Good evening,

Planting of corn and soybeans has been making considerable progress this week.  Much of the tillage, fertilizer, and spraying operations have also kicked back into gear with the favorable weather conditions and warmer temperatures.  This past Friday we were able to plant our Soybean Population Plot with cooperator Paul Ralston.  Summer intern Taylor McNamara got involved as well, placing the marker flags.  We are testing both 15 and 30 inch rows with populations ranging from 60,000 to 213,000 seeds per acre, depending on the row widths.  These trials are replicated randomly three times across the field.  For a video of this plot planting, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQETkfsTsm0 . 

What is that yellow flowering weed that has bloomed across the county?  Cressleaf Groundsel has once again raised its head this spring with the moist soils and late planting season.  This plant is toxic to livestock so make sure that you keep that in mind if you have infested pastures or hayfields.  Also, if you are baling hay or straw for sale, consider that as well.  Normally the animals prefer not to eat this weed if there are more desirable forages around, but it should be managed by mowing before going to seed and not baling or chopping into feed.  See the attached fact sheet from OSU Weed Science Extension Specialist Mark Loux and others about managing this weed.  Cressleaf groundsel is most easily controlled with herbicides in the late fall or early spring, but we are past that point now.

Cressleaf Groundsel Fact Sheet

Do you have a farm pond?  Managing weeds and fish in a pond can be a challenge.  That is why OSU Extension has teamed up with the Soil and Water Conservation District to once again provide the Hardin County Pond Clinic.  This program will be held Monday, June 6 starting at 6:00 pm at Rick & Marsha Gardner’s Pond located at 11123 Township Road 180, Kenton.  Steve Fender, author of ‘Farm Pond Management, The Common Sense Guide’ and owner of Fender’s Fish Farm in Baltic, Ohio will discuss everything from pond construction to pond maintenance. This will be a question and answer clinic so bring your questions, along with your lawn chair for what we hope will be an informative evening.  See the attached news release and flyer for more details.

Pond Clinic News Release

Pond Clinic Flyer

‘What is Buzzing in the Garden’ is the theme of this year’s Children’s Day at the Friendship Gardens.  This annual program is being hosted by the Hardin County Master Gardener Volunteers for kids in Kindergarten-5^th grade.  Five learning stations as well as a craft station will spark an interest in gardening.  This event will take place will take place Saturday, June 11 at the Friendship Gardens of Hardin County located at 960 Kohler Street in Kenton. The program will start at 10:00 am and end at 12:00 pm and requires that either mom or dad, or grandma or grandpa accompany the children as they learn about bees, birds, butterflies, moths, sundial, and a craft station.  Each child will be making a ‘Butterfly Puddler’ craft to take home to serve as a water source for butterflies in their own garden.  The program will be held inside Harco Industries (705 North Ida Street) in the event of rain.  Pre-registration is required, so call the Extension office by June 1 so we have enough supplies for all of the participants.  See the flyer and news article that I have attached to this email to find out more.

Children’s Day at the Friendship Gardens News Release

Children’s Day Flyer

The Hardin County Fair Dairy Beef Feeder tagging and weigh-in is this Saturday, May 28 from 8:00 am until 10:30 am at the fairgrounds.  Make sure you check the propane tank before this weekend’s Memorial Day cookout.  Have a nice holiday weekend and if you have some time, I have included some agronomy related articles below for you to read.

Mark

Corn Replant Tips – Peter Thomison

Although most corn that’s been planted has yet to emerge or develop much beyond the VE or V1 stage, there are localized reports of growers replanting early planted corn. Some of these replant issues appear related to the consequence of recent frost injury combined with excess soil moisture or flooding. 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. To finish reading this article, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/corn-replant-tips.

