January 12, 2022

Good afternoon,

I hope that you had a good holiday season and are ready for the winter meeting season. There are a host of meetings and classes being offered by OSU Extension for you to take advantage. I have decided to try provide links to information in this edition of the Hardin County Agriculture and Natural Resources Update as opposed to using all attachments so I hope you enjoy this format to start the year. Tomorrow morning starts the Conservation Tillage Club breakfast series at the Plaza Inn Restaurant in Mt. Victory. Meetings are planned for January 13 on Soybean Diseases & SCN, January 27 on Water Quality, February 10 on Grain Marketing Outlook, and February 24 on Soil Health. Horacio Lopez-Nicora, Ohio State University Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology and OSU Extension Soybean Disease Specialist will kick-off the series tomorrow morning starting at 7:30 am with breakfast followed by a discussion on SCN and SDS. He will also provide an opportunity for farmers to have two fields tested for Soybean Cyst Nematodes at no cost. See the Conservation Tillage Club news release and flyer by clicking on the links below.

We are providing an opportunity for individuals to prepare for the Ohio Private Pesticide Applicator Class with our New Pesticide Applicator Class being held on January 26 at the OSU Extension office in Kenton. I have provided links to the news release and flyer below for you to read about this opportunity. This class will include books and help prepare individuals to take the test for Core and Category 1 (Grains and Cereal Crops). See the links below for more information. You can read the read the news release and flyer if you are interested. Our office will also be providing a Master Gardener Volunteer Training Course starting up January 25 here at the OSU Extension office in Kenton. It will be a new format, combining 6 evening classes with a self-paced online course. People who complete this horticulture series will be able to serve the county as a Master Gardener Volunteer upon successful completion. Check out the news release and flyer below for more information and how you can register.

The Hardin County Agriculture Hall of Fame recognized its 2020-21 class in December. See the linked news releases to read about the accomplishments of these individuals below. This past month, Ron Cronley, John Knedler, Ira Marshall, Jerry McBride, and Dave Russell were inducted. Nationally recognized farm broadcaster Joe Cornely was the guest speaker at this banquet.  You can read about the Ohio No-Till Conference that was held in December at Der Dutchman Restaurant in the link below with local farmer Jan Layman presiding. In October, I led a Statewide Sheep Tour to Indiana which visited three sheep farms along with Hunter Nutrition that you can read about in the links below. The Farm Science Review was held during the month of September, which featured a lot of new equipment and technology as you can read about below. Earlier in September, I did the Hardin County Weed Survey, checking 95 soybean fields. The good news that you can read about below is that waterhemp control improved this year, with the problem weed being found in 23% of the fields checked. The good news is that 38% of the fields checked were considered to be weed-free.

Other articles that I submitted to local news media can be accessed below at the link provided. These articles include information about Nitrogen Recommendations, Tillage Disease Management, Tar Spot, and Fall Armyworms. You can read about the August 2021, September 2021, and Season Rainfall 2021 Summaries. There are articles about the Hardin County Carcass Show of Champions, along with articles about programs held this fall in the Friendship Gardens of Hardin County by the OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers dealing with garlic and pumpkins. I’ve also included some articles from the CORN Newsletter if you are interested in reading about more ag crops topics.

