Hello,

I hope that you had the opportunity to get out to the Hardin County Fair this past week.  Now that the fair is over for this year, the next big event on the calendar is the Farm Science Review.  We still have tickets for sale at the Extension office through Monday for $7 per person.  $1 of that total stays in the county and if you wait until the day of the Farm Science Review on September 18-20, you will have to pay $10 at the gate.  The Farm Science Review has increased its size this year, enclosing the Ag Crops Team plots and surrounding area for the ride and drive part of the show.  If you are planning to attend this year’s FSR Tuesday-Thursday of next week, make sure you stop by this new section of the exhibit area.  I will be doing a presentation on Nitrogen Management in Corn in the Small Farm Center Building on Thursday at 10:30 so see the attached poster for details if you are interested.

Farm Science Review Nitrogen in Corn

According to the USDA, corn is rated 79% good to excellent and soybeans are rated up to 80% good to excellent according to the latest Ohio Crop Weather Reports.  I have attached both the September 4^th and September 10 reports for you to read more about Ohio’s crop progress.  I noticed one soybean field partially harvested here locally and they have begun to open up the fields at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London in preparation for this year’s Farm Science Review.  Rain continues to fall here in Hardin County with 4.78 inches recorded in August and 19.60 inches for the growing season as of April 15.  See the attached August 2018 Rainfall Summary for more information about how the rainfall has affected crops.

Ohio Crop Weather Report September 4

Ohio Crop Weather Report September 10

August 2018 Rainfall Summary News Release

Hardin County Agriculture Hall of Fame nominations are being collected for 2018.  This year’s Ag Hall of Fame Banquet is scheduled for Tuesday, December 4 with nominations due to the Extension office by October 15.  Nominees must have made their major contribution to agriculture primarily as a result of being born, growing up, living in, or working in Hardin County, Ohio. Outstanding agriculturalists may be nominated by individuals or organizations.  Please take a look at the attached news release and nomination form and encourage someone you know to nominate a family member or individual you believe is worthy of this honor.  Often times people are too humble to nominate themselves, so all it takes is a little encouragement to get the person properly recognized.

Ag Hall of Fame Nominations News Release

Ag Hall of Fame Purpose and Nomination Form

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced a new sign-up deadline for its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).  The local NRCS office is currently planning for the next crop year, and this October 19, 2018 deadline applies to the 2019 crop year.  EQIP is a very popular and important program for Hardin County farmers and landowners.  In 2018, Hardin County NRCS obligated 22 contracts for more than $1.7M.  Currently Hardin County has 50 active EQIP contracts for almost $6M.  Stop by the Hardin Ag Service Center and see Megan Burgess for more details.  I have attached a copy of the news release which will provide more information about the procedure.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program News Release

Upcoming events include a Pumpkin Disease Diagnosis Field Night October 3 in Piketon.  See the attached flyer for more information.  Locally, Ag Council will be meeting for breakfast tomorrow morning (9/14) starting at 7:00 am in Henry’s Restaurant to discuss waterhemp and Palmer amaranth along with other topics; Ada Harvest and Herb Festival is Saturday (9/15); Hardin Soil and Water Conservation District is meeting Thursday (9/20) starting at 7:30 am in the SWCD office; and the Farm Bureau ATV Tour is being held in combination with Van Scoy Farms ‘Feast on the Farm’ Sunday (9/23).  I have included some Ag Crops articles for you to read as we wait for the crops to be ready for harvest.

Pumpkin Disease Diagnosis Field Night Flyer

Mark

Tropical Moisture Invades Ohio – Aaron Wilson

It was quite the wet week across the state of Ohio! Scattered thunderstorms throughout the week brought isolated 1-2” rainfall amounts. The big story began on Friday night, as a stalled out front provided a path for the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon to move through the region, bringing steady to moderate rain and gusty winds from Friday night through Monday morning. While rainfall was certainly heaviest across the southern counties of Ohio this weekend, almost the entire state picked up appreciable amounts of rain. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-30/tropical-moisture-invades-ohio to read more about the weather.

