Month: February 2024

Conservation Tillage & Technology Conference March 12-13 in Ada

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Hardin County – The Conservation Tillage & Technology Conference (CTC) will be held in- person March 12-13 at Ohio Northern University in Ada. The first day of this year’s conference will feature Alex Harrell, Soybean Yield Champion from southwest Georgia with a yield of 206 bushels per acre. His presentation has been made possible by sponsor Brandt Professional Agriculture.

Shawn Conley, Extension Soybean Specialist, University of Wisconsin, will return and be paired with Alex Harrell and Laura Lindsey, OSU Extension, during the Agronomic Crop Management session after lunch, Tuesday. Shawn Conley is always one of the conference’s most popular speakers.

Paul Jasa, Extension Agricultural Engineer, University of Nebraska, will return to CTC as another one of the main speakers, sponsored by Calmer Corn Heads, he will speak four times. Pioneer is sponsoring Dr. Nicolas Martin, University of Illinois, speaking on “Do Management Zones Increase Yields?”

With about 60 speakers total, CTC gives plenty of opportunities to gain valuable information. Among the speakers are Barry Fisher, a soil health expert; Dan Quinn, Purdue University; Kevin Erb, University of Wisconsin; Bill Lehmkuhl, Precision Agri Services; Jane Fife, 3 Bar Biologics; Laura Johnson, Heidelberg University; Shawn Lucas, Kentucky State University; Terry Hofecker, Soil 1; and about 25 OSU Extension Educators and campus faculty.

Connect with other farmers and CCAs, experience new ideas, and increase your net income. Historically over 800 individuals will attend each day of this two-day conference, making it the largest agricultural meeting in northwestern Ohio. Plenty of CCA and CLM credits will be available. Take advantage of the opportunity to discuss one-on-one with speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and other participants. Bring a friend and/or family members.

The meeting and program have been developed by The Ohio State University Extension Specialists along with Agriculture and Natural Resources Educators in local counties with assistance from local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Ohio Department of Agriculture, and United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Farmers, consultants, industry representatives, and government officials will meet each day to listen to university specialists, industry representatives, and producers discuss new products and ideas for agriculture. Master Farmer Awards and the Ohio CCA of the Year will be announced.

Tuesday sessions will include No-till, Cover Crops, and Soil Health; Nutrient Management; Agronomic Crop Management; and Precision Ag & Technology. Wednesday sessions will include No-till, Cover Crops and Soil Health; Agronomic Crop Management; Water Quality; Climate, Carbon, and Soil Health.

Registration is $100 (https://www.allenswcd.com/cttc/) and is a flat rate of $100 if postmarked before March 1, 2024 and then $150. (On-site registration will be $150.) Registration will include access to all recorded presentations from about April 15 to July 1, including CCA and CLM credits. QR codes will be active for those weeks. (Crop Consultants must register individually to receive CCA credits.) For more information about the conference, go to https://ctc.osu.edu.

Pork Banquet

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Hardin County – The Hardin County Pork Producers will hold their annual Pork Banquet on Saturday, March 16 at the Upper Scioto Valley School auditorium in McGuffey, starting at 6:30 pm. The evening will include naming of the Hardin County Pork Industry Queen and Pork Producers Scholarship Recipients, as well as pork dishes and door prizes. Adult and non-exhibitor ticket prices are $8, fair workers from the Pork Producers Pavilion are $4, and free for 2023 Hardin County Junior Fair Swine Exhibitors.

All Hardin County Junior Fair Swine Exhibitors attending the banquet will receive a hoodie from the Hardin County Pork Producers. When calling in reservations, you must give shirt sizes for the swine exhibitors by March 1st to receive your hoodie.

The banquet is open to all interested people, but advance tickets are required. Tickets can be purchased through March 8 from the following county Pork Producers Directors: Tyler Skidmore, Steve & Kelly Searson, Doug & Christine Heilman, Tim Holbrook, Mark Watkins, Matt Holbrook, LeVern & Nancy Weaver, Nathan Weaver, Rusty Bingham, Wes VanScoy, Ranae Sherman, Alyson Purcell, Jody Dye, and Dillon Rall. Tickets can also be reserved from the Extension office by calling 419-674-2297.

The Hardin County Pork Producers are offering up to six $750 scholarships to qualified students. Scholarships will be awarded to high school or college students from the six county schools. Applicants must be a son/daughter of a Hardin County Pork Producer or have been a 4-H or FFA member who has/had swine projects at the Hardin County Fair. Questions about the scholarships can be addressed to Steve Searson at 937-407-0785.