Mark

I’m using Adobe Acrobat.
You can view “August 2021 Rainfall Summary.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:33de389d-12be-48a1-af68-906f46ac2a4c
You can view “September 2021 Rainfall Summary.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:66b0557c-6a96-46a7-84b3-7a7cce80b552
You can view “Season Rainfall 2021 Summary.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:4ae65f2d-736f-46d8-a87d-4c96fb035c63
You can view “Nitrogen Recommendations News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:d883ecc2-d9f6-4706-b782-7265cd026e48
You can view “Tillage Disease Management News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:c28c708c-05a3-46d0-8887-c7a055408f8d
You can view “Ohio No-Till Conference News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:790cd15d-076a-4285-a730-7f8b9188dae8
You can view “2021 Ag Hall of Fame News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:cd924868-0d6c-41a0-99d0-a7cfe990ef07
You can view “County Weed Survey News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:ad649dae-9920-44b2-8c04-d3be4c10b563
You can view “Indiana Sheep Tour News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:3027ad7b-7129-4f72-9636-2ee65c5bb256
You can view “Pumpkin MGV News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:8ec84bbd-39ad-44ff-91cb-3d726ad0d147
You can view “Carcass Show Results News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:b90ef680-48cd-44ac-962d-18e32db4d3fe
You can view “Ag Hall of Fame Nominations News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:3e069c35-e80d-436a-b657-b3dfcc98cfa5
You can view “FSR News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:bc67fe85-1ce2-4e0b-b2f0-608469a6549d
You can view “Incredible Garlic News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:1dd08cf5-04ec-4abb-81fc-a244d0188dd1
You can view “Carcass Show News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:aa68c7d6-890e-43a4-8cbf-a9a6cacefc6f
You can view “Fall Armyworm News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:95616554-7283-4278-a5eb-2b6bbb7f083f
You can view “Tar Spot News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:4490e667-0be1-4400-ac0b-9d56ee071412
You can view “Tillage Club Breakfast News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:1d2c48a2-e4ab-4786-b901-e79544f01c8e
You can view “Tillage Club Flyer.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:4b9c7c48-389e-43a9-aacc-3ed173158e71
You can view “New Master Gardener Volunteer Course News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:b4ab8b75-86e0-4c10-bd57-0dbc046d79e5
You can view “MGV Class Flyer.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:496ce654-b0a6-4f1b-825e-ee7f2e43a159
You can view “New Pesticide Applicator Class News Release.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:c7dcbcca-b9a7-4ec3-9cef-c49fc5997441
You can view “New Pesticide Applicator Flyer.pdf” at: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:63bb0a0b-e552-479e-a606-181b57a4bfa6

2022 Ohio Weed University – John Barker, Mark Loux, Tony Nye

Are you concerned about the effectiveness of your herbicide program?  Want to sharpen your weed id skills?  Not sure which nozzles provide the best control options?  Is herbicide resistance REALLY that big of a problem?  These topics and many more will be discussed at the 2022 Ohio Weed University. Are you concerned about palmer amaranth?  Did you know that palmer amaranth, waterhemp and other invasive weeds can now be found in most Ohio Counties?  One female palmer amaranth plant can produce 1 million seeds.  I have it … now how do I control it?  How did I get it, how is it spread?  These issues will be discussed at the 2022 Ohio Weed University. Read more at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2022-01/2022-ohio-weed-university

 

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. This is due to the wet weather in later October, November, and December that also stretched out the crop harvest season. Permitted farms are not allowed to apply manure in the winter unless it is an extreme emergency, and then movement of manure to other suitable storage is usually the selected alternative. Thus, this article is for non-permitted livestock operations. Continue reading this article at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2021-41/winter-application-manure-remember-setbacks

 

2021 Ohio Corn Performance Test: Regional Overviews – Rich Minyo, Allen Geyer, David Lohnes, Matt Lowe

In 2021, 121 corn hybrids representing 16 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. Find out more information at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2021-40/2021-ohio-corn-performance-test-regional-overviews

 

2021 Ohio Soybean Performance Trial – Final Report Now Available! – Laura Lindsey, Allen Geyer

The purpose of the Ohio Soybean Performance Trials is to evaluate soybean varieties for yield and other agronomic characteristics. This evaluation gives soybean producers comparative information for selecting the best varieties for their unique production systems. A pdf copy of the trial can be downloaded here: https://stepupsoy.osu.edu/sites/hcs-soy/files/2021_OSPT_final.pdf The data will also be available soon for download on the Ohio Crop Performance Trials website- https://u.osu.edu/perf/ The 2021 trial included 19 brands of soybean tested in six Ohio counties (Henry, Sandusky, Mercer, Union, Preble, and Clinton). Entries included non-GMO (conventional), Xtend, Enlist, XtendFlex, sulfonylurea-tolerant, and Liberty Link/glyphosate tolerant (LLGT27). Soybean yield varied across the state. In Henry County, soybean yielded ranged from 26.0 to 52.0 bu/acre due to wet weather in the spring and fall; while in Clinton County, soybean yield ranged from 63.7 to 88.2 bu/acre with good growing conditions.