Impact of Frost on Soybean and Corn Survival – Laura Lindsey, Peter Thomison

Last Monday, May 16, air temperatures dropped to high 20s/low 30s causing some freeze injury to soybeans. Soybeans in low areas of the field are most likely to be affected. Plants should be assessed for damage at least five days after suspected injury to inspect for regrowth. If damage occurred above the cotyledons, the plant will likely recover. If damaged occurred below the cotyledons, the plant will not recover. Look for a discolored hypocotyl (the “crook” of the soybean that first emerges from the ground) which indicates that damage occurred below the cotyledons. The soybean plant pictured will not recover. If soybeans were not yet emerged at the time of the freeze, they should be fine.  To read more about soybean and corn survival after a frost, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/impact-frost-soybean-and-corn-survival.

Adjustments for Late Planted (or Replanted) Soybean – Laura Lindsey

Wet weather has kept many farmers (and us) out of the field.  According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, as of May 15, 10% of the soybean acres were planted.  At the same time last year, 46% of soybean planting was complete.  On average, in Ohio, the majority of soybean acres are planted mid to late May (Table 1).  Although, it is not uncommon for soybean planting to creep into June.  In general, we don’t recommend altering soybean management until planting in June. For more information on this topic, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/adjustments-late-planted-or-replanted-soybean.

CHOICE – The Big Data Confusion: Part 7 – John Fulton, Kaylee Port

Choice as it relates to the discussion of data services and tools is critically important to growers today.  As a grower, you should have a choice on who to share your data with and the selection of service(s) to utilize with Agriculture Technology Providers (ATPs). According to the Privacy and Security Principles for Farm Data published by the American Farm Bureau directly states, “ATPs should explain the effects and abilities of a farmer’s decision to opt in, opt out or disable the availability of services and features offered by the ATP. If multiple options are offered, farmers should be able to choose some, all, or none of the options offered. ATPs should provide farmers with a clear understanding of what services and features may or may not be enabled when they make certain choices.”  To finish reading this article, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2015-10/choice-big-data-confusion-part-7.

Wheat is beginning to head out: time to start monitoring the risk for Scab – Pierce Paul, Jorge David Salgado

Wheat is now heading out in some fields, particularly in Southern Ohio, and will likely begin flowering in various parts of the state over the next two to three weeks. On average, it usually takes about 5 days from full head emergence (Feekes 10.5) to flowering, and flowering is usually over in about the same number of days. However, flowering could take a bit longer to occur and the flowering window could be much wider under cool conditions similar to those forecasted for the next week or so. Once wheat begins to flower, scab and vomitoxin become our biggest concerns. It is therefore time for a refresher on head scab, and some useful tips to help you use the scab forecasting system to monitor the risk of this disease.  Click on http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2016-11/wheat-beginning-head-out-time-start-monitoring-risk-scab to read more.

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,

It looks like the weather has turned and is finally going to allow farmers to resume planting corn and soybeans.  This past Friday I saw the first field of corn that I could row in the northern part of the county near Dola.  Yesterday I saw the first field of soybeans that I could row in the southern part of the county near Ridgeway.  Although it appeared that these fields had emerged a few days earlier, both had good stands.  Hopefully this will answer the question about the possible need for replanting, but that will probably be determined on a field by field basis.  The main thing to keep in mind about planting is to make sure the field is fit, or the crop could be stunted for most of the growing season.  I did a radio interview for Brownfield Ag News about this subject and the challenges facing crop producers in early May.  If you go to http://brownfieldagnews.com/2016/05/04/weather-creating-challenges-nw-ohio/ you can read the article and listen to the interview.

With the mild winter and early spring, wheat fields are further along and also are showing some signs of disease.  I scouted a field on Friday that had some leaf blotch infections.  You probably won’t notice infestations by looking at the outside of the field or by driving by 55 miles per hour.  Instead, walk the inner parts of the field being sure to check the lower leaves.  There are some diseases that will cause a 20-30% yield loss or more, so it is worth the time necessary to check your field.  South of Hardin County there have been reports of rust on wheat.  Check out the attached article written by Darke County Extension Educator Sam Custer.  It contains links to OSU Fact Sheets of what to look for while scouting.  In addition to leaf blotch and rust, powdery mildew is another disease that you should look for.  The treatment window is often very timely and fungicide treatments are not cheap.  Your best defense is growing varieties that have a good disease resistance package.

