Good afternoon,
It appears that spring has arrived and that field activity will soon be upon us. There are still a few more upcoming programs happening in Extension that you may be interested in participating before things get rolling full speed. We are hoping for a good crop season this year. For a look back at last year’s season, read the attached news article about 2016 county crop yields. There is a Hay Making Workshop planned for April 3 at the Hardin County Extension office, starting at 6:30 pm. Topics taught during this program will include seed selection, soil preparation, planting, monitoring, growth stages, harvest steps, dry-down, bale sizes, storage tips, quality hay, nutritional content and market value. Be sure to call the office at 419-674-2297 to register by Monday, March 27 so we have enough Forage Field Guides for everyone. There is a $15 fee for this workshop which can be paid at the door. See the attached news release and flyer for more details.
Hay Making Workshop News Release
Have you considered getting a Nutrient Management Plan written for your farm yet? If you have land in the Lake Erie watershed, you might want to take advantage of the nutrient management plan writers that will be at the Hardin County Extension office on Thursday, March 30. A nutrient management plan makes sense economically and environmentally, as well as can serve as a layer of protection for possible litigation or may be required for a USDA program benefit. See the attached flyer and request for service form that I have attached to this email for more information about this free service. If you would like to schedule an appointment to begin this process, see this information about how to contact Tony Campbell. Do you know of any interested in applying for a Farm Bureau Scholarship? If so, the Hardin County deadline is coming up April 6. Go to https://ofbf.org/2017/02/23/hardin-county-farm-bureau-2017-scholarships/ for more information about this opportunity.
Do you still need pesticide recertification for 2017? If so, there is a make-up and specialty area video session planned for Friday (3/31), starting at 9:00 am at the Extension office. Please call ahead to RSVP if you plan to attend. Other local events happening this coming week include a Master Gardener Volunteers meeting Monday (3/27), starting at 7:00 pm at Harco Industries. The Regional Master Gardener Volunteer Training Course will be taking place Tuesday (3/28) and Thursday (3/30), starting at 6:00 pm at OSU-Lima campus. Wednesday (3/29) is the Dairy Service Unit annual meeting, starting at 7:00 pm at the Extension office. The Fairboard is meeting Saturday (4/1), starting at 7:30 pm at the fair office. See below for some agronomy articles that you may be interested in reading.
Mark
RETHINKING GRAMOXONE AT A REDUCED PRICE – Mark Loux
Gramoxone SL (paraquat) is one of those herbicides that in our opinion really could have been used much more than it has in recent years, to help with management of marestail and to interrupt the cycle of continuous glyphosate use. A relatively high price has been one of the obstacles to more widespread use, but the price was cut approximately in half this winter. One of the problems with the standard “glyphosate + 2,4-D + residual” burndown is that the 2,4-D is carrying the full load for control of emerged marestail, and this is especially a problem in fields not treated the previous fall where plants are harder to kill. Swapping in Gramoxone for glyphosate results in an additional herbicide that has activity on marestail. To read more about using Gramoxone, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-06/rethinking-gramoxone-reduced-price.
REMINDER – WE ARE WINDING DOWN THE FIRST PHASE OF THE FERTILIZER APPLICATOR CERTIFICATION TRAINING – Harold D. Watters
Since the fall of 2014 Ohio State University University county educators and field specialists have worked to deliver fertilizer certification training to Ohio growers who farm 50 acres or more. To date we have trained approximately 14,500 at 294 meetings. Farmers tell us they will attend training programs during the winter months as that’s when they have down time to take in such programs. So we too are winding down our training programs. Checking on the Nutrient Education website: http://nutrienteducation.osu.edu, shows that there are 23 more fertilizer certification programs scheduled yet this spring and three for the summer. No doubt more will be added, so check the website if you still are need of the certification to spread fertilizer. By rules established with SB 150 in 2014, the first phase of the fertilizer certification program is to be completed by September 30, 2017. After that date we will begin re-certification programs.
TOPDRESSING WHEAT WITH LIQUID SWINE MANURE – Glen Arnold
Research on applying liquid livestock manure as a spring top-dress fertilizer to wheat has been ongoing in Ohio for several years. There is usually a window of time, typically around the last week of March or the first week of April, when wheat fields are firm enough to support manure application equipment. The wheat fields have broken dormancy and are actively pulling nutrients from the soil. The key to applying the correct amount of manure to fertilize wheat is to know the manure’s nitrogen content. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-06/topdressing-wheat-liquid-swine-manure to read more.
MAKING HAY FROM SEEDING TO HARVEST WORKSHOP – APRIL 3RD – Mark Badertscher
Are you interested in learning more about hay production? The Hardin County OSU Extension office is having a workshop titled ‘Making Hay: From Seeding to Harvesting’ on April 3 from 6:30-9:00 pm. The location of the Extension office is 1021 W Lima Street, Suite 103 in Kenton. Topics taught during this program will include seed selection, soil preparation, planting, monitoring, growth stages, harvest steps, dry-down, bale sizes, storage tips, quality hay, nutritional content and market value. The instructor for the workshop will be Jason Hartschuh, Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator from Crawford County. Find out more about this upcoming workshop at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-06/making-hay-seeding-harvest-workshop-april-3rd.
WHEAT NITROGEN RATES – Ed Lentz, Laura Lindsey, Steve Culman
Wheat has already reached green-up across the state so spring nitrogen may be applied anytime fields are fit. Keep in mind that research has shown no yield reduction as long as nitrogen is applied before Feekes GS 7 (two visible nodes). Ohio State University recommends the Tri-State guide for N rates in wheat. For now, this system relies on yield potential (which may change in a few years with the update of the Tri-State Guide). A producer can greatly increase or reduce the N rate by changing the value for yield potential. Thus, a realistic yield potential is needed to determine the optimum N rate. To find out more about wheat nitrogen rates, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-06/wheat-nitrogen-rates.
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