Good afternoon,

Planting has begun full time in Hardin County this week.  Many acres of corn have been planted and some soybean fields have been seeded.  The Hardin County OSU Extension Soybean Population Plot has been seeded near Alger with test rates of 60,000, 90,000, 120,000, 150,000, 180,000, and 210,000 seeds per acre in 15 inch rows.  Thanks to cooperating farmer Paul Ralston for agreeing to this on-farm research.  Photos are posted on the Hardin County OSU Extension Facebook page.  Burndowns, tillage, fertilizer, and manure applications have been common activity around the county as the weather has allowed for field work earlier in the calendar year this season.

Wednesday, May 3 there will be a Pasture Walk program at the farm of Luke and Holli Underwood on County Road 155 near Ridgeway beginning at 6:00 pm.  See the related article below and the attached flyer for more information about this forage event being led by Megan Burgess of the Hardin County NRCS office.  Livestock operations that utilize grazing on their farm should find this program useful and will get a free grazing stick as part of the event.  Gary Wilson, retired OSU Extension Educator from Hancock County will be assisting with this program that will be held in a pasture field.

Pasture Walk Flyer

The Hardin County OSU Extension office is trapping armyworm and black cutworm in the county this year as a way of determining the level of activity in the area.  This trapping is being done in the spring months in addition to the western bean cutworm traps that are set around the county in the summer.  Traps will be set around the county in three locations to check for true armyworm and black cutworm activity.  These traps will be checked weekly and counts reported to OSU entomologists to make recommendations for management and control of these pests so they don’t become an economic problem in corn.  If you are a farmer who is interested in placing traps near your field, you are asked to call the Hardin County Extension Office at 419-674-2297 or email badertscher.4@osu.edu so that placement of traps can be made.  See the attached news article for more information about the damage caused by armyworm and black cutworm.

AW BCW Trapping News Release

Other upcoming events this next week include Farm Bureau meeting on Tuesday, May 2 starting at 7:00 pm at Ag Credit.  Join us for Ag Council breakfast on Friday, May 5 starting at 7:00 am at Henry’s Restaurant to find out about what we learned from the 2016 Corn Nutrient Placement Plot that was near Dunkirk.  The Hardin County Fairboard will be meeting on Saturday, May 6 starting at 7:30 pm at the fair office.  See the articles below for ag crops information that you may be interested in reading.

Mark

Still trying to figure out what to do with dicamba in Xtend soybeans this year? – Mark Loux

Even if you are planting RR Xtend soybeans, the answer to this could be – maybe nothing.  A number of growers have told us that even though they are planting RR Xtend soybeans, they plan on “letting the dust” settle this first year and stay with their regular herbicide program.  And then of course there are also some solid reasons to use dicamba in a preplant or postemergence treatment, depending upon what has been done in the field already and whether previous practices have been ineffective for control of certain herbicide-resistant weeds.  Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-08/still-trying-figure-out-what-do-dicamba-xtend-soybeans-year to read more.

Facts about Early-Season Wheat Diseases – Pierce Paul

It has been cool, wet, and very humid so far this spring – perfect conditions for early season diseases like Septoria tritici blotch and powdery mildew to develop. Both of these diseases usually become established in the fall, thus getting an early start in the spring, particularly if winter conditions are mild. Here are a few more facts about Septoria tritici blotch and powdery mildew. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-09/facts-about-early-season-wheat-diseases to read more about Septoria and powdery mildew in wheat.

Getting corn off to a good start – planting depth can make a difference  – Peter Thomison

Planting depth recommendations for Ohio are 1.5 to 2 inches deep to ensure adequate moisture uptake and seed-soil contact. Deeper planting may be recommended as the season progresses and soils become warmer and drier, however planting shallower than 1.5 inches is generally not recommended at any planting date or in any soil type. When corn is planted 1.5 to 2 inches deep, the nodal roots will develop about 0.75 inches below the soil surface. However, at planting depths less than 1 inch, the nodal roots develop at or just below the soil surface. Click on https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-10/getting-corn-good-start-planting-depth-can-make-difference to finish reading this article about planting depth of corn.

Big swings in weather pattern ahead – Jim Noel

April will end warmer and wetter than normal. A series of storms will impact Ohio and surrounding areas later this week into next week. This will mean wetter than normal conditions into the first week of May. Temperatures will remain above normal as well. Rainfall on the attached graphic shows the heaviest will fall in central sections of the corn and soybean belt. Rainfall in Ohio will range from 2-4 inches for the next 2 weeks with heaviest totals in western areas of Ohio. Normal is about 2 inches. The first week of May will be mild with wetter than normal weather. The middle of May will dry out and cool down before a warm finish to the month. The outlook for summer still looks warmer than normal with rainfall highly variable with a tendency toward drier.

Pasture Walk to Evaluate Forages – Mark Badertscher

A farm near Ridgeway, Ohio will serve as the location for the Hardin County Pasture Walk on Wednesday, May 3.  This program will be from 6:00-7:30 pm in a pasture located at 18917 County Road 155, Ridgeway, OH 43345.  A pasture walk is an educational program for producers who would like to learn how to best manage forages in their pastures and evaluate best management practices for grazing. Megan Burgess of the Hardin County Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will be the main instructor along with Gary Wilson, retired Extension Educator from Hancock County.  Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-10/pasture-walk-evaluate-forages to read the rest of 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

hardin.osu.edu

Good afternoon,

The favorable weather has allowed the local farmers to begin field work this week.  Fertilizer and manure has been applied, spraying applications have begun, and some tillage work and planting has started.  Things are slowing down with Extension programs and meetings as farmers are now spending their time in the fields.  I wrote an article about the Small Farm Tour that we had as part of the Small Farm College held January through March.  It is attached to this email if you are interested in finding out about our tour that was held April 8.  Photos from the Small Farm Tour are posted on the Hardin County OSU Extension Facebook page if you are interested in viewing.  A big thanks to the farm owners who served as stops on our tour.