2016 Wheat Rust News Release

I have also attached the April 15-30 Rainfall Report Summary for Hardin County.  For the time period of April 15-30, Extension rainfall reporters recorded an average of 1.46 inches of rain in Hardin County.  Last year, the average rainfall for the same time period was 1.06 inches.  Rainfall for the April 15-30 time period is 0.55 inches less than the ten year average rainfall during the same dates.  I am sure that the May report will be much more interesting than April, given the amount of rain we experienced.  Have you heard about the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms?  There are two of these farms in Hardin County, one owned by Chris Kurt and the other by Bill and Shane Kellogg that are being spotlighted along with a farm in Hancock County to demonstrate standard and innovative conservation systems to reduce sediment and phosphorus entering the Western Basin of Lake Erie.  Although this initiative is being promoted by the Ohio Farm Bureau and USDA, much work and assistance has also been contributed by the Soil and Water Conservation District and The Nature Conservancy locally to design and install conservation practices that are highlighted on these farms.  See the attached document for more about these demonstration farms.

April 15-30 Rainfall Summary

Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Brochure

Be safe as you resume field work and if you need some informative agronomy articles, see the ones that I have included below.

Mark

The Big Data Confusion: Part 6 – Transparency and Consistency – John Fulton, Kaylee Port

“Transparency and Consistency” is this week’s principle covered for the installment of “The Big Data Confusion.” The Privacy and Security Principles for Farm Data states that: “ATPs shall notify farmers about the purposes for which they collect and use farm data. They should provide information about how farmers can contact the ATP with any inquiries or complaints, the types of third parties to which they disclose the data and the choices the ATP offers for limiting its use and disclosure. An ATP’s principles, policies and practices should be transparent and fully consistent with the terms and conditions in their legal contracts. An ATP will not change the customer’s contract without his or her agreement.”  To continue reading this article, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/big-data-confusion-part-6-%E2%80%93-transparency-and-consistency.

Lots of Fungicides to Choose From, but Choose Wisely – Pierce Paul

After more than 12 years of running my own wheat foliar fungicide efficacy trials here in Ohio, and analyzing data collected by my colleagues across the country, I have come to the conclusion that there is rarely ever a benefit to making more than one foliar fungicide applications to wheat in Ohio. In fact, even a single application may not be beneficial if the cultivar is resistant to the prevalent disease in your area or conditions are not favorable for disease development. So, if you have to make a single application, go with the one that is most likely to provide the greatest benefit in terms of disease control and return on your investment. For more information, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/lots-fungicides-choose-choose-wisely.

Armyworm and Cover Crops – Kelley Tilmon, Andy Michel

True armyworm (Pseudaletia unipuncta) overwinters in the southern U.S. and adult moths migrate northward in April and May.  Females lay eggs in grassy fields including rye cover crops, and the young caterpillars feed there, typically attacking corn from early may through June.  Corn planted into rye cover is at greater risk for early season armyworm feeding because the caterpillars may already be in the field and move to the corn after the rye is killed.  Armyworm can also move into corn from other fields such as wheat, in which case infestation usually occurs along field edges. To read more about Armyworm and Cover Crops, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2015-10/armyworm-and-cover-crops.

Heat Unit Accumulation and Corn Emergence – Peter Thomison

There have been reports of slow corn emergence in some areas and that corn planted more than three weeks ago is not yet emerging. Is this cause for concern? Not necessarily. Corn requires about 100 growing degrees days (GDDs) to emerge (emergence requirements can vary from 90 to 150 GDDs). To determine daily GDD accumulation, calculate the average daily temperature (high + low)/2 and subtract the base temperature which is 50 degrees F for corn. If the daily low temperature is above 50 degrees, and the high is 86 or less, then this calculation is performed using actual temperatures. If the low temperature is less than 50 degrees, use 50 degrees as the low in the formula.  To find out more about determining growing degree days, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2016-11/heat-unit-accumulation-and-corn-emergence.

