July 24, 2017

 Good afternoon,

This past week I had the opportunity to ride with a Hardin County farmer as he applied late season nitrogen to his corn.  He had his sprayer rigged up with NDVI sensors that measure the amount dark green color in the corn which estimates the amount of nitrogen that the corn needs applied.  There were four sensors across the sprayer boom which took an average reading and then an iPad in the cab calculated the amount of nitrogen to be applied on the go as we moved through the field.  A nitrogen stabilizer was also mixed into the tank to help with possible nitrogen loss from possible lack of rain which helps to work the nitrogen into the soil as it is dribbled over the crown root of the corn using y-drop tubes.  Most of the corn that day was needing 95-110 lbs of nitrogen per acre based on the recommendation provided by the software regulating the variable rate sprayer.  The goal of this practice is to make more efficient use of nitrogen and apply it closer to the time when it is needed, and in this case it was applied to V9 growth stage corn.

Using a similar technique, last Friday I used a handheld NDVI sensor to take nitrogen readings in our nitrogen rate plot near Alger.  This plot was consistently showing high rates of nitrogen across the field with corn in the V12 growth stage.  These rates can then be plugged into a spreadsheet calculator to let you know how much nitrogen is needed based on a nitrogen rich strip.  It factors in on-farm field research from Ohio and also takes into consideration normal yields, price of corn, and price of nitrogen.  This type of technology is becoming more useful as we try to find ways of controlling input cost, while maintaining the best economically feasible yields for corn.  Not only do we want to find the best rate of nitrogen to apply, but also want to limit the amount of nitrogen that is lost from run-off, leaching, and volatilization.  These factors are often influenced by the weather but applying the recommended amount of nitrogen closest to the time it is needed by the growing crop limits the risk of nitrogen loss.

Don’t forget that tonight is the tree care program called ‘An Evening Garden Affair’ with tree expert Joe Puperi in Kenton.  I have attached a flyer for more information about this program which will begin at 6:00 pm with a garden tour and speaker at 7:00 pm.  It will be held at Harco Industries next to the Simon Kenton School.  I also want to invite you to attend a dinner program being jointly sponsored by the Hardin County Farm Bureau and OSU Extension on Soil Health and Compaction Issues.  Dr. Steven Culman, Soil Fertility specialist at The Ohio State University will be the guest speaker at an event being held Tuesday, August 1 at Mid-Ohio Energy Cooperative Community Room located at 1210 West Lima Street in Kenton.  The program will begin at 6:30 pm with a catered meal, followed by a presentation by Culman.  Dr. Culman is involved with new research which addresses issues with soil degradation in pipeline installations and approaches you can take to remediate compacted soils.  Check out the attached news release and flyer to register for this event by Tuesday, July 25.

An Evening Garden Affair

Soil Health and Compaction News Release

Soil Health Compaction Flyer

Western Bean Cutworm counts were up again for the week ending July 14 but not at economic levels in our area.  See the article below for more information about this corn pest as well as other agronomy articles.  Other upcoming events include a Farm Bureau meeting at 4:00 pm Tuesday, July 25 at the Heritage Barn on the fairgrounds.  The Ohio State Fair begins Wednesday, July 26 and ends August 6 in Columbus so I hope you will have the opportunity to support the youth as I heard there are 96 4-H projects from Hardin County that qualified for the state fair this year and that doesn’t include the livestock entries.  The Northwest OARDC Field Crops Field Day will be held Thursday, July 27 from 9:00 am-11:30 am at the Northwest research station near Custer in Wood County.  Also the Hardin County Sheep Improvement Association will be operating the Lamb Stand at the Ohio State Fair ‘Taste of Ohio Cafe’ on Monday, July 31 so be sure to stop by for lunch if you are at there that day.

Mark

Determination of ear size in corn well underway – Peter Thomison

During the past two weeks, corn has “exploded” in growth in many Ohio fields. Under favorable growing conditions corn plants can grow nearly three inches per day between V8 (i.e., the eight leaf collar stage) and V15. However, there is considerable variability in corn development across the state, between neighboring fields, and within fields. Most of this variation can be attributed to planting date differences. Corn planted in mid to late April is at or beyond V13 whereas corn planted in early to mid-June is usually at stages no later than V3-4. Variation in growth and development is also related to differences in rainfall accumulation. Within fields, corn subject to ponding and prolonged anaerobic conditions often appears chlorotic and stunted and may be one to three leaf collar stages behind corn growing nearby under more favorable drainage conditions. To read more, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-19/determination-ear-size-corn-well-underway.

