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.
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.
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