Farm Science Review is September 18, 19 & 20 – Harold Watters

The Farm Science Review this year is September 18, 19 and 20 at the London, Ohio location. The parking lots have been reworked, seeded and improved over the past year with more gravel areas added. Drainage has also been improved in the exhibit area to fasten water removal – all to give you a better experience. Tickets can be purchased from your local Extension office and from many ag retailers, or go on-line to the FSR website: https://fsr.osu.edu/onlineticketform. A repeat this year, the Farm Science Review app will help you find and locate what it is you are looking for – look for “Farm Science Review 2018” on Google Play or the Apple App stores. Finish reading this article at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-30/farm-science-review-september-18-19-20.

Wheat Management for Fall 2018 – Laura Lindsey, Pierce Paul, Ed Lentz

Wheat helps reduce problems associated with the continuous planting of soybean and corn and provides an ideal time to apply fertilizer in July/August after harvest. With soybean harvest around the corner, we would like to remind farmers of a few management decisions that are important for a successful crop. For additional information on winter wheat management, download a free pdf of the Ohio Agronomy Guide available here:https://stepupsoy.osu.edu/wheat-production/ohio-agronomy-guide-15th-edition. To read the rest of this article, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-29/wheat-management-fall-2018.

Early Yellowing Soybeans – Anne Dorrance

Soybeans across the state range from ready to harvest to still flowering.  But in some fields, the yellowing was limited to pockets – some was sudden death syndrome or brown stem rot, charcoal rot, Phytophthora stem rot, and soybean cyst nematode.  There are some other early yellowing situations that we are still working on an accurate diagnosis, but yellowing in these cases may be linked to fertility issues and/or related to late flooding injury. To read more, click on https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-29/early-yellowing-soybeans.

Mexican Bean Beetles Make an Appearance – Kelley Tilmon, Andy Michel, Clifton Martin

Though less common than it once was, the Mexican bean beetle still maintains a presence in Ohio, and we have been getting a few reports of economic populations in soybean this month, largely in the east-central part of the state.  The Mexican bean beetle adult is a small, copper-colored beetle with numerous black spots, while the larva (immature) is yellow with black spines. The adult beetle resembles a ladybeetle because they are members of the same insect family, Coccinellidae. Mexican bean beetles are one of the few members of this family that are plant pests. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-28/mexican-bean-beetles-make-appearance to finish reading 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 Hardin County Fair is underway!  Make sure you take the time to get out to the fairgrounds to support both the youth and adults who have entries in this year’s county fair.  While you are out there, be sure you stop by the Cattle Producers, Pork Producers, and Sheep Improvement Association food buildings to support these local livestock commodity groups who do projects to support Hardin County junior fair youth.  If you don’t plan to attend this year’s Hardin County Fair, you can also support your favorite non-profit group through America’s Farmers Grow Communities at https://www.facebook.com/AmericasFarmers/videos/10156566110773524/.  You won’t want to miss the Hardin County Carcass Show of Champions being held Wednesday, September 12, 6:00 pm at Mt. Victory Meats.  This carcass show will compare the champion and reserve champion steers, barrows, gilts, lambs, and goats from the county fair.  See the attached news release and flyer for more details about this coming event.

Carcass Show News Release

Carcass Show Flyer

Corn silage harvest has started in the county this past week.  A field of corn was shelled in Darke County with 18.3% moisture.  Today I heard on a conference call that a few soybean fields in other counties are close to being harvested.  See the August 27 Ohio Crop Weather report provided by USDA for numbers specific to Ohio crops.  Before harvest begins, there will be an opportunity for agronomists, Certified Crop Advisers, custom applicators and farmers to attend this year’s Farm Science Review Agronomy College being held September 11 in London.  See the attached flyer for more details and how to register.  Are you interested in learning how to shear sheep?  If so, don’t miss out on this year’s Statewide Sheep Shearing School being held September 14-15, sponsored by the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association and OSU Extension.  See the attached registration flyer for more information about this school.

Ohio Crop Weather August 27

Agronomy College Flyer

Statewide Sheep Shearing School  Form

This year’s Hardin County Farm Bureau ATV Tour is Sunday, September 23 in combination with Van Scoy Farm’s Feast on the Farm.  You do not have to be a Farm Bureau member to participate, and this year there is also a car/truck tour that visits the same farms.  See the attached flyer to find out how to experience local agriculture close to home.  Registration for this tour is due by September 10.  Other upcoming local events include Ag Council breakfast on Friday, September 14 starting at 7:00 am at Henry’s Restaurant and the Ada Harvest and Herb Festival, which is taking place Saturday, September 15 in that village.  If you are interested in reading ag crops articles, see the ones below that I have included in this newsletter.  I hope to see you at the fair!

