Good evening,
March has arrived and so has another month of Extension programs. As we wind down the winter, make sure you take advantage of this season to attend programs and events that you don’t normally have time for during the growing season. This weekend the Hardin County Sheep Improvement Association will hold their annual Lamb Banquet on Saturday, March 2 at St. John’s Evangelical Church in Kenton at 6:30 pm. Next weekend The Hardin County Pork Producers will hold their annual Pork Banquet on Saturday, March 9 at St. John’s Evangelical Church in Kenton, starting at 6:30 pm. The 3rd annual Hardin County Poultry Banquet will be held at 6:00 pm, Saturday, March 16, 2019 at the Family Center of the Kenton Christian Missionary Alliance Church. I have included news releases for these events in case you are planning to attend and celebrate the accomplishments of the 4-H/FFA youth in the county as well as the work of our adult producers. The Poultry Banquet also has a flyer that I have attached for more information.
Does your pesticide or fertilizer applicator license expire this year? The Hardin County Pesticide and Fertilizer Recertification meetings are coming up soon. The first recertification meeting is scheduled for March 8 at the Plaza Inn Restaurant, starting at 9:00 am for pesticide and 1:00 pm for fertilizer. Lunch will be made available for extra cost. If that date does not work for you, there is a Make-up and Specialty Pesticide and Fertilizer Recertification class planned for March 29 at the Extension office. We will begin with fertilizer at 11:00 am and continue with pesticide at 12:00 pm. Finally, there is a 7:00 pm Fertilizer Recertification class scheduled for May 30 at the Extension office for those who have certificates that expire on May 31. You can attend whichever class works the best for you as long as it is before your pesticide or fertilizer license expiration date. For more information and how to register, see the attached news release and flyer.
Pesticide Recertification News Release
Do you want to do a better job of pricing your corn and soybeans? Is grain marketing a confusing and daunting task? If so, you can learn about Grain Marketing from the comfort of your farm office or join other local farmers for a webinar series at the Hardin County OSU Extension office for two consecutive Tuesdays, March 12th and 19th from 11:00 am–1:00 pm. Participants will learn to identify their personal risk tolerance and their farm’s financial risk capacity. Participants will also learn how crop insurance products effect marketing decisions and effect risk capacity. Information on the different grain marketing contracts will be presented. These include basis, hedging, cash, futures, and option contracts. Additionally, participants will be provided an example of a grain marketing plan and the fundamental principles that should be included. I have attached a news release and flyer that contains more details about what these webinars have to offer. For specific times, as well as program registration instruction, go to http://go.osu.edu/grainwebinar. The deadline to register is March 8 and the cost is $30 for the series.
Grain Marketing Webinar News Release
Are you a farmer looking for a better way to keep your farm records? As farm size, income or debt increases, many farmers and lenders look for computer programs that allow fast data entry, have internal checks for accuracy and allow summarizing of data. Most farmers begin their search by asking “Is there a simple computer program that will keep my records like the farm account books?” Plan on attending Hardin County OSU Extension’s “Computerized Farm Record Keeping Workshops using Quicken.” A series of two workshops will be held at the Hardin County Extension office on Fridays, March 15th and 22nd from 12:30-3:30 pm. Participants will learn about Quicken® using an OSU Computer Lab provided during workshop with Quicken® software installed. A workshop manual/home reference will be provided. Registration is $75.00 per farm business (Maximum 2 people per farm) and can be paid when registering for the workshops. Registration is due no later than March 8. Space is limited to 10 workstations. More information about the class can be obtained by checking out the attached news release.