Crops Under Water – Crop Stage is Critical for Recovery – Alexander Lindsey, Mark Sulc, Laura Lindsey, Peter Thomison

Large rain events seem to be trending this year in many parts of Ohio. These storms tend to last for a very short amount of time, but leave behind a large amount of water (2” or greater in many cases). This can lead to standing water (flood) conditions or waterlogged soils. In some localized areas, this may have resulted in partial and complete immersion of corn plants, especially in low spots and in river bottoms and along streams. Many crops are sensitive to excess water, but the amount of damage is typically driven by growth stage. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-22/crops-under-water-%E2%80%93-crop-stage-critical-recovery to read more about corn, soybean, and forage recovery from waterlogged soils.

Hay and Straw Barn Fires a Real Danger – Jason Hartschuh, Mark Sulc, Sarah Noggle, David Dugan

We’ve heard of one barn fire here in Ohio this morning and a lot of hay was put up last Thursday ahead of the rain. Much of the hay was wetter than it should have been for safe dry hay storage. Watch those moist bales very carefully for the next two to three weeks! Use a hay temperature probe and monitor the internal temperature of the hay during these first three weeks after baling. Usually, we think of water and moisture as a way to put a fire out, but the opposite is true with hay and straw, which when too wet can heat and spontaneously combust. This is more common with hay than straw because there is more plant cell respiration in hay. When baled at moistures over 20% mesophilic bacteria release heat-causing temperatures to rise between 130⁰F and 140⁰F. If bacteria die and bales cool, you are in the clear but if thermophilic bacteria take over temperatures can raise to over 175⁰F.  Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-19/hay-and-straw-barn-fires-real-danger to finish reading this article.

Western Bean Cutworm Monitoring Update for Week ending July 14, 2017 – Kelley Tilmon, Andy Michel

Participants:  Mark Badertscher, Lee Beers, Amanda Bennett, Bruce Clevenger, Sam Custer, Thomas Dehaas, Mike Gastier, Rory Lewandowski, David Marrison, Cecelia Lokai-Minnich, Sarah Noggle, Adrian Pekarcik, Eric Richer, Garth Ruff, John Schoenhals, Jeff Stachler, Curtis Young, Chris Zoller: Western Bean Cutworm (WBCW) populations continue to increase across the majority of participating counties in Ohio. A total of 77 traps were monitored in 21 counties. Overall, 5208 WBCW adults were captured, almost double the amount of moths captured from the previous week (2751 WBCW moths). In addition, the average number of WBCW per trap increased from 37.2 last week, to 67.6 this week.  Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-22/western-bean-cutworm-monitoring-update-week-ending-july-14-2017 to see Ohio map and chart for WBC.

Manure Science Review on Wednesday, August 2 – Sarah Noggle, Glen Arnold

The 2017 Ohio State University Manure Science Review is scheduled for Wednesday, August 2nd at the Stoller Brothers & Sons farm west of Paulding, Ohio. The review will begin at 8:45 a.m. at the home farm located at 9257 Rd. 144, Paulding. Coffee and donuts will be offered in the morning before the field day kicks off with the afternoon activities ending by 3:30 p.m. The morning educational sessions in the farm shop will focus on effectively capturing manure nutrients, an update on the manure application regulations, what the Edge of Field studies are revealing about preventing the movement of manure nutrients, a panel discussion with local farmers on using cover crops, best management practices for handling poultry litter, and how to stay safe around manure structures.  Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-21/manure-science-review-wednesday-august-2 to find out more about this field day.

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

July 17, 2017

Good afternoon,

Today was my first day back from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.  This is an annual conference where Extension Educators go to learn more about agriculture, attend workshops, seminars, and various tours of agricultural industry.  Awards are presented and new ideas are exchanged.  I had the opportunity to ‘Dine with a specialist,’ choosing to spend time learning about weed control in corn, and alfalfa production for the many dairies in the state from Utah State University specialists.  Upon return to Ohio, I came back to flooding in northern Hardin County areas of Dunkirk and Patterson.  One of the first things I needed to do was check the western bean cutworm traps around the county.  As expected, WBC moth counts continue to rise, but not near as bad as some counties to our northwest.  See the attached map of Ohio for more information about the location of this corn pest.