The Pork Producers are also looking for 2024 Pork Industry Queen Contestants. Eligible candidates for the title of Hardin County Pork Industry Queen must be age 15 through 19 as of January 1, 2024. To be eligible for the State Pork Industry Queen contest, the entrant must be 17 prior to January 1 of the year they will be competing. Anyone qualified and interested can become Hardin County Pork Industry Queen, but only those who reside on a farm on which hogs are raised and is the daughter of parents now actively engaged in the production of pork will be eligible for the State Pork Industry District III Queen Contest in 2024. Selection will be held before a panel of judges at the Pork Banquet on Saturday, March 16. Questions about the Pork Industry Queen can be addressed to Nancy Weaver at 567-674-0559 or Alyson Purcell at 567-674-4512.

Applications and rules for both the Hardin County Pork Producers Scholarships and Hardin County Pork Industry Queen can be found at hardin.osu.edu and must be received online by March 1, 2024.

Pesticide & Fertilizer Recertification Training

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Hardin County – Some farmers have received a notice that informs them that their current pesticide and/or fertilizer applicator licenses will expire at the end of March 2024 and that they must complete their continuing education hours to renew before this date. Thirty dollars is sent to the Ohio Department of Agriculture in Reynoldsburg to renew the license and $35 to OSU Extension for the pesticide continuing education requirement. If fertilizer recertification is needed, the cost to OSU Extension is $10 for the fertilizer continuing education requirement.

Farmers must have a private applicator license to apply restricted use pesticides on their farm or for an employer’s crops. A commercial license is required for individuals who apply products on fields other than their own or as a business. The Environmental Protection Agency determines whether a product is designated restricted or general use. Restricted use products may be organic or traditional pesticides.

To obtain a private pesticide applicator license, farmers must pass a series of exams that test their competency in pesticide safety and application knowledge. They also must be certified in one or more of seven categories in addition to Core knowledge. These categories include Grain and Cereal Crops, Forage Crops and Livestock, Fruit and Vegetable Crops, Nursery and Forest Crops, Greenhouse Crops, Fumigation, and Specialty Uses.

Farmers must have a private fertilizer applicator license if they apply fertilizer on 50 or more acres of crops grown for sale. This does not include crops that are used on the farm for their livestock or fertilizer used through the planter. It does include fertilizer applied in the fall, pre-plant, or side dressing. If fertilizer is applied by a commercial applicator, the farmer does not need to have fertilizer certification. Like pesticide applications, there must be record keeping of fertilizer applied to the farmer’s crops that can be requested by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. If an applicator does not have a fertilizer license and needs one, they can attend a three-hour training to become certified or study the fertilizer manual and take a test on their own.

A license must be renewed every three years. A farmer can meet this requirement by completing three hours of approved pesticide continuing education anytime during the three year period and one hour of fertilizer continuing education during the same three year period. Recertification training emphasizes effective management strategies that enhance crop productivity, encourage responsible use of products, and promote safe practices for applicators, the public, and the environment. OSU Extension offices are currently offering recertification programs to fulfill the three hours of the pesticide continuing education requirement and additional one hour of the fertilizer continuing education requirement for license renewal. An applicator may also choose to retest every three years to renew a private pesticide or fertilizer license in place of recertification training.

Hardin County Pesticide and Fertilizer Recertification programs will be offered Monday, March 4 at the Plaza Inn Restaurant in Mt. Victory. The pesticide recertification session will begin at 9:00 am and end at 12:00 pm. This session is for private applicators and will consist of Core, Grain and Cereal Crops, Forage Crops and Livestock, and Fumigation. A lunch option will be made available at the Plaza Inn Restaurant for additional cost. The fertilizer recertification will start at 1:00 pm and end at 2:00 pm. Farmers need to call the Extension office at 419-674-2297, or stop by at 1021 W. Lima Street, Suite 103 in Kenton to pre-register. An option to pre-register online is available at https://go.osu.edu/HardinPAT-FACT. Further information regarding make-up or specialty recertification in other areas can be obtained by contacting the Extension office by March 24.

Both pesticide and fertilizer recertification for make-up and/or specialty categories will be offered on March 27, from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm at the Extension office in Kenton. Pre-registration is required by calling the Hardin County Extension office or registering online. Be sure to include pesticide categories needed and whether fertilizer recertification is needed. On March 27, pesticide recertification will begin at 9:00 am for three hours, followed by an hour of fertilizer recertification at 1:00 pm. Seating is limited to 25 people at the Extension office.

