October 10, 2016

Good evening,

Fall harvest is now in full swing.  Thursday we harvested the soybean population plot near Alger.  The field average yield was 57.4 bushels per acre with a moisture content of 12.2%.  The lowest yielding soybeans (41.0 bushel per acre) were 30 inch rows with a seeding rate of 60,000 seeds per acre.  The highest yielding soybeans (71.5 bushel per acre) were 15 inch rows with a seeding rate of 213,000 seeds per acre in this particular field.  However, one would need to figure the cost of inputs across all seeding rates and yield responses to make a recommendation.  So far, that has not been done.  Once all of the data is written up, it will be made available with other on-farm research at agcrops.osu.edu.

Before soybean harvest started, I completed the Hardin County Weed Survey.  The purpose of this survey is to determine the type and amount of weeds that are infesting farm fields.  Another reason is to develop an understanding of which weeds are becoming resistant to herbicides used by farmers.  A total of 107 fields were surveyed in the county this fall.  Giant Ragweed was found to be a problem in 47 of these fields, followed by Marestail (Horseweed) (32), Giant Foxtail/grasses (20), Volunteer Corn (17), Common Lambsquarter (7), Redroot Pigweed (5), and Velvetleaf (2).  For more information about the weed problems in county soybean fields, see the attached news article.  The good news is that twenty-four (22.4%) of the 107 soybean fields were found to be weed-free.

County Weed Survey News Release

Do you have young people helping you with harvest?  Are you aware of the farm youth labor laws?  Go to https://ofbf.org/2016/09/21/legal-leah-farm-youth-labor-laws/ to gain an understanding of what is acceptable under Ohio law.  Have you placed your order yet with the Dairy Service Unit for the fall cheese sale?  Orders are due October 12, so make sure you take a look at the attached order form if you would like to support this commodity group’s semi-annual sale.  Another date coming up soon is the Hardin County Agriculture Hall of Fame nominations deadline, which is October 14.  I have attached a copy of the nomination form so you can print it out and give it to the family of a deserving individual to fill out.  Why not forward it to someone that you believe should be recognized?  The people are out there and the committee needs your help identifying who they are.

Fall Cheese Sale Flyer

Ag Hall of Fame Nomination Form 2016

There is a Soil Health and Cover Crop Field Day coming up October 24 in Auglaize County.  See the attached flyer for more details of this event which features Dr. Steve Culman from The Ohio State University.  The SWCD Forestry Field Day is coming up Sunday, October 16 at Kelly & Jolene Buchenroth’s woods, 11740 Township Road 180, Kenton from 1:00-4:00 pm.  The rain date is Sunday, October 23.  There will be horse-drawn wagon rides, a coloring contest with prizes for the children, ham & bean soup cooked over an open fire, corn bread, hot dogs and s’mores.  I have included some agronomy articles below that you may be interested in reading.

Cover Crop Field Day

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diplodia Ear Rot – Pierce Paul, Felipe Dalla Lana da Silva, Anne Dorrance

Over the last two weeks, we have received several samples of corn ears with symptoms typical of Diplodia ear rot. This is one of the most common ear diseases of corn in Ohio. It is caused by two species of fungi, Stenocarpella maydis and Stenocarpella macropora. The most characteristic symptom and the easiest way to tell Diplodia ear rot apart from other ear diseases such as Gibberella and Fusarium ear rots is the presence of white mycelium of the fungus growing over and between kernels, usually starting from the base of the ear. Under highly favorable weather conditions, entire ears may become colonized, turn grayish-brown in color and lightweight (mummified), with kernels, cobs, and ear leaves that are rotted and soft.  To read more about Diplodia Ear Rot, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2016-30/diplodia-ear-rot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Considering Growing Wheat in Wide Rows? – Laura Lindsey, Pierce Paul, Ed Lentz, Eric Richer

Growers may be interested in wide-row wheat production due to reductions in equipment inventory (lack of grain drill) and to allow intercropping of soybean into wheat. With funding from the Ohio Small Grains Marketing Program and the Michigan Wheat Program, we’ve conducted several wide-row wheat trials. How much is wheat yield reduced when planting in wide rows compared to narrow rows? In most instances, wheat yield is greater when grown in narrow row width (7.5-inch) compared to wide row width (15-inch). Yield reductions associated with wide row wheat production ranges from 0% to 15%. In wide-row wheat, we tend to see more head-bearing tillers per foot of row compared to narrow-row wheat.  Go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2016-30/considering-growing-wheat-wide-rows to find out more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall Weed Control Odds and Ends – Mark Loux

Cressleaf groundsel, which is poisonous to livestock, has caught some hay and livestock producers by surprise when they discover it in late spring in hay or pasture.  Some hay producers have had to discard hay from first cuttings due to an abundance of this yellow-flowered weed.  Cressleaf groundsel is a winter annual weed that is easily controlled in the fall, when in the rosette stage, in most crop situations.  Take time to scout fields this fall to determine whether cressleaf groundsel is present, especially in new summer seedings or fields with a history of this weed problem.  To read more fall weed control odds and ends, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2016-31/fall-weed-control-odds-and-ends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities & Security Safeguards – John Fulton, Kaylee Port

In today’s world, many of us have electronic data stored on multiple devices and in various locations.  Whether that’s banking information, medical information, or in the case of farmers, agricultural data, this data is entrusted to a service provider or managed internally to the farm business.  A common concern expressed is the event of security breaches.  In recent years, security breaches over data have occurred at large name companies causing consumers to be on edge even more when it comes to protecting their personal information.  To finish reading this article, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/liabilities-security-safeguards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bacterial Leaf Streak: Another New Corn Disease out West, but not yet in Ohio – Pierce Paul

Bacterial leaf streak (BLS), a foliar disease of corn caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas vasicola pv. vasculorum, was reported in the US for the first time in Nebraska and has since been found in several other states out west, including Kansas, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota, Texas and Oklahoma. It has not yet been found in Ohio and neighboring states. BLS has a very close resemblance to other common foliar diseases of corn such as gray leaf spot (GLS). Like GLS, it is characterized by the presence of rectangular-looking lesions on the leaf that are tan, brown, or orange in color.  To find out more about this new disease, click on http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/bacterial-leaf-streak-another-new-corn-disease-out-west-not-yet-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

 

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