December 20, 2019

Good morning,

There have been issues with grain moisture and dry down this harvest season as 2019 conditions led to variable grain quality causing many potential storage issues.  Dr. Ken Hellevang, North Dakota State University, will join us for a webinar to share information on managing stored grain including high moisture and damaged grain this afternoon at 3:00 pm if you are available to view on your computer.  If so, go to go.osu.edu/StoredGrain and register before the webinar.  It will send you an email to link to the webinar.  If you have slow internet, feel free to stop by the Extension office to view the program.  There is no cost to participate and a recorded version will be made available for later viewing if you are not available this afternoon.  See the attached brochure for more details.

Grain Storage Webinar Flyer

The Conservation Tillage Club breakfast meetings have been set for January and February at the Plaza Inn Restaurant in Mt. Victory starting on January 7 and continuing every other Tuesday at 7:30 am.  Because of the generous contributions of our local sponsors, we are able to offer these programs in cooperation with the Soil and Water Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation Service of Hardin, Logan, and Union counties.  This year’s topics include January 7 -Grain Marketing Outlook, January 21 –Soybean Diseases, February 4 –Soil Health, and February 18 –Implementing H2Ohio.  No pre-registration is required and CCA credits will be available for those who need them.  See the attached news release and flyer for more information.

Conservation Tillage Club Breakfast News Release

Conservation Tillage Club Flyer

There are other OSU Extension regional programs coming up soon that I have attached flyers to this email.  Precision University will focus on Combating Compaction on January 8 in Springfield.  There is a Small Grains Management Workshop planned for January 9 in Wapakoneta which will focus on winter wheat and barley production.  Dealing with the Activist Threat will be the topic of the January 15 West Central Ohio Dairy Luncheon Series held in New Bremen.  Growing Hemp in Ohio: Separating Fact from Fiction will be held January 24 in Wooster along with an optional program scheduled for January 25.  Several of these programs require pre-registration so make sure you check out the flyers if you are interested.  I have also included some articles from the CORN Newsletter below that you may be interested in reading over the holidays.

Precision U Flyer

Small Grains Management Workshop Flyer

West Central Ohio Dairy Series Luncheon Flyer

Growing Hemp in Ohio Flyer

 

Merry Christmas,

Mark

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Choosing Varieties & Hybrids for 2020 – Check Disease Resistance Ratings – Anne Dorrance, Pierce Paul

The seed suppliers want your early orders and the catalogues are all spread out on the tables.  Now to begin the process of choosing the best variety or hybrid for your fields that can hold up to the all of the challenges facing soybeans and corn in Ohio.  Our recommendation is to first focus on the disease and insect scores.  Every company uses a different scale based on 1 to 10 – but for some companies 1 is best and for others, 10 best – so first read the fine print.  In addition, some companies use a distributive disease rating scale, using words like “excellent disease package,” “good disease package,” or “poor.”  While this scale is unclear as to which specific disease the hybrid is most resistant to, it can still be used as a guide for hybrid/variety selection. For instance, a hybrid listed as having an “excellent disease package” should be less susceptible to the primary diseases than one listed as having a “good disease package.” Next step – what key diseases and insect pests do we need to focus on.  Read more at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2019-41/choosing-varieties-hybrids-2020-check-disease-resistance-ratings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s in my Corn? Insect Management Traits in Corn Hybrids – Kelley Tilmon, Andy Michel

Corn hybrid selection is about more than maturity and agronomic properties.  Many corn hybrids also come with a package of Bt traits for the management of various insects below-ground (for example corn rootworm) and above-ground (for example, corn borer) pests.  These traits can add substantially to the cost of the seed so it’s worth evaluating which ones you really need.  In fields without a consistent history of insect pest pressure Bt traits are an added cost that likely won’t pay for itself.  Sometimes you only need protection against soil pests, sometimes against above-ground pests, and sometimes neither.  But how do you know what Bt traits the various hybrids contain and what insects they are meant to manage?  This can be confusing or hard to figure out.  Continue reading this article at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2019-41/what%E2%80%99s-my-corn-insect-management-traits-corn-hybrids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter Application of Manure – Remember Setbacks – Glen Arnold