Training dates for commercial pesticide applicators can be found at http://pested.osu.edu/commercialapplicator. Training dates for Private Pesticide Applicators for other counties in Ohio may be found at http://pested.osu.edu/privateapplicator. The commercial and private applicator licenses are a way that commercial pesticide applicators and farmers show good stewardship in caring for our land and producing our food in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner.

Drone Use in Agriculture Breakfast

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Hardin County – The 2024 Conservation Tillage Club breakfast program series will conclude Thursday, February 22 at the Plaza Inn Restaurant in Mt. Victory. The session will start at 7:30 am with a complimentary buffet breakfast followed by a drone use in agriculture program at 8:00 am.

The February 22 event will feature a program on Drone Use in Agriculture by Henry County OSU Extension Educator Alan Leininger. Drones are becoming more common in agriculture than just for scouting crops for insects, weeds, and disease. More recently, they are increasingly being used for seeding cover crops and pesticide applications in fields throughout Ohio. What types of drones are available and what are the legal and licensing requirements to use these new tools on the farm will be questions answered by Leininger.

The Conservation Tillage Club breakfast program series is jointly sponsored by OSU Extension and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Hardin, Logan, and Union Counties, and in cooperation with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Breakfast is courtesy of the generous support from agricultural lenders and agricultural businesses. All events are open to the public and no advance registration is required. Continuing education credits for Certified Crop Advisers are available.

Lamb Banquet

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Hardin County – 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. Tickets for the banquet can be reserved from the Extension office by calling 419-674-2297 and paid for at the door the night of the banquet. Adult tickets are $20, Children (4-8 years old) $10, and 2023 Hardin County Junior Fair Sheep Exhibitors are free with a reservation given to the Extension office by February 23.

Banquet guests are asked to arrive early to participate in the silent auction, bidding for various items that were donated to provide funds for the scholarship program. A dinner will be prepared with various cuts of lamb for the banquet guests to enjoy. A presentation on the 2023 New Zealand Sheep and Agriculture Tour will be made by Hardin County OSU Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator Mark Badertscher.

The Hardin County Sheep Improvement Association is looking for 2024 Lamb & Wool Ambassador contestants and scholarship applicants. An ambassador applicant and his or her parent/guardian must be residents of Hardin County or a Hardin County School District prior to entering the contest; and live on a farm where sheep are produced or have a sheep project in the Hardin County Junior Fair to be eligible. Applicants must be 15 to 20 years of age as of January 1, 2024. Contestants must complete an entry form and prepare a three to five-minute talk on the “Role of Youth in the Sheep Industry,” “What does being a Lamb/Wool advocate mean to you?” or “What are the positive things that you know about the Lamb/Wool industry?”

The Hardin County Sheep Improvement Association is also offering two five-hundred-dollar scholarships to students entering/attending college for the 2024-2025 school year. An applicant and his or her parent/guardian must be residents of Hardin County or a Hardin County School District prior to entering college; and must have had a sheep project and shown at the Hardin County Fair. The applicant must be maintaining a 2.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.

The application and rules for the Hardin County Lamb & Wool Ambassador and the scholarship application and rules can be found at hardin.osu.edu. Applications must be received online by February 24. For more information about the Lamb & Wool Ambassador program, contact either Melissa Gossard at 419-235-3412 or Kristen Ferguson at 567-204-9199. Questions about the Sheep Improvement Association scholarship should be directed to Bruce Oberlitner at 419-675-6272.

Spring Garden Seminar

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Hardin County – This winter’s mild weather and lack of snow might have several people thinking if it will soon be time to work in the garden. If your thoughts have been wondering about this and you have been looking through garden catalogs, you are not alone. Spring is around the corner and so is the OSU Extension spring garden seminar. “Designing Your Garden” is the planned program being offered by the Hardin County OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers this year. Get your seat reserved while you can. Plenty of topics are on the agenda for this event which will get your thoughts turned to gardening and away from the cold weather that has reminded us on occasion that it is still winter.

This year’s spring garden seminar will feature four expert speakers. ‘Grow and Use Herbs to Enhance Your Life’ will be the topic of speaker Ann E. Boyd. Culinary? Medicinal? Pollinators? Patio containers, raised beds, or full-scale historical gardens, there are many ways to bring herbs into your life. Recipes and reasons, growing tips and tricks, Ann will share useful information to help you fall in love with some of the oldest and most useful plants on the planet. She is the sole proprietor of My Own Backyard Herbs & Flowers – a private garden, studio, and greenhouse in Findlay, Ohio started in 1988. Studying herbs since the age of 19, she welcomes the opportunity to share her experience.