Western Bean Cutworm Summary

Rainfall totals for the month of June were close to normal.  In the month of June, Extension rainfall reporters recorded an average of 5.15 inches of rain in Hardin County. Last year, the average rainfall for June was 5.81 inches.  Rainfall for June 2017 was 0.16 inches less than the ten-year average rainfall in the month of June.  For more information about the past month’s rainfall, see the attached rainfall report for June 2017.  Of course that is relative compared to the amount of rain received so far in July.  Either way, precipitation has been the story of the crop season so far this year.  It must be looking like a clear forecast for a few days as I saw three hay fields mowed as I drove around the county this morning checking crops.

June 2017 Rainfall Summary

Do you have any questions about your trees and their health?  We have been seeing some uncommon things going on with maples this year.  Joe Puperi, a tree expert and arborist will be the guest speaker at “An Evening Garden Affair” on Monday, July 24 at Harco Industries in Kenton.  He will focus his presentation on selecting, planting, and managing the soil for trees in the landscape.  This program is free of charge and will involve a demonstration and questions.  If this sounds like something you would be interested in attending, more information about this free program can be found in the attached news release.  Last week’s Hardin County Agriculture and Natural Resources Update included information about the upcoming Hardin County Precision Agriculture Field Day August 23 at Kellogg Farms near Forest.  You can now go to  https://agcrops.osu.edu/events/precision-ag-field-day-hardin-county to find out more information, including a registration link to attend.

An Evening Garden Affair News Release

Upcoming events this week include Western OARDC Agronomy Field Day at South Charleston, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on Wednesday, July 19; and a Soil and Water Conservation District meeting Thursday, July 20 starting at 7:30 am at the SWCD office.  I have included agronomy articles below that you might be interested in reading as we try to dry out from the latest gulley washer.

Mark

Hail injury to corn varies depending on development stage – Peter Thomison

The impact of hail damage is largely dependent on corn’s stage of development. Hail affects yield primarily by reducing stands and defoliating plants. Most of the hail damage results from defoliation. Generally, the corn plant is little affected by hail prior to the 6-leaf collar stage because the growing point is at or below the soil surface and in the leaf whorl. However, once the growing point is elevated above the soil surface due to internode elongation, the plant grows rapidly and becomes increasingly vulnerable to hail damage with the tassel stage/pollen shedding stage (VT) being the most critical period. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-19/hail-injury-corn-varies-depending-development-stage to read more about this topic if you received hail damage from last night’s storm near Ada and Alger.

Japanese Beetles in Corn and Soybeans – Kelley Tilmon, Andy Michel

We have been hearing reports of Japanese beetles in corn and soybean.  These beetles are large with a shiny copper and green color.  Foliage feeding in corn is almost never economic, though economic damage from silk clipping is possible (though rare).  Consider a rescue treatment when  silks are clipped to less than ½ inch and, fewer than 50% of the plants have been pollinated, and the beetles are still numerous and feeding in the field. Read more about determining economic damage from Japanese Beetles in corn and soybean at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-20/japanese-beetles-corn-and-soybeans.

The Western Agronomy Field Day is July 19th – Joe Davlin, Harold D. Watters

The Western Agronomy Field Day will be held Wednesday July 19, 2017, with registration 8:30 a.m. and the program starting at 9:00 a.m., running until 3 p.m. Speakers and topics include: John Fulton – Late Season Nitrogen Management and Application Methods, Mark Loux – How to Manage New Herbicide Resistant Soybean, Laura Lindsey –  Soybean Scouting, Anne Dorrance – Wet Year?, How About Soybean Seed Treatments, Steve Culman and Harold Watters– Fertilizer Management, Andy Michel – Stink Bug Demo, Plus more! CCA CEU credits will be available. Location – Western  Agricultural Research Station, 7721 South Charleston Pike, South Charleston, Ohio  45368. Cost – Free and open to the interested agronomic crop producers, and their advisors; lunch will be provided to those who pre-registered or if you are lucky enough to get an extra one! Sponsors for the day include the Ohio Soybean Council, DuPont, JD Equipment, Brodbeck Seeds, Syngenta, Integrated Ag, Bayer, and Valent.