Small Farm Tour News Release

Underwood Stock Farms (Sullinger Farm) will serve as the location for the Hardin County Pasture Walk on Wednesday, May 3.  This program will be from 6:00-7:30 pm in a pasture located at 18917 County Road 155 near Ridgeway, Ohio.  A pasture walk is an educational program for beef, dairy, sheep, goat, and horse producers who would like to learn how to best manage their livestock pastures and grazing techniques.  Megan Burgess of the Hardin County Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will be the main instructor along with Gary Wilson, retired Extension agent from Hancock County.  Livestock operations that attend will be given a grazing stick to take home and will be taught how to use it as part of the program.  Check out the attached news release if you are a livestock producer who utilizes pastures and are interested in this event.

Pasture Walk News Release

Weed Identification and Management in the Home Garden and Landscape will the subject of a program being held April 27 from 6:00 to 8:30 PM in Auglaize County.  Participants at this program will learn how to identify weeds and then put that knowledge to work while they conduct a weed walk.  The purpose of this event is to learn how to manage weeds in the home garden and landscape.  If you are interested in attending, see the attached flyer.  Other local events coming up this week include a Master Gardener Volunteer meeting Monday (6/24), starting at 7:00 pm at Harco Industries; and the final Master Gardener Volunteer training class Tuesday (6/25), starting at 6:00 pm at OSU Lima campus.  After these events are concluded, I plan to be in the fields working with on-farm research.  Until then, I have attached some agronomy related articles below that you might be interested in reading.

Weed ID Management in the Home  

Mark

Some last minute tips to manage diseases before we hit the planters – Anne Dorrance

As I was digging weeds already out of the garden this weekend and looking at the buds on the trees, it looks more like early May rather than early April.  Either way we are getting our seed together for research plots and checking our list of locations to begin for what is already an unusual season.  While the rain is keeping us at bay – here are some reminders of last minute checks and to do’s before it turns into those crazy long days. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-07/some-last-minute-tips-manage-diseases-we-hit-planters to find out more about sampling for soybean cyst nematode, checking varieties for disease resistance, and finding out more about seed treatments.

True Armyworm Moth Count Running High – Andy Michel, Kelley Tilmon

The University of Kentucky reported high true armyworm moth counts (see: https://kentuckypestnews.wordpress.com/2017/03/28/beware-of-true-armyworms-mild-winter-provides-conditions-for-potential-injuries-in-small-grains/). The mild winter likely contributed to the higher and earlier catches this year. These moths migrate northward, so if our southern neighbor is reporting high catches, these moths are also very likely flying into Ohio. After migrating and establishing, armyworms begin to lay eggs in grasses, including wheat fields and cover crop fields (that may have corn planted soon). Larvae feed for about 3 weeks before pupating. Right now, it is still too early to take any management action—eggs probably have not even been laid, let alone hatched. However, the high trap counts so far suggest that armyworms are a pest to watch out for later in the growing season. Watch for future updates in the CORN newsletter as we gear up towards planting.

Now is the Time to Check Your Nozzles – Erdal Ozkan

This is the time of the year you must complete shopping for nozzles because the spraying season is just around the corner. Although nozzles are some of the least expensive components of a sprayer, they hold a high value in their ability to influence sprayer performance. First, nozzles meter the desired amount of liquid sprayed per acre. Second, nozzles help us spray the liquid uniformly over the width of the sprayer boom. Third, nozzles influence droplet size, affecting both target coverage and spray drift risk. For these key reasons, you need to make sure your sprayer is equipped with the right kind and size of nozzles, and they are still performing within the acceptable range of performance they delivered when they were new. To read more, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-07/now-time-check-your-nozzles.

Too Early to Plant…Take Soybean Production Survey and Receive $40 – Laura Lindsey

To participate in this research, please see the online survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ohiosoybean. I am continuing a second year of a State‐Wide Project aimed at generating some baseline producer data on current soybean management practices in Ohio’s production systems. This project is funded by the Ohio Soybean Council and the North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP). The project goal is to identify the key factors that preclude the state’s soybean producers from obtaining yields that should be potentially possible on their respective individual farms. The term used for the difference between what yield is possible on your farm each year and what you yield you actually achieve is called a “Yield Gap”.  Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-07/too-early-plant%E2%80%A6take-soybean-production-survey-and-receive-40 to finish reading this article.

Establishing New Forage Stands – Mark Sulc

This month provides one of the two preferred times to seed perennial cool-season forages. The other preferred timing for cool-season grasses and legumes is in late summer, primarily the month of August here in Ohio. The relative success of spring vs. summer seeding of forages is greatly affected by the prevailing weather conditions, and so growers have success and failures with each option. Probably the two primary difficulties with spring plantings are finding a good window of opportunity when soils are dry enough before it gets too late, and managing weed infestations that are usually more difficult with spring plantings. Click on https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-08/establishing-new-forage-stands to find out how the following steps will help improve your chances for successful forage establishment in the spring.

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