Computerized Record Keeping Workshop News Release
Another event you may be interest in is the 2019 Western Ohio Corn College being held in Darke County on March 13 from 8:00 am-3:00 pm. This all day program includes several speakers and topics dealing with improving corn production. I have included a flyer that includes more specific information and registration details. Don’t forget about the Conservation Tillage Conference (CTC) being held this coming week in Ada on March 5-6. Approximately 60 speakers from several land grant universities, agencies, and industry will gather in Hardin County as about 900 attendees will hear about the latest topics in soil health, nutrient management, precision agriculture, water quality, cover crops, along with corn and soybean production topics. See the article below for more details. Other local events include the Dairy Service Unit annual meeting at the Extension office, starting at 6:30 pm on March 4; Pork Producers meeting at Ag Credit, starting at 6:30 pm on March 5; Farm Bureau meeting at Layman Farms, starting at 6:30 pm on March 5; Fairboard meeting at the Fair office, starting at 7:00 pm on March 6; and the Ag Society Consignment Sale at the fairgrounds, starting at 9:00 am on March 9. There’s a lot to do this month, so don’t get left behind.
Mark
Conservation Tillage Conference: March 5-6 in Ada – Mark Badertscher, Ed Lentz
A world-renowned scientist will be the keynote speaker on the first day of this year’s Conservation Tillage Conference (CTC) in Ada. Christine Jones, an Australian Soil Ecologist, will be giving the keynote of the annual event with the topic “Building New Topsoil Through the Liquid Carbon Pathway for Long Term Production and Profit.” The annual conference is scheduled for March 5th and 6th at Ohio Northern University. The McIntosh Center and Chapel on campus will once again be the location where about 60 presenters, several agribusiness exhibitors, and approximately 900 participants will come together to learn about the latest topics in crop production. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2019-04/conservation-tillage-conference-march-5-6-ada to read more about this local agronomy conference.
Winter Wheat Update – Laura Lindsey, Pierce Paul, Clay Sneller
Due to late planting and wet weather, winter wheat in some areas of the state has not yet emerged. In Ohio, we do not have first-hand experience with this situation. Further west (Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Kansas), there have been reports of winter wheat emerging extremely late due to dry soil conditions. A winter wheat planting date study in Kansas found a 43 to 59% reduction in grain yield when winter wheat was planted in January and February compared to October. This yield reduction was associated with reduced tillering (reduced number of heads) per plant. Read more at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2019-04/winter-wheat-update.
Updated Field Guide Available – Harold Watters
The newly revised Corn, Soybean, Wheat, and Forages Field Guide is a compilation of the latest research by Extension specialists from The Ohio State University in partnership with Pennsylvania State University. Designed as a guide for scouts, crop advisors, and farmers, this handy spiral-bound book contains updated information and images to aid with insect, disease, and weed identification. Major revisions to the book include the latest fertilizer recommendations, broadleaf weed ID keys, and a manure sampling and manure applicator calibration section. Tar spot, a new disease to Ohio, is now included in the Corn Disease section. The Forages section also received a major upgrade, and now includes grass crops as well. Find out more about this updated field guide at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2019-04/updated-field-guide-available.
Ohio Farm Business Analysis Program – Dianne Shoemaker, Haley Shoemaker
How well do you know your farm? Sure, you could probably drive your fields blindfolded and you could name without a doubt the cow that will always come in the parlor last; but what about your farm as a business? If this question made you stop and think, then it’s time to become more familiar with your cost of production and other financial measures that make the rest of your farming operation possible. The Ohio Farm Business Analysis Program is focused on working with farmers across Ohio to better understand the numbers behind their farm business in order to make more informed production, marketing and financial management decisions that will impact the farm’s overall profitability. Finish reading this article at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2019-04/ohio-farm-business-analysis-program.
OSU’s Corn College workshop is March 13 – Sam Custer
Producers and agriculture professionals can get an update on the 2019 corn season by experts from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University. The 2019 Corn College is a daylong workshop offered on March 13 that will focus on what farmers need to know to develop a successful corn growing operation, said Sam Custer, an Ohio State University Extension educator who is organizing the program. Find out more about the Ohio Corn College workshop at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2019-04/osu%E2%80%99s-corn-college-workshop-march-13.
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
