Good evening,
This morning I had the opportunity to spend time at the Hardin Northern FFA Ag Appreciation Breakfast. I continue to be impressed with the work of the agricultural education programs in the county as they mold young people for ag careers and to become productive members of society. As I talked with several adults that I have had the pleasure of meeting over the past year and half as the AgNR OSU Extension Educator, I was introduced to a couple new people I had yet to meet in person, one being someone I had just spoke with a few days ago on the phone. It continues to be an enjoyable experience for me to meet new people and find out about their work in our industry.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of the winter livestock banquet season. The Dairy Banquet will be at 12:00 pm at Walnut Grove United Methodist Church. This will be followed by the first annual Horse Banquet at 6:30 pm at the Community Building on the fairgrounds. To find out more about the upcoming Hardin County livestock banquets, read the attached article.
Livestock Banquet Season Article
Tickets are currently on sale for the Lamb Banquet. They can be purchased until March 2 from the following county Sheep Improvement Association Directors: Adam Burbach, Megan Burgess, Scott Elliott, Barry Musselman, Cory Wagner, 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. See the attached news release for more information.
Monday (2/23) will be the final Sheep & Goat webinar for this year. The program will begin at 7:00 pm at the Extension office with the topic being Tips for Improving Lambing and Kidding Percentages through Management, Genetics and Selection being presented by University of Maryland Small Ruminant Specialist Susan Schoenian. Feel free to join us.
The final installment of the Ohio Beef School will be held on Tuesday (2/24). Dr. Monique Pairis-Garcia, Assistant Professor, and Dr. Steve Boyles, Professor, both of the OSU Department of Animal Sciences, will discuss “Beef Animal Handling and Facility Design.” Videos will be used to demonstrate the positive and negative aspects of animal behavior and they will discuss how facilities can improve animal handling concerns. Dr. Bill Weiss, Professor, OSU Department of Animal Sciences will also address “Forage Evaluation and Making Quality Dry Hay, Balage, and Silage.” This program will also be at the Extension office, starting at 7:00 pm if you would like to attend. See the attached flyer for more information.
Participants for the twenty-third annual Hardin Leadership class, a program designed for the development of informed and effective community leaders, are being recruited now until March 4. Hardin Leadership is sponsored and conducted by the Hardin Leadership Steering Committee and the OSU Extension, Hardin County office. 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. See the attached brochure for more details.
Agricultural fertilizer applicator certification is now required for farmers who apply fertilizer to more than 50 acres of agricultural production grown primarily for sale. This requirement was signed into law in June 2014, and also requires certification for commercial agricultural applicators. Farmers who have their fertilizer applied by co-ops or custom applicators are not required to be certified. A three-hour certification program will be offered March 5 from 9:00 am -12:00 pm in the McIntosh Center at Ohio Northern University in Ada. This free meeting will meet the certification requirements for those with and without a pesticide license. Pre-registration is required and online registration is available at nutrienteducation.osu.edu. You can also register by calling the Hardin County Extension office at 419-674-2297. See the attached news release for more information.
Fertilizer Training Ada News Release
Other events happening include the first Master Gardener Volunteer meeting of the year, starting at 7:00 pm Monday (2/23) at Harco Industries. The Soil and Water Conservation District is having its annual Planning Meeting on Thursday (2/26), starting at 7:00 am at Henry’s Restaurant. I hope you have a good week. Below are some agronomy articles for you to read if interested.
Mark
Warm days make me think of spring, or how to avoid disease losses in 2015 – Anne Dorrance
As I look back over my data and pictures of wipe outs in Ohio, the biggest losses have occurred when the super susceptible soybean variety or corn, or wheat, was planted into a field where inoculum (pathogen population) was high and environmental conditions often occur. The disease triangle is a great tool to remind us that limiting one of the factors (susceptible variety, inoculum, or environment) can greatly reduce losses due to diseases. Go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2015/2015-03/warm-days-make-me-think-of-spring-or-how-to-avoid-diseases-losses-in-2015 to continue reading this article.
OARDC Agronomy In-service: March 5 and 6, 2015 – Pierce Paul
The 2015 OARDC Agronomy In-service is fast approaching. This in-service is designed to give Extension Educators, Certified Crop Advisors, and stakeholders up-to-date and hands-on training on disease, insect, fertility, and general crop management issues facing the corn, wheat, and soybean industries in the state and across the country, with presentations and demonstrations by Extension State Specialists Drs. Peter Thomison, Pierce Paul, Andy Michel, Anne Dorrance, Laura Lindsey, and Steve Culman. To encourage participation and facilitate hands-on exercises, the number of attendees will usually be limited to 35 per day (a total of 70 over the two days), on a first-come, first-serve basis. For program details visit: http://agcrops-cms.cfaes.ohio-state.edu/corn/newsletters/2015/2015-03/OARDC Agronomy In-service March 2015_Final.pdf and contact Teresa Funk at funk.67@osu.edu and 614-292-4077 regarding registration.
2015 Soil Fertility On-Farm Projects – Steve Culman
The Ohio State Soil Fertility Lab will be starting a number of projects this year that will only be successful with participation from farmer cooperators across the state. We are in the process of updating the Tri-State Recommendations, looking specifically at N, P and K in corn, soybean and wheat. This is a major undertaking that will require a collective effort from numerous OSU extension personnel, crop consultants and farmer cooperators. We will cast a broad net to collect data from a large number of farms across the state and determine economically-optimum fertilization rates to maximize farmer profitability. For more information on this and other soils research, go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2015/2015-03/2015-soil-fertility-on-farm-projects.
2014 Northwest Ohio Corn Silage Test – Rich Minyo, Allen Geyer, Peter Thomison
In 2014, 53 corn silage hybrids representing 16 commercial brands were evaluated in a joint trial with Michigan State University (MSU). One Ohio location is combined with Michigan’s two southern (Zone 1) silage locations. The Ohio test site was located in our Northwest Region at Hoytville (Wood County). The two MSU sites are located in Branch and Lenawee counties, which are on the Ohio/Michigan state line. To read more about the 2014 Northwest Ohio Corn Silage Test, go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2015/2015-03/2014-northwest-ohio-corn-silage-test.
Conservation Tillage & Technology Conference – Mark Badertscher, Ed Lentz, Randall Reeder
The Conservation Tillage & Technology Conference (CTC) will soon be upon us. This year it will be held Tuesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 4 at Ohio Northern University in Ada. Each year the CTC gives farmers and crop consultants an opportunity to not only catch up on the latest conservation tillage information, but also serves as a valuable source of up-to-date Cover Crop and Soil Health programming in addition to the traditional Corn University and Soybean School programs which bring participants to this annual conference looking for ways to increase crop production efficiencies while stretching that bottom line. To finish reading this article, go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2015/2015-03/conservation-tillage-technology-conference.
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