Presenter Joe Alger’s passion is ‘Inclusive Gardening’. Seminar participants will be able to take a look at how he has created gardens to get children with special needs as well as typical children interested in gardening at school and in the community; a hobby that can become a lifetime interest. Joe earned his master’s degree in education from Bowling Green State University. He has been an avid gardener for many years and has taught children with special needs in several counties.

‘Small Space Gardening’ is something that John King is known for in the gardening community. John’s talk will be about vegetable gardening in small spaces, focusing on growbags and the Square Foot gardening method. He will include a discussion on the soil medium, benefits, and downfalls of the different types of containers used to grow vegetables and the ones that he has found to be the best producers in a small space. John King has been vegetable gardening for over 30 years in several states. He is currently the president of the Hancock County Master Gardener Volunteers.

Merry Tapp’s area of expertise includes ‘Seed Saving’, which will be the final topic of the day. She will present tips and tricks for gathering, cleaning, and saving seeds of perennials, annuals, vegetables, and woodies so you can utilize them in the seasons to come. Merry Tapp has been a Master Gardener Volunteer in Morrow County. She teaches many MGV classes for the program and for the public. She has a degree in Horticulture from The Ohio State University.

This year’s event “Designing Your Garden” will be held March 7 at the Mid-Ohio Energy Cooperative Community Room, 1210 W Lima Street in Kenton. The seminar is open to the public, no matter how much gardening experience you have. The cost is $50, which includes a continental breakfast, box lunch, handouts, and door prizes. A reduced fee of $40 is offered for both interns and active OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers.

Doors will open on the day of the event at 8:30 am, the program starts at 9:00 am and ends at 3:30 pm. Parking will be across the road behind Hardin Hills Health Center. Shuttles will take you to the Mid-Ohio Energy Cooperative building as there are limited parking spaces for persons with mobility issues and speakers at the location. The registration deadline is February 29 with a limited class size. For more information about this event, call Kim Thomas 419-674-8012.

February 2, 2024

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Good afternoon,

We’ve had a good start to the winter meeting season with Ag Council breakfasts and the January Conservation Tillage Club breakfasts. There are two more Conservation Tillage Club breakfast programs coming up in February and I have attached the flyer for these meetings which will be held at the Plaza Inn Restaurant in Mt. Victory. February 8 we will welcome Aaron Wilson to Hardin County to present on Climate Smart and Farming with Weather Extremes. February 22 we will welcome Alan Leininger to speak on Drone Use in Agriculture. The events start at 7:30 am with breakfast provided by our sponsors followed by the guest speaker.

Conservation Tillage Club Flyer

There will be a New Agricultural Fertilizer Applicator Certification training on February 13 at the Extension office for those who wish to get certified for the first time or let their certification lapse. Since this is a three-hour class, a test is not required for this fertilizer certification but required in Ohio for those who produce 50 or more acres of crops for sale. Beef and dairy cattle producers may be interested to know that there will be a Beef Quality Assurance certification training at the Extension office on February 19. Check out the attached news releases and flyers for more details.

Fertilizer Certification News Release

Fertilizer Certification Flyer

Beef Quality Assurance Training News Release

Beef Quality Assurance Training Flyer

Other OSU Extension information that you may be interested in reviewing includes the Corn Performance Trials for 2023 that I have attached. If you are interested in finding out the organic carbon content of your fields, a special USDA grant has provided an opportunity for a company to test a new prototype probe to measure this soil health indicator. The researchers will also take traditional core samples to compare against this prototype, provide results, and field maps of their study. Read the attached information “Testing the Subterra Green prototype” and let me know if you are interested in participating in this project. If so, I will let the company know so that they can arrange a time to come to your farm this spring to do these tests free of charge.

Corn Performance Trials 2023

Testing the Subterra Green Prototype

Other information I have provided with this edition of the Hardin County Agriculture and Natural Resources Update include a flyer about the Certified Livestock Managers (CLM) webinar series on Manure Safety and Emergency Responses;  Water Quality Wednesdays webinar series for 2024; and an online Backyard Poultry Certification Course. In addition, there are a few articles below that you may find interesting from the CORN Newsletter. Enjoy the nice weather and I hope to see you soon.