 

Alternative Spring Burndown/Postemergence Strategies when Herbicides are in Short Supply – Mark Loux

There is a lot of speculation about herbicide shortages for the 2022 growing season, and some products are apparently getting more expensive and/or scarce now.  This will affect herbicide buying and weed management decisions for the 2022 season.  The two main active ingredients that we’re hearing about right now are glyphosate (Roundup, others) and glufosinate (Liberty, others), for which prices have increased substantially.  There will likely be limited supplies of other pesticide active ingredients as well, but in the short term, a shortage of these two active ingredients poses some major challenges for corn and soybean production. The purpose of this article is to discuss ways to minimize the impact of herbicide shortages, primarily glyphosate, on corn and soybean production. As you search for alternatives to these two herbicides and others, the weed control guides and technical guides produced by University Extension and industry are an important tool for planning weed management programs and herbicide purchases. Finish reading this article at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2021-40/alternative-spring-burndownpostemergence-strategies-when

 

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

 

 

New Pesticide Applicator Class

Hardin County – A class to help farmers prepare to become private pesticide applicators has been planned for January 26 at the Hardin County Extension office, 1021 West Lima Street, Kenton. In Ohio, pesticide applicators are required by law to have an Ohio Pesticide Applicators License in order to purchase and apply restricted-use chemicals. These pesticides include but are not limited to herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. This class will begin at 12:30 pm and end at 4:30 pm. There is a $30 registration fee which covers books for those enrolled.

The class will emphasize the two main categories that most Hardin County pesticide applicators need, which are Core (applying pesticides properly and safely), as well as Grain and Cereal Crops. Resources will be shared for other categories that are available for certification, which include Forage Crops & Livestock, Fruit & Vegetable Crops, Nursery & Forest Crops, Greenhouse Crops, Fumigation, and Specialty Uses. Once a trainee has properly prepared for their pesticide license, they can schedule to take a test at an Ohio Department of Agriculture testing site. Ohio Pesticide Licenses are good for three years, and then the applicator must recertify by attending a three-hour recertification meeting before license expiration or re-test.

There are several reasons why someone may wish to become a private pesticide applicator. These reasons may include that they plan to take over the pesticide certification for their farm due to retirement or a change in responsibilities, they plan to use restricted-use chemicals in addition to general-use chemicals to have more options to control problem weeds or pests, or they are new to spraying pesticides on the farm. The course is not designed for commercial pesticide applicators, as they must get training directly from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Instructors for the class include Extension Educators Dennis Riethman, Mercer County; Matt Schmerge, Shelby County; and Mark Badertscher, Hardin County. Those planning to participate in the class need to call the Extension office at 419-674-2297 by January 19 to register.

Master Gardener Volunteer Training Offered

Hardin County – The Hardin County OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers will host a Master Gardener Volunteer training course for new Master Gardener Volunteers this winter. The Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program provides intensive training in horticulture to interested Ohio residents who then volunteer their time assisting with educational programs and activities for Ohio residents through their local Ohio State University Extension county office. Volunteers are not required to have gardening skills or knowledge; but a passion for learning about gardening and sharing this knowledge with others is a must!

Training will be a combination of a self-paced online course combined with in-person classes held at the Hardin County Extension office beginning with orientation on Tuesday, January 25 from 6:00-9:00 pm. Other scheduled in-person classes are February 1 and 15, March 1, 15, and 29 from 6:00-9:00 pm. Additionally, new interns will gain hands-on training working alongside current Master Gardeners at the Friendship Gardens in Kenton. Spring garden seminars will be an option for meeting training requirements. The training course is open to interested volunteers from any county with the volunteer commitment to be completed in the volunteer’s home county program.

Specialists from the Ohio State University Extension and experienced Master Gardener Volunteers will be teaching sessions along with some local experts. Some topics include botany, soils, entomology, plant pathology, plant propagation, herbaceous and woody ornamentals, lawns, vegetables, herbs, fruit, pollinators, integrated pest management, pesticide safety, backyard wildlife, houseplants, and therapeutic horticulture.

The cost of the training is $150.00 and includes the training manual and materials for the class. There is also a requirement for a background check at the volunteer’s expense. The program requires 50 hours of classroom training and a commitment of 50 hours volunteer time to become a certified Master Gardener Volunteer. Registration deadline is January 18.  More information is available at https://mgvolunteers.osu.edu or by calling Mark Badertscher at 419-767-6037 at Hardin County OSU Extension. For more information about the Hardin County OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, visit their Facebook page.