Some Ohio livestock producers will be looking to apply manure to farm fields frozen enough to support application equipment.  Permitted farms are not allowed to apply manure in the winter unless it is an extreme emergency, and then movement to other suitable storage is usually the selected alternative. Thus, this article is for non-permitted livestock operations. In the Grand Lake St Marys watershed, the winter manure application ban from December 15th to March 1st is still in effect.  Thus, no manure application would normally be allowed from now until March 1st. In the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) watershed, the surface application of manure to frozen and snow-covered soils require there to be a growing crop in the field.  This could be a pasture, alfalfa, clover, ryegrass or a rape crop.  There must be enough vegetation visible to provide a 90% cover of residue and growing vegetation.  Radishes and oats would not qualify as a growing crop as both are typically winter killed.  Manure can be applied to fields without growing crops if the manure is incorporated at the time of application or incorporated within 24 hours of application. Read more about winter application of manure at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2019-41/winter-application-manure-remember-setbacks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Managing Stored Grain – 2019 Considerations – Elizabeth Hawkins

The Ohio State University Extension will host a webinar featuring Dr. Ken Hellevang, North Dakota State University, to help farmers understand potential concerns with grain storage.  This webinar will cover special areas of concern with high moisture grain and excessive fines. The webinar is scheduled for Friday, December 20, 2019 at 3:00 PM. It is free to participate but registration is required. Please register at go.osu.edu/StoredGrain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Reminder: 2019 Yield Survey – CFAES Ag Crisis Taskforce

Normal planting dates for Ohio range from mid-April to the end of May.  This season was quite different when planting for both corn and soybean crops was delayed until late May and stretched into June and even July across many parts of Ohio.  We found ourselves grasping for any information we could find including 1) how much of an effect late planting dates would have on yield, and 2) what, if anything, we should change in management of these late planted crops.  The historical planting date information we did have was somewhat helpful, but we did not have any data on what could happen when planting is delayed into the second half of June nor July. While it may be tempting to write off this year as a fluke from which there are no real lessons to be learned, there is a growing body of data from climatologists that suggest that this is a beginning of a trend.  What we have is a giant, unplanned and involuntary trial being conducted by Ohio corn and soybean farmers this year.  This experiment can help us understand the ramifications of how planting date and hybrid/variety maturity affected overall yields, as well as pinpoint where further research is needed to fill the gaps in knowledge for future management decisions.  To accomplish these goals, we plan to collect a small amount of data on a large number of fields, which can be used to provide baseline information to share how to manage these crops under similar weather events in the future.  Finish reading about this survey at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2019-41/final-reminder-2019-yield-survey.

 

 

 

Mark A. Badertscher

Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator

OSU Extension Hardin County

1021 W. Lima Street, Suite 103, Kenton, OH 43326

419-767-6037

hardin.osu.edu

December 5, 2019

Good afternoon,

First of all, I want to congratulate the families of Dean and Barbara Dulin, Madelyn Lowery, Fred Rarey, and Mark Watkins for their induction Tuesday evening into the Hardin County Agriculture Hall of Fame.  I wasn’t feeling well that evening but the banquet went on as planned thanks to the work of the committee members who stepped up and took care of things.  I also want to take the time to show my appreciation to the Hardin County agricultural community who attended the banquet to show their support of these deserving individuals.  It is never too early to nominate someone for 2020, so if you have someone in mind, stop by the Extension office for an application or go to hardin.osu.edu for a downloadable and fillable form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight is the Farm Bill Update meeting to find out about the changes in the ARC and PLC program for the next five years.  A Farm Bill Update meeting for farmers has been planned for Thursday, December 5 at Mid-Ohio Energy Cooperative, 1210 W Lima Street, Kenton.  The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm and end at 8:30 pm.  The 2018 Farm Bill allows the choice to enroll in ARC or PLC for 2019-2023.  Enrollment for 2019 is currently open with the deadline set as March 15, 2020.  Join OSU Extension and the Farm Service Agency for an informational meeting to learn about changes to the ARC/PLC, important dates and deadlines, crop insurance – supplemental coverage option, and using decision tools to evaluate program choices to make informed program decisions.  See the attached flyer for more details.  If you are not able to attend tonight’s meeting, there are many other meetings being held in other counties planned that you can attend listed on the attached press release.  If you plan to attend tonight, there is overflow parking if needed at both Ag Credit and the Ag Center.  Please do not park on the grass at Mid-Ohio Energy Cooperative.

