February 6, 2017

Good evening,

As we move through February, there are some interesting events coming up that you might want to make plans to attend.  The annual Hardin County Dairy Banquet will be held on Saturday, February 25 at 12:00 noon at the Plaza Inn Restaurant, Mt. Victory.  Tickets this year are $13.00 for adults and $7.00 for children 12 and under.  Junior Fair Dairy Exhibitors from the 2016 Hardin County Fair are eligible for a complimentary ticket by contacting the Extension office.  Tickets are available until February 17 from the following county Dairy Service Unit Directors: Philip Bauer, Nate Cromer, Keith and Jean Dirkson, Corey Ledley, Chad Hazelton, Bret Rager, Larry and Janice Rall, Parry Rall, Vaughn Rall, Clair and Sue Sanders, Dan and Molly Wagner, or from the Extension Office.  The entertainment for the banquet will be Hope Hazelton sharing photos and experiences from her internship working on four Australian dairy farms.  See the attached news release for information about the dairy banquet, scholarship, and princess applications.

Dairy Banquet News Release

Tomorrow is an eventful day with the Conservation Tillage Club breakfast at 7:30 in the morning and the Ohio Beef Cattle School in the evening.  Cal Whewell will speak to the Conservation Tillage Club.  He will be presenting the Grain Marketing Outlook, providing area farmers with grain marketing strategies.  Whewell is no stranger in grain marketing circles.  He is a Risk Management Consultant and Regional Director at FC Stone, serving the Toledo area.  Dr. Francis Fluharty, Research Professor, The Ohio State University Department of Animal Sciences, will be the featured at the Ohio Beef Cattle School on February 7 at 7:00 in the evening.  This session will compare grazing versus confinement growing systems for feeder cattle.  Dr. Fluharty will evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of these two distinctly different management systems and explore how calf health and management impact the end product.  See the attached flyers for more information on both the Conservation Tillage Club and Ohio Beef Cattle School programs.

Conservation Tillage Club Flyer

Beef Cattle School Flyer

The Ohio State University Extension has four Nutrient Management Plan Writers working to assist farmers in developing free Nutrient Management Plans (NMP) in the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) of Ohio. Plans provide both fertility recommendations and an environmental site risk for fields that help identify resource concerns impacting nutrient and sediment loss.  These nutrient management plan writers will be at the Hardin County Extension office both February 14 and March 30 to assist farmers by writing nutrient management plans to help improve the water quality in the Western Lake Erie Basin.  See the attached news release, brochure, and form to see how you can benefit from this service free of charge.  March will soon be upon us.  The Conservation Tillage Conference (CTC) is a major agronomic crops conference happening in Ada at The Ohio Northern University.  I have attached an article from the Ohio No-Till News (mid-Jan) and brochure so you can start preparing to take advantage of this local event.  Early bird registration ends February 27 for a reduced registration fee.

NMPW Brochure 2016

NMP Request for Service Form

Hardin Co. Dates News Release

CTC Flyer 2017

No-Till News January 2017

Other local upcoming events include a Farm Bureau meeting Tuesday, February 7 at Ag Credit starting at 7:00 pm.  The Tractor Safety and Machinery Operation Course for Youth Session 1 is Wednesday, February 8 at the Extension office starting at 6:00 pm.  The New & Small Farm College Session 4 is Thursday, February 9 at OSU Lima starting at 6:00 pm.  Friday, February 10 is the Cover Crops Workshop at the Plaza Inn from 8:30 am-3:30 pm.  The Hardin County Horse Banquet will be this Saturday, February 11 at the Moose Lodge starting at 6:00 pm.  There is plenty to keep you busy this winter, but if you would rather stay at home and read some articles, I have included a variety of topics below.  Enjoy the nice weather.

 

Mark

 

2016 Northwest Ohio Corn Silage Test – Rich Minyo, Bill Widdicombe, Peter Thomison, Allen Geyer

In 2016, 47 corn silage hybrids representing 16 commercial brands were evaluated in a joint trial with Michigan State University (MSU). One Ohio location is combined with Michigan’s two southern (Zone 1) silage locations. The Ohio test site was located in our Northwest Region at Hoytville (Wood County). The two MSU sites were located in Branch and Lenawee counties, which are on the Ohio/Michigan state line.  The test results from the three 2016 locations are treated as one region. To find out the results of these corn silage tests, go to http://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-2/2016-northwest-ohio-corn-silage-test.

 

Key to Beef Cattle Profitability; Dare to be Different – Stan Smith

Regardless what aspect of agriculture – or life – we might be involved in, occasionally we all slip into the “same old, same old” trap. That is, doing it the way we’ve always done it simply because we always have. As the extraordinary cattle prices we enjoyed in recent years have settled back to levels that many might now call normal, perhaps it’s time to take another look at ways to enhance profitability in the cow/calf sector. In fact, today, let’s explore marketing and approach it not by thinking about the next high in the beef cattle market, but instead simply trying to avoid some very predictable annual lows. To read more about making beef cattle profitable, go to http://u.osu.edu/beef/2017/01/18/key-to-beef-cattle-profitability-dare-to-be-different/#more-2795.

 

Preventing Slips and Falls During Icy Conditions – Kent McGuire

When the temperature drops, ice can become a severe problem on the farm.  Water troughs ice over, barn doors freeze shut, and ice glazes over travel paths or equipment stored outside.  Icy conditions can cause severe slip / fall injuries because an individual slides abruptly causing a loss of balance and impacting the surface below. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2014, there were 34,860 workplace slip-and-fall injuries involving ice, sleet or snow that required at least one day away from work to recuperate. This does not include thousands more winter slip-and-fall related injuries that were minor and did not result in lost work time. Go to http://agsafety.osu.edu/newsletter/ag-safety-stat/january-2017/injury-prevention/preventing-slips-and-falls-during-icy to finish reading this article.

 

Ohio Legislature Changes Transfer on Death Designations Following Certain Life Events – Peggy Kirk Hall

Many Ohioans choose to avoid the probate process by using a transfer on death designation. Since 2000, Ohio has permitted property owners to use transfer on death designations to transfer property upon the owner’s death. Since 2009, Ohio law has required property owners to make transfer on death designations by using an affidavit instead of a survivorship deed. Under a new Ohio law, transfer on death affidavits may automatically terminate after certain life events.  If you are interested about how this might affect your estate plan, click on http://aglaw.osu.edu/blog/fri-01062017-201pm/ohio-legislature-changes-transfer-death-designations-following-certain-life.

 

Milk Prices, Costs of Nutrients, Margins, and Comparison of Feedstuffs Prices – Alex Tebbe

Milk Prices: The October Class III price closed at $14.82/cwt and was projected to remain relatively unchanged in November, followed by a $2/cwt rise to $16.88/cwt for the month of December.  The Class III price for the month of November and December actually closed at $16.76 and $17.40/cwt, respectively. For the month of January, the price is expected to stay stagnant at $17.45/cwt and drop 72¢/cwt in February to $16.73/cwt. Although prices rose at the tail end of 2016, domestic demand in the state of Ohio is currently sluggish and total milk produced has risen. As a result, there is no added bonus from the producer price differential for milk checks in the months of November and December and Ohio farmers should expect their mailbox price to be around $15.40 and $16.80/cwt, respectively; much below the actual prices listed above. Go to http://dairy.osu.edu/newsletter/buckeye-dairy-news/volume-19-issue-1/milk-prices-costs-nutrients-margins-and-comparison to find out more about dairy economics.

 

 

The Ohio State University

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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