Certified Livestock Managers Flyer

Water Quality Wednesdays Series Flyer

Backyard Poultry Certification Course Flyer

 

Mark

 

Ohio Corn Performance Test (OCPT) 2023 Results – Rich Minyo, Osler Ortez

The Ohio Corn Performance Test (OCPT) was started in Ohio in 1972. To date, it has a history of 50+ years. The purpose of OCPT is to evaluate corn hybrids for grain yield and other important agronomic characteristics. Results of the test assist farmers in selecting hybrids best suited to their farming operations and production environments and complement recommendations made by seed companies and breeding programs. Read more at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2024-03/ohio-corn-performance-test-ocpt-2023-results.

 

2024 Ohio Weeds University Regional Locations Set – Sarah Noggle, Ken Ford

OSU Extension invites crop producers, CCAs, and agribusinesses to attend a regional 2024 Ohio State Weeds University on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at locations across the state. Locations will include Auglaize County, Clermont County, Crawford County, Fayette County, Jackson County, Madison County, Paulding County, and Wayne County. Find out more at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2024-03/2024-ohio-weeds-university-regional-locations-set.

 

Crop Response to Phosphorus Fertilizer in Ohio – Manbir Rakkar, Greg LaBarge

Phosphorus (P) is an essential plant nutrient and P fertilizers are added to supplement the soil’s available P. There are economic and environmental benefits to making informed decisions about P fertilizer use. The under-application of P fertilizer can result in reduced yields, while over-application adds to input costs, with economic losses resulting from both scenarios. From an environmental perspective, excessive P going into streams and lakes can result in toxic algal blooms. Learn more at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2024-03/crop-response-phosphorus-fertilizer-ohio.

 

Battle for the Belt Winter Meetings – Virtual on February 2 & In-Person in March! – Osler Ortez, Laura Lindsey, Taylor Dill, Amanda Douridas, Dean Kreager, Ken Ford, Mike Estadt, Mark Badertscher

Register (https://go.osu.edu/cornsoy) today for our Virtual Corn College & Soybean School held on Friday, February 2, which will include a ‘Battle for the Belt’ discussion in the morning and an afternoon session with Dr. Aaron Wilson (weather outlook), Dr. Manbir Rakkar (soil fertility updates), and Alyssa Essman (weed control update). Registration is only $10 and will include CCA CEUs! Check out the article to find out about how you can attend one of these in-person meetings in Kenton at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2024-03/battle-belt-winter-meetings-virtual-february-2-person-march.

 

2024 Northwest Ohio Agronomy Crops Day February 7 – Alan Leininger

Henry County will be hosting the 2024 Northwest Ohio Agronomy Crops Day on February 7th, 2024. This year’s featured speakers are Bruce Clevenger Field Specialist, Farm Management Ohio State University Extension presenting on the topic of Economics of Farm Drainage and Dr. Vinayak Shedekar, Assistant Professor Department of Food, Agriculture, & Biological Engineering Ohio State University. He will be presenting the topic of Drainage Water Recycling. Click on the link for more information: https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2024-03/2024-northwest-ohio-agronomy-crops-day-february-7.

 

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

Ag Weather and Climate Breakfast

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Hardin County – The 2024 Conservation Tillage Club breakfast program series will continue Thursday, February 8 at the Plaza Inn Restaurant in Mt. Victory. The session will start at 7:30 am with a complimentary buffet breakfast followed by an agriculture weather and climate program at 8:00 am. The final session will be held on February 22.

The February 8 program will feature Aaron Wilson, OSU Assistant Professor and Agricultural Weather and Climate Field Specialist. His presentation will focus on being climate smart and farming with weather extremes. Topics of discussion include recent weather patterns and how they have affected crop production practices in Ohio. He will discuss ways farmers are managing shorter field working windows and things they can do to help lessen the impact of weather and take advantage of extended growing seasons. Areas of interest include what impacts might increasing temperatures and intense precipitation events have on water, manure, and pest management in Ohio.

The February 22 event will feature a program on Drone Use in Agriculture by Henry County OSU Extension Educator Alan Leininger. Drones are becoming more common in agriculture than just for scouting crops for insects, weeds, and disease. More recently, they are increasingly being used for seeding cover crops and pesticide applications in fields throughout Ohio. What types of drones are available and what are the legal and licensing requirements to use these new tools on the farm?

The Conservation Tillage Club breakfast program series is jointly sponsored by OSU Extension and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Hardin, Logan, and Union Counties, and in cooperation with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Breakfast is courtesy of the generous support from agricultural lenders and agricultural businesses. All events are open to the public and no advance registration is required. Continuing education credits for Certified Crop Advisers are available.