January 31, 2018

Hello,

As we enter the winter banquet season, there are starting to be livestock commodity banquets popping up on the calendar.  The first one of the year is the Hardin County Dairy Banquet, which is scheduled for Saturday, February 24 at 12:00 noon at the Plaza Inn Restaurant, Mt. Victory.  Tickets this year are $15.00 for adults and $7.00 for children 12 and under.  Junior Fair Dairy Exhibitors from the 2017 Hardin County Fair are eligible for a complimentary ticket by contacting the Extension office.  Tickets are available until February 16 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.  For more information about this upcoming banquet as well as the dairy scholarship and dairy princess application procedure, see the attached news release.

Last week I mentioned the upcoming BASF dicamba trainings for those using the new herbicides on dicamba tolerant soybeans.  Monsanto has now listed a series of meetings as well, with the closest one being on February 27, 2018 9-10:30 am OR 2-3:30 pm, at the Howard Johnsons, 1920 Roschman Ave., Lima, Ohio 45804.  See the attached Monsanto Dicamba Training document for a list of these meetings as well as those already announced by BASF.  I have also attached an Ohio Department of Agriculture document explaining Dicamba label modifications for 2018 that are required if you plan to use either Engenia, XtendiMax, or FeXapan this crop year.  These new requirements are for all applicators applying any of these products this year.  For more information, go to pested.osu.edu.  Ag Credit is sponsoring a series of Farm Succession workshops this spring at the Masters Building on the Wyandot County Fairgrounds.  The first session is going to be on February 27, starting at 6:00 pm and will feature Dr. Ron Hanson, retired professor from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who will outline the steps necessary to implement as well as achieve an effective succession plan that will avoid potential misunderstandings and family conflicts.  Register for the free dinner and program by contacting the Kenton Ag Credit at 419-675-2303.  The event is open to anyone in the agricultural community interested in farm succession planning.

Other upcoming programs that I have included flyers for are Fruit Tree Pruning in Greenville on February 21 and 24, Livestock Predator Workshop in Piketon on February 17, Balance Sheets and Record Keeping in Wapakoneta on February 21, Ohio Agritourism Ready Conference in Piketon on March 10, and the Ohio Swine Health Symposium in Plain City on March 21.  If you know of an ATI student near the Wooster area that would be interested in doing Integrated Pest Management Scouting for a summer internship, I have attached a flyer for this opportunity with OSU Extension-Wayne County.  Local events this week include Ag Council breakfast on Friday, February 2 with information about 2018 OSUE crop budgets for corn, soybean, and wheat.  There will be a Fairboard meeting on Saturday, February 3 starting at 7:30 pm in the fair office.  The Cattle Producers are meeting on Monday, February 5 starting at 7:30 pm in the Allmax Building.  As usual, I have attached some ag crops articles that you may be interested in reading.

Mark

Conservation Tillage Club Breakfast Series Planned – Mark Badertscher

On February 6 Dr. Aaron Wilson will speak to the Conservation Tillage Club.  He will be presenting Climate and Weather information and how it has affected crops over recent years.  Wilson is an Atmospheric Scientist at The Ohio State University, holding a joint appointment as a Senior Research Associate at the Byrd Polar & Climate Research Center.  He is also a contributing member to the State Climate Office of Ohio.   He helps coordinate the state’s weekly contribution to the U.S. Drought Monitor activities at the National Drought Mitigation Center, and helps Ohioans understand how changing weather extremes are impacting their lives.  His outreach activities include presentations at county events, field days, and the Farm Science Review.  To read more, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-41/conservation-tillage-club-breakfast-series-planned.

What accounts for variability in grain protein levels in corn? – Alexander Lindsey, Stan Smith, Peter Thomison

We’ve recently heard comments and questions concerning the varying levels of grain protein levels being found in shelled corn. Some feed companies have reported seeing many samples in the upper 6% and lower 7% protein range this year but there are reports of levels that are nearly 9%. Some feed mill operations are using 7% as the default value based on this year and last year’s levels. However, in the past, higher grain protein levels (% +2) have been cited for corn. Are the reports of low levels in 2016 and 2017 an anomaly? What could be accounting for these varying protein levels in corn?  Read more about this topic athttps://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-01/what-accounts-variability-grain-protein-levels-corn.