Western Bean Cutworm: Time to Scout – Kelley Tilmon, Andy Michel

Western bean cutworm adult moth catches in our trapping network are ticking up, with a noticeable increase from the week before.  The current statewide report is below.  While we aren’t at peak flight yet, now is a good time to start your corn scouting, particularly in counties with a history of problems. Life cycle and feeding: Adult moths (what we monitor in the traps) will be making their way into corn fields where females will lay eggs on the uppermost portion of the flag leaf. Eggs are laid in unevenly distributed clusters of 5–200, but averaging about 50 per cluster, and hatch within 5–7 days. Eggs first appear white, then tan and then a dark purple. Once eggs turn purple, they will hatch within 24 to 48 hours. In pre-tassel corn, caterpillars will move to the whorl to feed on the flag leaf and unemerged tassel. Once the tassel emerges, larvae then move to the ear, while feeding on corn pollen, leaf tissue, and silks. Later they will enter the ear through the tip, or by chewing through the side of the husk.  Damage occurs from both direct feeding and from mold problems at feeding sites. To read more about WBC, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-21/western-bean-cutworm-time-scout.

Weather Forecast – Jim Noel

The active weather pattern will continue. The week of July 11th will bring a very warm and humid week with rounds of showers and thunderstorms. Some storms may be severe at times with high winds and heavy rains. Maximum temperatures will be in the 80s to lower 90s this week with overnight lows in the 60s to lower 70s. Temperatures will average about 5 degrees above normal for the week. Relief from the very warm weather will occur this coming weekend again with lower humidity and temperatures returning to not far from normal, likely a few degrees below the normal highs which are generally in the 80s now. Rainfall will average 1-2 inches but again will be highly variable due to thunderstorms ranging from less than an inch to over 3 inches in places. Normal rainfall is near 1 inch for the week. Click on https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-21/weather-forecast to find out more about the upcoming weather forecast for the weeks of July 17th and 24th.

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

July 7, 2017

Good afternoon,

As I write this week’s Hardin County Agriculture and Natural Resources Update, it is raining again.  The abundance of rain has not only caused problems with this year’s planting season, but it has also affected horticultural plants as well.  I have been getting a flood of plant problems being brought into the office for diagnosis and recommendations.  Most of these problems have symptoms of either too much water or fungal diseases caused by the wet spring and early summer we have experienced so far.  It makes for good timing as several of our Hardin County Master Gardener Volunteers just went through a training in Kenton a couple weeks ago to learn more about these kinds of issues.  Read the attached article about statewide plant diagnostic clinic that 32 MGVs from 8 counties attended to find out how they might be able to help you diagnose a horticulture plant problem.

Plant Diagnostic Clinic News Release

I finished trapping armyworm and black cutworm moths for the season as their effect on agronomic crops is now past for this year.  We ended up the May-June trapping period with lower armyworm counts and a rising black cutworm population.  I have since pulled these traps and put out traps around the county for western bean cutworm.  I will be trapping WBC moths July-August, monitoring the population in the area as part of a statewide entomology project.  See the attached state WBC map for information about WBC catches for the week ending June 30.  It is important that we keep an eye on these populations, and scout fields to look for damage since several farmers are dropping some of the insect traits in their seed corn to save input cost, and while certain insect traits are becoming less effective due to growing insect resistance problems from lack of rotating traits, crops, and control methods.  If you want to learn more about WBC, go to the OSU Fact Sheet at  http://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ENT-40.

Western Bean Cutworm summary

If you are interested in reading about issues in Fruit and Vegetable production, check out the VegNet Newsletter’s new blog at http://u.osu.edu/vegnetnews/ as I have posted reports from Hardin County for both early and late June.  Since we have several commercial fruit and vegetable growers in the southeast portion of our county, I have spent considerable time working with these producers to help them with their crops as well as the crops of traditional grain farmers.  Plans are progressing on the Hardin County Precision Ag Field Day to be held August 23 at Kellogg Farms near Forest.  Make sure you mark your calendar now to save the date.  See the attached article for more information about this upcoming local field day that plans to offer both fertilizer certification credit and Certified Crop Adviser credit for those that need it.

Precision Ag Field Day News Release

We had a good discussion of local agriculture this morning at Ag Council.  I hope more of you will join us in the future for these ag breakfasts that usually happen the first Friday of the month, starting at 7:00 am at Henry’s Restaurant in Kenton.  Upcoming events in the next week include Men’s Garden Club meeting Monday, July 10 at 6:30 pm at Stewart Coats’ home near Ridgeway; Sheep Improvement Association meeting Tuesday, July 11 at 7:30 pm at Extension office; and the OSU Weed Science Field Day Wednesday, July 12 at 9:00 am at Western OARDC research station in South Charleston.  I have included articles below about agronomy topics that you may be interested in reading.