ATV Farm Tour Flyer

Mark

Ear Rots of Corn: Telling them Apart – Pierce Paul, Felipe Dalla Lana da Silva

Over the last few weeks, we have received samples with at least four different types of ear rots – Diplodia, Gibberella, Fusarium, and Trichoderma. Of these, Diplodia ear rot seems to be the most prevalent. Ear rots differ from each other in terms of the damage they cause (their symptoms), the toxins they produce, and the specific conditions under which they develop. Most are favored by wet, humid conditions during silk emergence (R1) and just prior to harvest. But they vary in their temperature requirements, with most being restricted my excessively warm conditions such as the 90+ F forecasted for the next several days. However, it should be noted that even when conditions are not optimum for ear rot development, mycotoxins may accumulate in infected ears.  Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-28/ear-rots-corn-telling-them-apart to finish reading about corn ear rots.

Late-Season Pod Feeding by Bean Leaf Beetle or Grasshopper – Kelley Tilmon, Andy Michel

We have heard a few reports of either bean leaf beetles or grasshoppers increasing in soybeans.  As we start to approach the end of the growing season the larger concern with these insects is the potential for pod feeding, rather than foliage feeding.  Pod feeding directly impacts grain quality.  Crop stage is also an important consideration.  Late-planted fields or double-cropped soybeans which are still green when other fields are drying down can be “trap crops,” attracting both bean leaf beetles or grasshoppers leaving the other fields.  Such fields bear close watching.  Read the rest of this article at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-27/late-season-pod-feeding-bean-leaf-beetle-or-grasshopper.

Tillage After Wheat Harvest – A Good Idea? – Steve Culman

After winter wheat harvest, it’s not an uncommon sight in Ohio to see producers tilling their fields to incorporate wheat residue. These fields are often left fallow until the following spring before there are crops planted again. But is this a good idea? Of course, the answer will depend on the goals of using tillage, but from a soil conservation perspective the answer is nearly always ‘no’. Tillage after wheat with no crop planted until the following spring will leave soil exposed for nine months or more, giving the erosive forces of wind and water time to reduce and devalue one of the most important assets producers have – the soil on their farms.  To finish reading this article, click on https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-25/tillage-after-wheat-harvest-%E2%80%93-good-idea.

Late Season Alfalfa Management – Rory Lewandowski, Mark Sulc

Late season alfalfa management decisions often come down to balancing a need for forage versus stand health and winter survival.  Weather patterns across the state in 2018 have been variable.  Lack of summer rain in some areas have decreased forage yields, frequent rains or too much rainfall in other areas have blown apart harvest schedules and/or resulted in low quality forage inventories.  Taking a fall alfalfa harvest is an opportunity to increase both the quality and quantity of the farm forage inventory.  Like most farming decisions, there are trade-offs and risk factors to consider when making a fall alfalfa harvest. The decision of when to take the last harvest of alfalfa to insure good winter survival and yield potential for the following year can be boiled down to two choices.  To read more about these choices, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2018-27/late-season-alfalfa-management.

Western Bean Cutworm: Final Adult Moth Update – John Schoenhals, Mark Badertscher, Lee Beers, Bruce Clevenger, Sam Custer, Tom Dehass, Allen Gahler, Jason Hartschuh, Ed Lentz, Cecilia Lokai-Minnich, David Marrison, Sarah Noggle, Les Ober, Eric Richer, Garth Ruff, Jeff Stachler, Alan Sundermeier, Curtis Young, Megan Zerrer, Chris Zoller, Andy Michel, Kelley Tilmon

As Western bean cutworm (WBC) adult trap monitoring comes to an end for the 2018 season, we would like to thank everyone for their participation including land owners and farm cooperators who allowed us to place traps in their fields. Week ending August 25, 2018 was our final week monitoring WBC adult moth catches in Ohio as very few adult moths are being reported in the bucket traps. Overall, 23 counties monitored 69 traps and resulted in a statewide average of 0.7 adult moths per trap (51 total captured). This is a decrease from an average of 1.2 moths per trap (76 total captured) the previous week. See the above graphic for average WBC adult per trap in Ohio counties, followed in parentheses by total number of traps monitored in each county for the week ending August 25, 2018. Legend (bottom right) describes the color coding on map for the average WBC per county.

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