Good afternoon,
Good to see that the weather is finally cooperating with spring planting after some field work allowed for early planting in mid-April. According to the attached May 15 Ohio Crop Weather report, 26% of corn was planted and 28% of soybean was planted a week ago. Winter wheat is mostly rated in good condition with this spring’s cooler temperatures and wet weather. As of April 30, Hardin County township rainfall reporters recorded only 1.72 inches of rain from April 15-30, but frequent rains in early May and cool temperatures slowed down evaporation rates. See the April Extension Rainfall Report for more information.
Recent news articles that I have included with this edition of the Hardin County Agriculture and Natural Resources Update include topics such as scouting for Alfalfa Weevil, Soybean Cyst Nematode sampling, and Planting Considerations for Corn and Soybean. If you are a gardener, I have included an article about free Ohio Victory Garden Seeds that are available at the Extension office, and an article and flyer about our OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers Plant Sale that is taking place tomorrow morning at the Friendship Gardens located at 960 W Kohler Street in Kenton from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm.
Soybean Cyst Nematode Sampling News Release
Corn-Soybean Planting Recommendations News Release
Hardin County Plant Sale News Release
Upcoming webinars and events that you may be interested in include a free webinar series beginning next week on Solar Development in Ohio for which I have attached an article and flyer with details about how you can register to listen in on this free program while you are working in the fields or from the comfort of your office. Topics include Solar Development Overview and Trends, Leasing Land for Solar Development, Connecting to the Electric Grid, Solar Project Approval in Ohio, and Construction and Post-Construction. Registration and additional information about the free Zoom webinar series is available at go.osu.edu/solarwebinars. Those unable to attend can view webinar recordings on the Farm Office energy law library at https://farmoffice.osu.edu/our-library/energy-law.
Solar Development Webinars News Release
Solar Development Webinars Flyer
The next Ag Council breakfast meeting will take place Friday morning, June 2 starting at 7:30 am at the Kenton McDonalds restaurant. Join us this coming month for a roundtable discussion on the spring planting season and get updated on agricultural issues and events. I hope the weather cooperates with you from this point forward and wish you a safe spring planting season. As provided in the past, I have included some ag crops articles from the CORN Newsletter that you may be interested in reading.
Mark
If You Planted and Heavy Rainfall Affected Your Fields… – Osler Ortez, Laura Lindsey
According to the USDA-NASS report for the week ending 05/14/23, 26% of Ohio’s corn and 28% of Ohio’s soybean acres were planted. About 8% of corn and soybean was reported emerged. Ohio’s planting (and emergence) progress is coming along for both corn and soybean crops. However, there are still significant acreages to be planted yet, and weather does not always help. Heavy rainfall (1-2 inches of rain) events were reported for some areas of Ohio last week. Heavy rainfall can negatively affect planted and emerged fields, planted and non-emerged fields, and yet-to-be-planted fields. If you are in one of the areas with concerns about heavy rainfall, read about how to manage these issues at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2023-14/if-you-planted-and-heavy-rainfall-affected-your-fields%E2%80%A6
Forage Maturity Across Ohio – Jason Hartschuh, Amanda Douridas, Kendall Lovejoy, Carri Jagger, Beth Scheckelhoff, Ed Lentz, Les Ober
Warm weather this spring especially over the last couple of weeks has rapidly progressed forage maturity. Harvesting forages at the proper time for the livestock you are feeding is critical to farm profitability. Poor quality forages must be supplemented to maintain livestock. In the southern part of the state, many forage grasses are in head while in the northern part of the state, some species are in head but most are still in the vegetative stage but will be in head within a week. Read more at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2023-14/forage-maturity-across-ohio.
Interested in Soil Health? Learn together with OSU Extension – Jason Hartschuh, Elizabeth Hawkins, Amanda Douridas
Improving soil health can provide a variety of benefits including improved water infiltration, increased water holding capacity, and increased nutrient availability. However, it can be challenging to quantify these benefits in the field. With funding from Ohio Soybean Checkoff, the eFields program is continuing an effort to help better understand how management practices influence soil health and ultimately crop yields. OSU Extension has worked to identify a few soil tests that can provide helpful indicators of improved soil health. We are looking for farmers interested in soil health and who want to participate in a statewide field survey collecting soil health data from fields under various management practices, specifically conventional tillage, no-till, manure application, and cover cropping. Find out how to get involved at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2023-14/interested-soil-health-learn-together-osu-extension.
Lep Monitoring Network Update #2 – Black Cutworm & True Armyworm – Amy Raudenbush, Kylie Harbert, Suranga Basnagala , Mark Badertscher, Lee Beers, CCA, Trevor Corboy, Dirk Dempsey, Jamie Hampton, Alan Leininger, Clifton Martin, CCA, Beth Scheckelhoff, Curtis Young, CCA, Kelley Tilmon, Andy Michel
We are currently in our second week of monitoring for black cutworm (BCW) and true armyworm (AMW) moths in Ohio. Both moths are early season pests in Ohio that migrate to the state and lay eggs in fields. Once the eggs hatch, the caterpillars cause damage to the emerging corn plants. Counties with high trap catches should be prepared to scout high risk fields. In addition to BCW and AMW, European corn borer (IA & NY) traps were set last week and numbers will be reported in next week’s newsletter. Go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2023-14/lep-monitoring-network-update-2-%E2%80%93-black-cutworm-true-armyworm to learn more about this effort.
Cressleaf Groundsel Identification – Alyssa Essman
Fields of yellow flowers can be found all over the state. Issues with cressleaf groundsel can bring about questions concerning toxicity to livestock. Previous C.O.R.N. articles have covered management and can be found at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2023-08/cressleaf-groundsel-scouting. Cressleaf groundsel may be confused with members of the mustard family, or other species with yellow flowers that bloom this time of year. Below are some key ID characteristics and pictures that can be helpful in differentiating cressleaf groundsel from other species. To continue with identifying this weed, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2023-13/cressleaf-groundsel-identification.
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