Mark

Manure, PSNT and N recommendations – Harold D. Watters, Greg LaBarge

The question has come in several times this year, probably due to the excessive rain, from folks wanting to know how much more nitrogen (N) to add. Recently the question came from a livestock operation. For several years the use of the PSNT – Pre-Sidedress Nitrogen Test – has been recommended in manured or terminated legume situations. Ohio has done field test with PSNT and where soil test result exceed 25 ppm NO3-N additional N is unlikely to increase yield. Both Pennsylvania State University and Purdue University have taken the PSNT a step further providing guidelines to adjust N rates where the PSNT result does not exceed the no application threshold. We often point producers in those directions to learn more. To find out more about nitrogen recommendations in corn, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-20/manure-psnt-and-n-recommendations.

How to separate flooding injury from Phytophthora seedling and stem blight – Anne Dorrance

I received many calls last week from areas south of and along Interstate 70 that received more than 3 inches of rain and I expect next week they will come from northern Ohio where 4 or more inches of rain landed in some or our plots. Flooding injury can range from lower roots killed to the whole plants if submerged for a long enough period of time. Flooding injury – Large numbers of plants in low lying areas of field Wilted appearance, some yellowing of leaves. Almost a shepherds hook appearance on the tops. New leaves on mildly affected plants were growing Note grayish color on some of the older leaves. The damage and the yield loss associated with flooding injury are directly related to the amount of time the plants are in a low soil oxygen or high carbon dioxide state. The longer the time, the more damage.  To read more about soybean damage from wet conditions, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-20/how-separate-flooding-injury-phytophthora-seedling-and-stem.

1st Generation European Corn Borer Management in non-Bt Corn – Andy Michel, Kelley Tilmon

European corn borer (ECB) was once our most important corn insect, but its population has decreased over the past 20 years, likely due to Bt-corn that provides excellent protection. For this and other various reasons, many farms have switched to corn that does not contain Bt proteins to control ECB and other caterpillar pests. Keep in mind that ECB is not an extinct species—we can find ECB still flying around. This year, we have seen ECB feeding in conventional corn. ECB has 2 generations per year. Currently, we are seeing larval feeding on the leaves and in the whorl. Soon, and if not already, these larvae will tunnel through the stalk where they will usually continue to feed and pupate. Adults will emerge in late July-early August. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-19/1st-generation-european-corn-borer-management-non-bt-corn to finish reading this article.

What is the Nutrient Value of Wheat Straw? – Laura Lindsey, Ed Lentz

Wheat harvest is now underway. What is the nutrient value of the straw? The nutrient value of wheat straw is influenced by several factors including weather, variety, and cultural practices. Thus, the most accurate values require sending a sample of the straw to an analytical laboratory. However, “book values” can be used to estimate the nutrient values of wheat straw. In previous newsletters, we reported that typically a ton of wheat straw would provide approximately 11 pounds of N, 3 pounds of P2O5, and 20 pounds of K2O. A 2013 analysis of wheat straw collected at the OARDC in Wooster contained 14-18 pounds of N, 3-4 pounds of P2O5, and 20-23 pounds of K2O. To read more about the nutritional value of wheat straw left in the field, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-20/what-nutrient-value-wheat-straw.

Undergraduate Agronomic Crop Internship Program – Steve Culman

This summer a cohort of undergraduate interns are working alongside OSU Extension County Educators to conduct on-farm research. The Agronomic Crop Research Experience (ACRE) interns are placed in county offices throughout the state and work with county educators and state specialists to support on-farm research and extension activities. The program has the goals of 1) training the next-generation of agronomists, 2) empowering locally-directed on-farm research, and 3) identifying solutions to critical agronomic issues in Ohio. This year, there are 9 ACRE interns working across Ohio: Ross Andre (Fulton), Michael Schmenk (Paulding), Rose Vagedes (Miami, Champaign, Darke, Auglaize, Mercer), Abigail Hill (Pickaway, Madison), Cody Clyburn (Fayette, Clinton), Emily Bauman (Ross), Evan Bedard (Highland), Sara Weber (Scioto), and Colin Sandrock (Sandusky).  To read more about what these ACRE interns do for the Ag Crops Team, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-18/undergraduate-agronomic-crop-internship-program.

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