Adjusting Corn Management Practices for a Late Start – Peter Thomison, Steve Culman

As of Sunday May 8, 30 percent of Ohio’s corn crop was planted, which is 14 percent behind last year and 5 percent behind the five-year average (https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Ohio/Publications/Crop_Progress_&_Condition/index.php). Weather forecasts indicate more rain this week possibly continuing through Thursday. As prospects for a timely start to spring planting diminish, especially in northern Ohio, growers need to reassess their planting strategies and consider adjustments. Since delayed planting reduces the yield potential of corn, the foremost attention should be given to management practices that will expedite crop establishment.  Go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2016-11/adjusting-corn-management-practices-late-start for some suggestions and guidelines to consider in dealing with a late planting season.

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,

Because of the weather I have been working in the office, looking back on what has been accomplished this past winter.  This winter OSU Extension recertified 5721 Ohio private pesticide applicators, 88 which were in Hardin County.  In addition, 11,859 applicators were trained as of 4/30/16 for fertilizer certification with 198 of them from Hardin County.  However, only 185 have had their certificates issued.  If you are one of those individuals who attended the training but have yet to get your certificate, most likely it is because the Ohio Department of Agriculture still needs you to send in your $30 fee.  If you have questions and want me to check further into this, give me a call.  See the attached Ohio maps for more details of the statewide progress with pesticide and fertilizer certifications.

Private Pesticide License Renewals

Although planting season has been delayed by the cool temperatures and wet conditions, spray drift continues to be a concern around the county.  It is not always a problem with homeowners or fruit and vegetable producers, but sometimes between two field crop producers.  See the attached article that I wrote for more information about this topic and what can be done to make sure that pesticides stay on target.  Burndowns and other herbicide applications will resume soon, so keep in mind wind speed, droplet size, nozzle pressure, and boom height when applying pesticides.  Be aware of where sensitive crops and bees are located and communicate spray plans ahead of time if possible to try to eliminate any possible problems that could occur later.

Spray Drift News Release

Do grain market prices have you considering changing your corn or soybean acres this spring?  Although we still have plenty of time to plant corn, I have attached an article written by Hancock County Extension Educator Ed Lentz that lists factors to consider when deciding which crop to plant.  Yesterday afternoon I spent time with 55 students from Hardin Northern Local School discussing the opportunities in agricultural careers.  These students, who were from grades 7-12^th grade indicated that agriculture was one of their top four career choices.  Two of our interns from the Extension office, Demi Snider and Taylor McNamara assisted with these presentations.  Sometimes even when things don’t appear to be going our way,  it is just good to sit back and be thankful for what we do have available to us in this career field called agriculture.  Below are some agronomy articles that you may be interested in reading.

Corn vs Soybean Planting Article

Mark

How Low Can You Go? Cold Weather and Wheat Injury – Laura Lindsey, Douglas Alt, Pierce Paul

Cool weekend temperatures have prompted some concern about possible injury to the wheat crop. The effect of cold weather depends on the wheat growth stage. Maximum resistance to cold weather occurs in December-February. As wheat greens-up, the plant becomes less tolerant of freezing temperatures. At Feekes 6 growth stage aka “jointing” temperatures of ≤24°F for at least two hours may be injurious. Currently, in Ohio, most wheat is beyond Feekes 5 (green-up), so injury should be minimal. Currently, we are in the process of evaluating freeze tolerance of winter wheat grown in Ohio. We collected wheat samples from Pickaway County on March 30 when plants were at Feekes 5 growth stage. Plants were put into a freeze chamber and temperature lowered to 27°, 21°, 14°, and 5°F. Very little injury has been observed between 14-27°F. At 5°F, wheat leaves wilted and had a dark purple-green water-soaked look 24 hours later (see picture). We plan on re-running this study at Feekes 6 growth stage.

Soil Amendment and Foliar Application Product Evaluation Trials Summary – Steve Culman

In 2015, the Soil Fertility Lab at Ohio State started offering a third party evaluation of proprietary soil amendments and foliar applications aimed at improving the mineral nutrition and productivity of crops. This new service intends to provide timely and unbiased information on these products for farmers. In 2015, we tested submitted products from the following companies: AgZyme® by Ag Concepts; AO Crop by Agrarian Organics; Enersol ® and Enersol LDG® by AMCOL® Bio-Ag; and Liquid Carbon by Monty’s Plant Food.  To find out about how these products tested, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/soil-amendment-and-foliar-application-product-evaluation-trials-summary.

The Big Data Confusion: Part 5 – Notice – John Fulton, Kaylee Port

This week’s installment of “The Big Data Confusion” highlights “Notice”. According to the Privacy and Security Principles for Farm Data, “farmers must be notified that their data is being collected and about how the farm data will be disclosed and used.  This notice must be provided in an easily located and readily accessible format.”  A key component to any ATP contract agreement is the specifications of how and when data is being collected, and how and for what that data will be used for.  Go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/big-data-confusion-part-5-%E2%80%93-notice to finish reading this article.

Adjusting No-till Burndown Programs for Later Planting – Mark Loux

This is a revision of an article we seem to publish in C.O.R.N. about every three years, when wet weather prevents early planting and in some cases also prevents early burndown applications.  There have been opportunities to apply burndown herbicides in much of the state over the past several weeks, and some areas have made considerable progress on planting.  Other areas have made little progress.  We are probably not in a true “late planting situation” yet, but some of the state is now wet and not that warm, and more rain coming midweek. The longer-range forecast calls for drier than normal conditions and higher than normal temperatures apparently.   The weeds obviously continue to get bigger under wet conditions, and what is a relatively tame burndown situation in early to mid-April can become pretty hairy by early to mid May.  Go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2015-10/adjusting-no-till-burndown-programs-later-planting to find out more about adjusting burndown programs.

Corn and Soybean: What’s in Store for 2016? – Laura Lindsey, Peter Thomison

This “spring,” the weather has gone from snow and 24 degrees to sunny and 80 degrees within one week. This unusual weather leaves many of us wondering what’s in store for the remainder of the growing season. In general, unfavorable weather conditions tend to affect soybean yield much less compared to corn yield. In 2012, when we experienced a hot, dry summer, corn yield was reduced by 23% while soybean yield was only reduced by 8% (see the table below). However, under more optimum weather conditions, corn yield gains are much greater compared to soybean.  To read more, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/corn-and-soybean-what%E2%80%99s-store-2016.

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,

Just when I start to discuss corn planting, the rain starts and the weather cools.  Hopefully the weather will warm up and the rain will hold off so that the corn that is planted  will emerge soon.  A warming trend should be happening this weekend, and maybe the rains will hold off for a while.  During the spring months, it is common to get about an inch of rain per week, it’s just the timing of those rains that leaves one scratching their head.  I have been working on arranging on-farm research plots in the county and doing the planning and grant writing to make these plots happen. I received word yesterday that Hardin County Extension was awarded $3000 from the Conservation Tillage Conference (CTC) grant fund to do nutrient application placement research in corn and soybeans.  We are also planning to do nitrogen application timing research in corn and continue with nitrogen rate trials again this year.  Other plots may include a soybean population study and a soybean phosphorus/potassium study. 

Hopefully you may have completed the statewide soybean surveys and returned them to Dr. Laura Lindsey.  In case you did not and still are interested in helping out by completing a survey for 2014 and 2015 soybean fields, I have attached copies of this survey again.  You can complete it and send it directly to Dr. Lindsey or get it to me and I will make sure she gets the document.  It is an easy survey to complete, and you will be helping out with determining what limiting factors might be holding your soybean yields back.  Today was a special day at the Extension office as OSUE Field Specialist, Manure Nutrient Management Systems Glen Arnold and Ohio State University Extension Assistant Director, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Andy Londo paid a visit.  There are some interesting things happening across the state in Extension, so I intend to keep you informed and hopefully, involved.

Soybean Survey Research Letter

Soybean Survey Research

Have you been thinking about your garden and landscape yet?  The OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers are hosting their annual plant sale this Saturday, May 7 starting at 9:00 am.  This event will be in the Arts & Crafts Building at the fairgrounds.  Stop by and see the selection of plants available from area garden clubs and societies and get some good tips from the ‘green thumbs’ that will be there.  See the attached news release and flyer for more details.  Other upcoming local events this week include Farm Bureau meeting, Tuesday, May 3, starting at 7:30 pm at Ag Credit, Ag Council meeting Friday, May 6, starting at 7:00 am at Henry’s Restaurant, and Fairboard meeting Saturday, May 7, starting at 7:30 pm in the fair office.  Below are some agronomy related articles for you to look at if interested.

Hardin County Plant Sale News Release

MGV Plant Sale 2016 Flyer

Mark

The Big Data Confusion: Part 4 – Collection, Access, and Control – John Fulton, Kaylee Port

This week’s installment of “The Big Data Confusion” highlights “Collection, Access and Control”. According to the Privacy and Security Principles for Farm Data, “an ATP’s collection, access and use of farm data should be granted only with the affirmative and explicit consent of the farmer. This process will be by contract agreements, whether signed or digital.” This particular principle is a great follow-up from last week’s ownership discussion. Ownership designates control but also the responsibility to properly control and managed your data. Go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/big-data-confusion-part-4-%E2%80%93-collection-access-and-control to finish reading this article.

What is the Meaning of Feekes Growth Stages in Wheat?  – Ed Lentz, Pierce Paul, Laura Lindsey

There are at least five growth scale systems developed worldwide for wheat, the one we often use is the Feekes scale. This scale uses a numbering system 1 through 11 with each number representative of a new growth event. Each number may be further divided by using decimals to further describe a given stage. A wheat field reaches a new growth stage when more than 50% of the plants are at the next stage.  Go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/what-meaning-feekes-growth-stages-wheat to learn more about the growth stages of wheat.

Mild winter, Pathogen Survival, and Early Disease Development – Pierce Paul, Brian Hodge

When the winter is as mild as it was this past year, pathogens that would have otherwise been killed or at least suppressed by the cold temperatures end up surviving and getting an early start to infect our crops. With the exception of the rust fungi, most of the pathogens that cause leaf spots and blights and ear rots and molds have developed strategies to survive our usually harsh winters. But even so, cold, dry winter conditions do contribute to reducing pathogen survival is a “normal” year. However, when temperatures during the winter months are not consistently low, even pathogens like the rust fungi that do not usually survive well here in the Midwest are able to overwinter on volunteer plants and in cultivated fields.  To find out more information about pathogens that cause crop diseases, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/mild-winter-pathogen-survival-and-early-disease-development.

Mining Ohio Historic Data that went into Tri-State Recommendations – Steve Culman, Muhammad Tariq Saeed, Anthony Fulford

The Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations, published in 1995, provided a unified soil fertility framework between Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. These recommendations are based on, “field calibration and correlation studies that have been conducted over the past 40 years.” Although it was a collective scientific work, the extensive data that went into these recommendations were not systematically compiled and shared with the public. To read more about the development of the Tri-State Recommendations, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/mining-ohio-historic-data-went-tri-state-recommendations.

Soybean Planting Date, Seeding Rate, and Row Width – Laura Lindsey

Planting date.  Planting date (both too early and too late) can reduce soybean yield potential.  In 2013 and 2014, we conducted a planting date trial at the Western Agricultural Research Station near South Charleston, Ohio.  In both years, soybean yield decreased by 0.6 bu/ac per day when planting after mid-May.  (Note: Soil temperatures were >50°F at each planting date.)  The greatest benefit of planting May 1 to mid-May is canopy closure which increases light interception, improves weed control by shading out weeds, and helps retain soil moisture.  Go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/soybean-planting-date-seeding-rate-and-row-width 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