Hardin Co Farm Bill Training Flyer

OSU County Farm Bill Meetings Press Release

As harvest draws to a close on this unusual growing season, we look back at what we did to be successful in this difficult year.  OSU Extension tried to be responsive to this Ag Crisis by providing a Cover Crops for Prevented Planting meeting along with the Ohio No-Till Council back in June at ONU in Ada.  Statewide, we had an Ag Crisis website to help answer producers’ questions and we informed farmers of options through our newsletters.  This is a year for all of us to learn from, so if you would please complete the attached 2019 Yield Survey about this crop year, we will be better prepared to help if this type of year happens again.  You can also access the survey at go.osu.edu/yield19 by December 31.  Now is also the time to take a look at cash rents for cropland.  I have attached a copy of the annual OSU Western Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rents fact sheet that may help you with this process.  Be sure to use Table 2 for Northwest Ohio when reviewing Hardin County values as recorded by this survey.

2019 Yield Survey

OSU Western Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rents

Other attached information you might be interested in includes an article I wrote about the Sheep and Agriculture Tour of Argentina.  If you are part of a group and would like me to do a presentation about this trip, be sure to contact me to set up a date.  I have also included a farm stress fact sheet from Michigan State University Extension regarding “Opioids in Rural Farming Communities.”  There are also some articles that I included below from our OSU Extension newsletters that you may like to read.  Other upcoming local events include Ag Council breakfast tomorrow morning (12/6) starting at 7:30 am with information to share on 2020 Corn, Soybean, and Wheat Budgets at the Kenton McDonalds.  There are Jr. Fair Livestock Sale Committee and other Livestock Committee meetings being held Wednesday, December 11 starting at 6:30 pm at the Hardin County Fair office.

International Sheep Tour News Release

Opioids In Rural Farming Communities Fact Sheet

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2019 Ohio Corn Performance Test: Regional Overviews – Rich Minyo, Allen Geyer, David Lohnes, Peter Thomison

In 2019, 163 corn hybrids representing 20 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 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. Find out more information at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2019-40/2019-ohio-corn-performance-test-regional-overviews.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Precision University: Combating Compaction – Amanda Douridas

The fall of 2018 and spring of 2019 created some less than ideal conditions for field work leaving many farmers concerned with field compaction. This concern is justified as compaction can significantly reduce yields. Compaction has been a concern for many years as equipment size grows, increasing axle weight. Researchers have been conducting on-farm trials comparing farming practices to uncover ways farmers can reduce compaction. Comparisons include tires and tracks, equipment size and tillage practices. At the 2020 Precision University, OSU Extension has invited in some of the leading experts from across North America on compaction research and management. Read more about this year’s Precision U at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2019-40/precision-university-combating-compaction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Certified Crop Adviser Pre-Exam Training to be held January 8 & 9 – Harold Watters

The Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) Exam Training program, sponsored and delivered by members of the OSU Agronomic Crops Team, will be offered at the Shelby County Ag Building, 810-820 Fair Rd, Sidney, Ohio 45365 on January 8th and 9th beginning at 9:00 a.m. on the 8th and adjourn by 5:00 p.m. on the 9th. This is an intensive two-day workshop somewhat directed toward the local exam – to be used as a reminder on what best to study in preparation for the CCA exams. The price for the exam preparation class is $250.  More details about the CCA exam training can be found at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2019-40/certified-crop-adviser-pre-exam-training-be-held-january-8-9.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Field Drying and Harvest Losses in Corn – Peter Thomison

According to the USDA/NASS (https://www.nass.usda.gov/) as of Sunday, Oct. 27th, 37 percent of Ohio’s corn was harvested for grain, compared to 62 percent for last year and 56 percent for the five-year average. Late corn plantings and sporadic rain in some areas are not helping with field drying. Some growers are delaying harvest until grain moisture drops further. However, these delays increase the likelihood that stalk rots present in many fields will lead to stalk lodging problems. Leaving corn to dry in the field exposes a crop to unfavorable weather conditions, as well as wildlife damage. A crop with weak plant integrity is more vulnerable to yield losses from stalk lodging and ear drop when weathering conditions occur. Additional losses may occur when ear rots reduce grain quality and can lead to significant dockage when the grain is marketed. Some ear rots produce mycotoxins, which may cause major health problems if fed to livestock.  Find out more about this topic at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2019-37/field-drying-and-harvest-losses-corn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2019 Ohio Soybean Performance Trial- All Yield Results Available – Laura Lindsey, Wayde Looker

All yield results of the 2019 Ohio Soybean Performance Trials are available online here: https://stepupsoy.osu.edu/news/2019-ohio-soybean-performance-trial-all-yield-results-available. The report will be updated with seed size, protein, and oil results in the upcoming weeks.

 

 

 

Mark A. Badertscher

Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator

OSU Extension Hardin County

1021 W. Lima Street, Suite 103, Kenton, OH 43326

419-767-6037

hardin.osu.edu