Agronomic Crops and YouTube – Harold D. Watters

We know not everyone can attend our meetings so for many topics we produce videos or publish bulletins. Some are short and on the concerns of the day, others are for background on broader topics. The OSU Agronomic Crops Team has a Youtube channel where we place the videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbqpb60QXN3UJIBa5is6kHw. One recent addition is from Ryan Haden and Jon Witter on setting up grid soil sampling and then developing a variable rate application map. It can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/kCitqkkRV6Y. This is nicely done, short at 15 minutes, and involves ATI students on our Wooster campus.  Go tohttps://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-01/agronomic-crops-and-youtube for more online videos and resources.

Northern Ohio Crops Day – Allen Gahler

The annual Northern Ohio Crops Day, held annually in February at Ole Zim’s Wagon Shed near Gibsonburg, Ohio in Sandusky County is returning to its roots in 2018 with an in-depth agronomy program. Progressive producers will want to mark February 8, 2018 at 8:30 a.m. on their calendar for a program packed full of speakers and topics on the latest issues in agronomy, including a budgeting and cropland values update by Barry Ward, pigweed ID and control strategies by Dr. Mark Loux, and a discussion on weather trends and their impact by OSU Extension climatologist Aaron Wilson. Additional topics will include soybean disease management by Anne Dorrance, soil fertility, nitrogen use in on-farm research trials, and getting the most out of Precision Ag technology. For more information, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-022018-01/northern-ohio-crops-day.

2018 Central Ohio Agronomy School “The Nuts & Bolts About Corn & Soybean Production” – John Barker

The 2018 Central Ohio Agronomy School will be held on Monday evenings, beginning on Monday February 5 through Monday March 5, from 6:30 –9:00 p.m. in the conference room of the Ag Services Building, 1025 Harcourt Rd. Mt. Vernon, Ohio 43050. This five-week program will provide the attendees with the most comprehensive, up-to-date crop production and agricultural technology information available today. This school is designed with everyone in mind; part-time or full-time producer, beginner or CCA agronomist. Within each subject area we will teach the basic concepts and progress to the most advanced agronomic principles.  To finish reading this article, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-022018-01/2018-central-ohio-agronomy-school-%E2%80%9C-nuts-bolts-about-corn.

 

 

 

 

 

January 22, 2018

January 12, 2018

January 2, 2018

Good evening,

2018 has officially arrived!  With the start of the new year, there are several programs coming up hosted by OSU Extension that may interest you.  The Conservation Tillage Club breakfast program series will begin on Tuesday, January 9 at the Plaza Inn Restaurant in Mt. Victory.  Each session will start at 7:30 am with complimentary buffet breakfast followed by the program at 8:00 am.  Other sessions will be held on January 23, February 6 and 20 as indicated on the attached flyer and news article.

On January 9, the program will feature Mike Bacon, Andrea Weaver, and Mike Yoder, CAUV Property Tax Changes.  Bacon is the Hardin County Auditor, Weaver serves as the Union County Auditor, and Yoder is the Logan County Auditor.  They will be joined by a panel of other property tax and conservation experts.  As county auditors, they have sent out notices of changes and held meetings with landowners, local schools, and farm groups to help explain how changes brought about by the Ohio Department of Taxation will affect them.  The presentation at the Conservation Tillage Club breakfast will focus on the most recent changes in the CAUV formula in regards to conservation lands and what landowners must do in order to see possible reductions in their property taxes for coming years.

Does your fertilizer certification expire in 2018?  In three years, 17,493 Ohioans completed the Fertilizer Certification program.  Of this total, 63 fertilizer applicators from Hardin County will require recertification by March 31, 2018.  The three-year window to complete the initial certification program ended September 30, 2017.  Those renewing their fertilizer certificate, which must be done every three years, must either pass a fertilizer exam or take a one-hour class.  Hardin County Extension will be offering recertification classes in Mt. Victory on March 13 and in Kenton on March 30.  For more information about renewing your fertilizer certificate or becoming certified for the first time, see the attached article.

Other upcoming programs and events include Soybean Inputs-Focus on Payback on January 9 in Wood County and January 11 in Hancock County; Farmland Succession Workshop on January 18 in Union County; and West Central Ohio Weed Science Day on January 19 in Shelby County.  See the attached flyers for details about these upcoming events.  Locally, there will be an Ag Council breakfast starting at 7:00 am on Friday, January 5 at Henry’s Restaurant in Kenton.  Join us to get a copy of the newly released OSU Corn, Soybean, Wheat, and Forage Trials information.  There will be a Farm Bureau meeting on Tuesday, January 9 starting at 6:30 pm at Kenton Alliance Church, and Sheep Improvement Association meeting on the same evening starting at 7:30 pm at the Extension office.  Keep warm and take time to read the agronomy articles below.

