Good evening,
Have you heard the news? Hardin County OSU Extension will be the live host of a Corn Production Issues seminar from Ohio State University Extension’s Agronomic Crops Team on Tuesday, January 31 at 7:00 pm. The location of the seminar will be the Community Room at Mid-Ohio Energy Cooperative, 1210 West Lima Street, Kenton. Dr. Peter Thomison, OSU Extension Corn Specialist and Dr. Pierce Paul, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center Corn and Wheat Disease Specialist will be in Kenton to discuss how to assess growing conditions and their impact on ear rots, mycotoxins and malformation in corn. Their presentations will give farmers the skills to recognize ear development problems and minimize the grain quality issues experienced in 2016. See the attached news release and flyer for more details and how to register as I hope to have a sizable live audience for this event which will be recorded and broadcast around Ohio.
Last week I told you about a Cover Crops workshop being held at the Plaza Inn on February 10. Be sure to get your registration sent in by February 3 to attend this all day event. I’ve attached the flyer to this email. Read more about it in the articles below. Darke County Extension has some events coming up as well in the near future. See that attached flyers for Soybean College (2/7), Waterhemp –Time to Take Action (2/7), Using Aerial Imagery to make Agronomic Decisions (2/8), and Planning for the Future of Your Farm (2/15 & 2/22). I have also attached a news release titled SBA Offers Working Capital Loans to Ohio Small Businesses Following Secretary of Agriculture Declaration for Drought for your information. These low interest loans are available for both eligible farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. Counties included are Allen, Auglaize, Darke, Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Logan, Lucas, Mercer, Putnam, Shelby, Van Wert, Williams and Wood in Ohio.
2017 Cover Crops Flyer Hardin County
2017 Waterhemp Time to Take Action
2017 Using Aerial Imagery to make Agronomic Decisions
SBA Offers Working Capital Loans Due to Drought
I wanted to make you aware that Farm Credit Mid-America is taking applications for scholarships from now through the end of January. Each year, they award more than 60 $1,000 scholarships to college students who are studying agriculture or finance and attending technical or four-year colleges. The application is open to children or grandchildren of Farm Credit customers. More information on the scholarship program and the application can be found on their website at www.e-farmcredit.com/scholarships.
Other local events happening this coming week include the New & Small Farm College on Thursday, February 2 at OSU Lima starting at 6:00 pm. Join us for Ag Council breakfast on Friday, February 3 as I share information about the Hardin County Nitrogen Rate trials. This meeting is open to all interested individuals and will also include a round-table discussion of Hardin County agriculture and events. We will begin at 7:00 am in the banquet room at Henry’s Restaurant in Kenton with breakfast on your own. The Fairboard is meeting Saturday, February 4 at the fair office starting at 7:30 pm. I have included some articles below for your reading.
Mark
Working Cover Crops into your Operation – Mark Badertscher
Have you thought about planting cover crops or maybe experimented with some cereal rye but want to know more? Maybe you have heard about how cover crops can improve soil health but need more information. Plan on attending a workshop this winter that will explain the benefits of cover crops, which cover crops to plant based on your goals and crop rotation, when to plant various cover crops, methods of planting cover crops, how to terminate cover crops, selecting seed mixes, and dealing with voles, moles, and slugs. Are these topics that have caught your interest? Maybe you have had questions that you would like to get answers. If so, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-2/working-cover-crops-your-operation to find out more about this workshop.
Lake Erie Cyanobacteria Bloom- A Summary of the 2016 Season – Greg LaBarge
Cyanobacteria growth in the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) has been a concern closely monitored over the past 10 years. The presence of cyanobacteria leads to a pea soup appearance of water that causes aesthetic concerns. Cyanobacteria also produce toxins which cause human health concerns, especially contact during recreational uses or at municipal water intakes. This article compares the 2016 bloom to years back to 2002, plus identifies target loadings for the WLEB to lessen the incidence of blooms. Go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-2/lake-erie-cyanobacteria-bloom-summary-2016-season to finish reading this article.
Making Sense of Soil Health Testing: Ohio State’s Path Forward – Steve Culman
The topic of soil health has been receiving a great deal of attention lately and farmers are increasingly interested in understanding more about their soils. There are a number of labs that now offer some sort of soil health package, typically made up of tests that reflect biological, chemical and physical components of the soil. Some of these tests have been around for some time, while others are relatively new. But as a farmer, how do you make sense of all these new soil tests, and what they mean for your operation and management? To read more, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-2/making-sense-soil-health-testing-ohio-state%E2%80%99s-path-forward.
2017 Soybean College Offered in Darke County – Sam Custer
OSU Extension, Darke County will be hosting the 2017 Soybean College on Tuesday, February 7. This will be a rare opportunity where The Ohio State University will have all of its state specialists working with soybeans at one meeting focusing on soybean production. This workshop will feature Dr. Laura Lindsey, Soybean/Wheat Extension Specialist; Dr. Kelley Tilmon, Field Crop Extension Entomologist; Dr. Mark Loux, Research and Extension Weed Science; Greg Labarge, Agronomic Systems Field Specialist; Dr. John Fulton, Precision Agriculture Engineer; and Dr. Anne Dorrance, Field Crop Extension Pathologist. To find out more, you can read the entire article at http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-2/2017-soybean-college-offered-darke-county.
Cover Crop Class in Morrow County – Mary Griffith
Cover crops are a growing topic in the agriculture world. Many farmers are already using cover crops to improve soil heath, increase organic matter, decrease erosion and help hold nutrients on their fields. If you are not using cover crops but are curious about their benefits please join us at the OSU Extension Office (5362 US HWY 42 Mt. Gilead Ohio 43338) for a FREE day long class on February 8th taught by Jim Hoorman and Alan Sundermeier on February 8th from 8:30 to 3:30. Lunch will be provided by Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District. Click on http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-2/cover-crop-class-morrow-county 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