May 29, 2015

Good afternoon,

Another week has passed and it appears that most of the crops have been planted in the county.  Corn has emerged well and most soybean fields look to be coming up good.  There has been much activity with farmers catching up on spraying herbicides and several who are applying nitrogen to corn.  Rain continues to be an issue, with a few spotty showers or downpours depending on where you are located.  Now is the time to go out and evaluate your early stands to find out if you have any problems.  I have attached an article from Hancock County Extension Educator Ed Lentz about early corn problems.  Hopefully we will have adequate moisture to provide uniform soybean stands.  Wheat quality looks good so far, with several fields heading out with low risk for disease pressure.  This past weekend I noticed several hay fields being baled with some reports of an excellent first cutting.

Early Corn Problems

One of the issues that we need to be aware of is the possibility of Avian Influenza spreading into Ohio.  I mentioned this disease a couple of weeks ago in this newsletter.  This week I have attached a news release about how to control the spread of this disease so that it is less likely to affect our local poultry flocks and commercial operations.  I have also attached an article by Darke County Extension Educator Sam Custer about the economic impact Avian Influenza could have on Ohio if it were to spread.  The number of reported cases of this disease are increasing nationwide.  If you consider that each layer consumes about a bushel of corn per year, each turkey consumes about 2/3 bushel of corn each year, and each broiler consumes about 10 pounds of corn, the numbers start to add up.  In addition, poultry consume soybean meal so you can quickly see that an epidemic could affect demand for grain as well.

Avian Influenza News Release

Economic Impact of Avian Influenza

Are you a swine producer who needs Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus certification?  There have been four Adult PQA Plus certification sessions scheduled to be conducted at the OSU Putnam County Extension Office, 1206 E. 2nd Street in Ottawa.  All new PQA certifications or those that have expired must attend a face to face PQA Plus certification training session.

 

PQA Plus Certification Dates

June 18, 2015 – 7:00 p.m.

August 20, 2015 – 7:00 p.m.

October 28, 2015 – 7:00 p.m.

December 16, 2015 – 6:00 p.m.

 

To register call 419-523-6294.  If calling after office hours leave a message to register or email OSU Extension Swine Program Specialist Dale Ricker at ricker.37@osu.edu.  There is also an online option (no registration fee) to renew your PQA Plus certification.  You must have an email address and internet access to complete the online version.  If you want to recertify online, email Dale and he will get you registered.  It is important to note that the online certification must be completed before your current certification expires.

 

If you are a sheep producer and are interested in attending this year’s Ohio Sheep Day, I have attached a flyer.  This year’s program will be Saturday, July 11 at Schoolhouse Shropshires in Xenia.  Check out the flyer for details about the program topics for this year if you are considering attending this annual event.  Local events coming up this week include Hardin County Fair Dairy Beef Feeder Weigh-in tomorrow (5/30) morning from 8:00-10:30 am at the fairgrounds.  There will be a Farm Bureau board meeting Tuesday (6/2) evening from 7:30-9:00 pm at Ag Credit.  The June Ag Council meeting will be held Friday (6/5) from 7:00-8:30 am at Henry’s Restaurant.  Feel free to join the group for breakfast and to share county agriculture information.  Below are some agronomy related articles that you may be interested in reading.

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

 

Identifying Feekes Growth Stages 9 and 10  –  Pierce Paul, Karasi Mills,  Laura Lindsey

Feekes growth stages 9 (full flag leaf emergence) and 10 (boot stage) can be identified without having to pull plants from the field. At this stage, you are no longer looking for and counting nodes at the base of the stem. Once the wheat crop is beyond Feekes growth stage 8 (flag leaf emergence), you can simply observe tillers in the field to determine if the flag leaf is fully emerged (Feekes 9) or if the wheat spikes (aka the head) is swollen in the leaf sheath of the flag leaf (Feekes 10; commonly referred to the boot stage).  To continue reading about Feekes Wheat Growth Stages 9 and 10, go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2015/2015-12/identifying-feekes-growth-stages-9-and-10.

 

 

 

 

 

Corn Replant Considerations  –  Peter Thomison

Although corn stands are looking remarkably good across the state according to most observers, there are some localized reports of growers considering replanting. Most of these replant issues appear related to the consequences of planting in wet soils. Replant decisions in corn should be based on strong evidence that the returns to replanting will not only cover replant costs but also net enough to make it worth the effort. Don’t make a final assessment on the extent of damage and stand loss too quickly. The following are some guidelines to consider when making a replant decision.  Go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2015/2015-12-1/corn-replant-considerations to finish reading this article.

 

 

 

 

 

Evaluating Soybean Stand  –  Laura Lindsey

Soybean planting is well underway throughout Ohio.  The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service reported 23% of the soybean acres were planted by May 10 (and many more acres were planted between May 10 and 18) up from 13% at the same time last year. As soybeans are emerging, consider evaluating your stand this spring.  Most are reporting good stands; however, there have been some reports of damping-off.  To quickly estimate stand, count the number of plants in 69’8” of row for 7.5 inch row spacing, 34’10” for 15 inch row spacing, or 17’5” of row for 30 inch row spacing.  These counts represent 1/1000th of an acre (i.e., 120 plants in 69’8” of row in 7.5 inch row spacing = 120,000 plants/acre).  Go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2015/2015-12-1/evaluating-soybean-stand to learn more about evaluating soybean stands.

 

 

 

 

 

Wheat Disease Update –  Pierce Paul, Jorge David Salgado

The wheat crop progressed considerably over the week of May 18 and is now heading-out in some fields. In fact, some fields in southern Ohio and even fields planted early or with early-maturing varieties in the central and northern parts of the state are at the flowering growth stage or will be flowering by the end of this week. The forecast is for cool conditions and rain over the next few days, which could potentially slow down the development of the crop. Scab and vomitoxin become our biggest concerns at this time of the wheat season. Keep your eyes on the weather and the scab forecasting (http://www.wheatscab.psu.edu) and alert systems, and be prepared to apply a fungicide (Prosaro or Caramba at full label-recommended rates) at flowering. For those early-flowering fields planted with varieties that are very susceptible to scab, the risk for head scab is currently low-moderate and will likely remain low as conditions become cooler.

 

 

 

 

 

In An Instant: Buried Alive  –  Amanda Douridas

The ABC network television show In An Instant will be replaying the Buried Alive episode on Saturday, May 30 at 9:00 pm. This episode features Arick Baker, a 23 year old farmer from Iowa, who was completely buried in his grain bin for over two hours and was fortunately rescued. Some farmers who saw the episode during its first run said it was very eye-opening to watch. The episode can also be viewed online at any time at: http://abc.go.com/shows/in-an-instant.

 

 

 

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

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *