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
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
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