Good afternoon,
The big news this past week was the change in the weather. After several weeks with very little moisture, Hardin County finally received rain. Although it varied in amounts depending on location, it was much needed for the crops around the county. Most corn was tasseling or beginning to tassel and soybeans were beginning to produce pods. Vegetative growth slowed not only in corn and soybean, but also in forage crops. See the latest Ohio Crop Weather report for July 27 for more information. Extension rainfall reporters recorded an average of 1.85 inches of rain in Hardin County during June. Last year, the average rainfall for June was 7.08 inches. Rainfall for the month was 3.63 inches less than the ten-year average rainfall in the month of June. Hale Township received 3.45 inches, the most of the township sites. The least rain in June, 0.38 inches was reported in Liberty Township. For the growing season since April 15, the average precipitation in all the townships was 8.12 inches, with a range from 10.15 inches in McDonald Township to 6.90 inches in Jackson Township. More local information about the lack of rain and its effect on crops can be found in the attached Extension Rainfall Report for June.
Hardin County farmers experienced an average wheat harvest this year with good grain quality due to the lack of rain near harvest time. Much straw was baled in area fields and some is still being baled. For more information about wheat harvest, see the article written by Hancock County OSU Extension Educator Ed Lentz that I have included. This article explains how wheat is harvested and what farmers do to prepare for harvest. News coming out of Columbus announced that the Farm Science Review would be a virtual show this year. For the first time in its nearly 60-year history, The Ohio State University’s Farm Science Review, scheduled for September 22 to September 24, will not be held in-person due to the pandemic. Stay tuned for further information about what is being planned as we move forward with this virtual event.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture will be sponsoring collection events for farmers wishing to dispose of unwanted pesticides. This year, the closest collection is happening in Hancock county on August 19 from 9 am – 3 pm at the Hancock County Fairgrounds located at 1017 E. Sandusky Street, Findlay. See the attached news release for more details about what is accepted at this upcoming event in case you have old pesticides that you need to dispose of. I have also included a document put out by OSU College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences titled “What You Need to Know About Animal Processing on the Farm in Ohio.” Animal processing on farm is a practice of harvesting (slaughtering) one’s own food animals to provide for their own families is and even though not common today, there is some on farm slaughter going on and this document might help to answer some important questions you might have.
Ag Pesticide Disposal News Release
What You Need to Know About Food Animal Processing in Ohio
Join us for our monthly Virtual Ag Coffee Hour to discuss county agriculture and issues in Hardin County. Keep up to date and share information about what is happening in local agriculture with our round table discussion. We look forward to you joining the discussion on Friday, August 7 starting at 8:00 am to find out what is happening on the farms in your area. You can join the Zoom meeting online at https://osu.zoom.us/j/97848928801?pwd=b1MvRnU2cTJSdWNwanY0d1lTekQydz09 or by dialing (312) 626-6799 and entering the Meeting ID: 978 4892 8801 and Password: 431218 when asked. If you are interested in reading the latest ag crops articles from the CORN Newsletter, see the ones included below.
Mark
ODA Asks Public to Not Plant any Unsolicited Packages of Seeds – Stephanie Karhoff
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has been notified that several Ohio residents have received unsolicited packages in the mail containing seeds that appear to have originated from China. The types of seeds in the packages are currently unknown and may contain invasive plant species. Similar seed packets have been received recently in several other locations across the United States. Read more at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-24/oda-asks-public-not-plant-any-unsolicited-packages-seeds.
2020 Ohio Wheat Performance Test – Laura Lindsey, Matthew Hankinson
Yield results for the 2020 Ohio Wheat Performance Test are online at: https://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/wheattrials/default.asp?year=2020. The purpose of the Ohio Wheat Performance Test is to evaluate wheat varieties, blends, brands, and breeding lines for yield, grain quality, and other important performance characteristics. This information gives wheat producers comparative information for selecting the varieties best suited for their production system and market. Varieties differ in yield potential, winter hardiness, maturity, standability, disease and insect resistance, and other agronomic characteristics. Selection should be based on performance from multiple test sites and years. Finish reading the article at
https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-24/2020-ohio-wheat-performance-test.
New Crop Staging Videos – Alexander Lindsey, Amanda Douridas
A new suite of crop staging videos have been built by faculty at The Ohio State University that highlight corn, soybean, and alfalfa. The videos highlight some common staging methods for each crop, and connect the staging guidelines to practice using live plants in the field. The videos can be found in the “Crop Growth Stages” playlist on the AgCrops YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbqpb60QXN3UJIBa5is6kHw/playlists. These compliment some of the wheat staging videos previously posted on the AgCrops YouTube channel as well. As the crops progress through the reproductive stages, expect some more videos to be posted! Continue reading this article at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-24/new-crop-staging-videos.
Leafhoppers, Grasshoppers, and Beetles, Oh My! – Kelley Tilmon, Andy Michel
As the summer progresses we are receiving reports of insect problems often encouraged by hot, dry weather. Last week we reported on spider mites and especially if you are in an area of continued dry weather we recommend scouting your soybeans and corn https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-22/watch-spider-mites-dry-areas. Some areas are also reporting increases in young grasshoppers in soybeans, another insect favored by dry weather. Grasshoppers of often start on field edges so early scouting may allow for an edge treatment. Japanese beetles are another common defoliator of soybean that are starting to appear. Both of these pests fall into a general defoliation measurement, and we recommend treatment if defoliation is approaching 20% on the majority of plants in post-flowering beans. Click on https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-23/leafhoppers-grasshoppers-and-beetles-oh-my to read the original article.
Late Summer Establishment of Perennial Forages – Mark Sulc
The month of August provides the second window of opportunity for establishing perennial forage stands this year. The primary risk with late summer forage seedings is having sufficient moisture for seed germination and plant establishment, which is a significant risk this summer given the low soil moisture status across many areas. The decision to plant or not will have to be made for each individual field, considering soil moisture and the rain forecast. Rainfall/soil moisture in the few weeks immediately after seeding is the primary factor affecting successful establishment. Finish reading about late summer establishment of perennial forages at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-23/late-summer-establishment-perennial-forages.
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