Mark

2017 OHIO CORN PERFORMANCE TEST: REGIONAL OVERVIEWS – Rich Minyo, Allen Geyer, David Lohnes, Peter Thomison

In 2017, 205 corn hybrids representing 25 commercial brands were evaluated in the Ohio Corn Performance Test (OCPT). Four tests were established in the Southwestern/West Central/Central (SW/WC/C) region and three tests were established in the Northwestern (NW) and North Central/Northeastern (NC/NE) regions (for a total of ten test sites statewide). Hybrid entries in the regional tests were planted in either an early or a full season maturity trial. These test sites provided a range of growing conditions and production environments. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-40/2017-ohio-corn-performance-test-regional-overviews to finish reading this article.

AGRICULTURAL DATA COALITION – John Fulton, Scott A Shearer
As farmers wrap up harvest and begin thinking about the 2018 cropping season, data organization and archiving may be a topic of interest. There are many data repositories provided by the private sector and we know that farmers are beginning to reap the benefits of historical agricultural data. As the industry moves towards adoption of AgTech, many are beginning to see evidence of how historical data may inform the creation of prescriptions to guide and optimize crop production inputs. We know that many farmers have bought into AgTech, and have few concerns with sharing their data, while others remain somewhat reluctant to upload their data to cloud service providers.  Read more at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-40/agricultural-data-coalition.

NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLAN WRITERS ARE STILL AT WORK IN THE WESTERN LAKE ERIE BASIN IN 2018 – Jessie Schulze, Sarah Noggle

Nutrient Management Plan Writers are still working for the 2018 year in the Western Lake Erie Basin to write free plans for non-CAFO farmers. Our goal is to complete 65,000 acres for NMP’s in 2018. These plans are written free of charge to farmers and require a small amount of your time and effort. As the plan writer we gather information that is pertinent to your farm such as your crop rotations, tillage practices, current (within three years) soil test results, yield goals, conservation goals, where water is and more. Then we take that information and work it into several computer programs to complete a NMP or CNMP for your farm. These plans may be required for many financial institutions when building new livestock structures. They may also help with your plan to apply for EQIP funding through NRCS and serve as affirmative defense through SWCD. The NMP may help you reduce your fertilizer cost and provide 4R recommendations for nutrient stewardship practices for your farm.To find out more, click on https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-40/nutrient-management-plan-writers-are-still-work-western-lake-erie.

2018 WEST OHIO AGRONOMY DAY – Debbie Brown

The 2018 West Ohio Agronomy Day will be held on Monday, January 8th at St. Michael’s Hall in Fort Loramie. A light breakfast will be available starting at 8 a.m. with a market update at 8:30 a.m. At 9 a.m. the one-hour Fertilizer Applicator Recertification Training will begin. The Private Pesticide Applicator Recertification (Core and Categories 1, 2, and 6) and Commercial Pesticide Applicator Credits (Core and 2C) along with other topics will fill the day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Certified Crop Adviser CEUs are also available. The evening portion of the 2018 West Ohio Agronomy Day will be held on Tuesday, January 16th at the VFW Post 4239, north side of Sidney at the intersection of I-75 and CR 25A. (Look for the tank!) This program will begin at 5:00 p.m. with a light supper and a market update.  For more details, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-40/2018-west-ohio-agronomy-day.

CCA PRE-EXAM TRAINING JANUARY 10 & 11 – Harold D. Watters

The Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) Exam Training program, sponsored by the OSU Agronomic Crops Team, will be offered at the Shelby County Extension Office, 810 Fair Rd, Sidney, Ohio 45365 on January 10 & 11, 2018 beginning at 9:00 a.m. on the 10th and adjourn by 5:00 p.m. on the 11th. The price for the Pre-Exam preparation class is $250. Secure on-line registration via credit card, debit card or check is available at: http://www.cvent.com/d/jtqpf2. This is an intensive two-day program somewhat directed toward the local exam.  To find out more about the CCA Pre-exam Training, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2017-40/cca-pre-exam-training-january-10-11.

 

 

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