialist, University of Kentucky

A successful breeding season actually begins with management decisions made at calving. Cattlemen can impact rebreeding efficiency by focusing on body condition score (BCS), early assistance during calving difficulty, scheduling a breeding soundness exam for the herd sires, planning their herd reproductive health program, and developing a plan to regulate estrus in their first-calf heifers and late-calving cows.  To read more about preparing cows for breeding and other beef articles, go to http://beef.osu.edu/beef/beefFeb1214.html.

 

 

 

 

 

Nitrogen Application to Soybeans –  Laura Lindsey

After talking with many farmers throughout Ohio during this year’s Extension meetings, one common question keeps popping up.  “What about nitrogen application to soybean?”  Yes, soybean plants have high nitrogen requirements due to the high protein content of grain.  On average, approximately 4 lb N is removed per bushel of grain.  (Corn only removes approximately 1 lb N per bushel of grain.)  Soybean nitrogen requirements are met through both nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Bradyrhizobia) and residual/mineralized soil nitrogen.  To continue reading this article, go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2014/2014-4/nitrogen-application-to-soybean.

 

 

 

 

 

Webinar on Western Corn Rootworm – Andy Michel,  Ron Hammond

Corn producers may be interested in this upcoming webinar at 2 PM (Eastern Time Zone) on February 20th.  This webinar features experts on western corn rootworm (WCR) biology and management from the western corn belt.  There has been a renewed interest in WCR in this area of the country ever since growers have reported problems with resistance to Bt (Cry3Bb1).  While this webinar will provide very valuable information, producers should keep in mind differences in managing WCR in Ohio than what is occurring out west. For example, we have no reports of Bt resistance yet in our state, and crop rotation remains our best management tactic to prevent resistance from occurring, as well as prevent damage from WCR.  The webinar can be accessed here: https://connect.unl.edu/r9ra3734mey/.  Just enter your name, and you will be able to attend the webinar.  This webinar is supported by the USDA-NIFA North Central IPM Center.

 

 

 

 

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

 

Well it’s late and I’m working on this email newsletter. Today I was out of the office at the Ohio Department of Agriculture taking Certified Crop Adviser exams.  It’s been a very busy week with several meetings and I also had the opportunity to judge a FFA Sub District Public Speaking contest at Ridgemont High School.  I always enjoy hearing the speeches and challenging the students with questions. My audiences were a lot kinder to me this past week as we held classes for the Hardin County Master Gardeners and pesticide recertification for private applicators in Union County. Since I mentioned the Master Gardeners, have you had a chance to check out the new Hardin County Master Gardener Facebook Page?  It can be found at https://www.facebook.com/HardinCountyOSUExtensionMasterGardeners.  Give it a LIKE and you can get horticulture information on your newsfeed and even ask our Master Gardeners questions.

Monday evening at 7:00 pm will be our second Sheep and Goat webinar at the Hardin County Extension Office focusing on “Successfully Producing Small Ruminants in a Forage Based System.”  Jeff McCutcheon and Rory Lewandowski from OSU Extension will present this February 10 program.  The following evening on Tuesday, February 11 will be the second Corn, Soybeans and Wheat Connection webinar, featuring ‘Everything But the Kitchen Sink: High Input Soybean Production.’ It will be taught by Dr. Laura Lindsey, State Specialist Soybean & Small Grains Production, Ohio State University Extension. ‘Updates on Fungicides and Resistance, Soybean Cyst Nematode and Seed Treatments’ will be taught by Dr. Anne Dorrance, State Specialist Plant Pathologist Soybeans, Ohio State University Extension. This webinar will also be hosted at the Extension office located at 1021 W. Lima Street in Kenton.  Individuals interested in attending these programs are asked to call the office to pre-register.  There is no cost to attend these webinar programs.

Tuesday, February 11 will be a full day, as Dr. Matt Roberts, OSU Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics will be the guest speaker at the Conservation Tillage Club breakfast meeting at the Plaza Inn in Mt. Victory. He will present a program on the grain marketing outlook for 2014 at the Plaza Inn in Mt. Victory. Topics that will be addressed are uncertain times as the agricultural industry moves into 2014 with the Farm Bill being debated, land and rental rates that are over-priced, grain prices are dropping, while inputs are still relatively high. This program will begin at 7:30 am with a breakfast buffet.  I have also attached a news release about our upcoming agronomy programs.

Agronomy Program News Release

If you are planning to attend the Dairy Banquet on February 15, make sure you contact a Dairy Service Unit Director or call the Extension office at 419-674-2297 by the first of the week to get your ticket.  The Hardin County Sheep Improvement Associaton has made available its Lamb & Wool Queen and scholarship applications.  These forms and their accompanying news release are attached to this email and are due February 21.  Also, if you are a member of the Farm Bureau you may be interested in knowing that this year’s summer picnic will combine with the Farm Bureau annual meeting.  Contact any board member or our new organization director Jennifer Wilson for details.  Below are some articles that you may be interested in reading.

Sheep Improvement Association Scholarship Application

Lamb & Wool Queen and Scholarship News Release

Lamb & Wool Queen Application

Mark

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