Hello,
Another Hardin County Fair is in the books. One of the things that makes the fair so special is the fact that it takes the combined efforts of several volunteers working together toward a common goal. The reward is a successful county fair for the community and a chance to highlight agriculture and the people who work in this industry. This year at the fair I had the opportunity to volunteer in the Pork Producers, Sheep Improvement Association, and Cattle Producers food buildings. This gave me a chance to work with several individuals I previously did not know, and at the same time, was able to get to know others better. Five different booths kept me busy as well, but at the same time limited the time spent in the show arena. No matter which area of the fair you might have an interest in, the Hardin County Fair had several activities going on throughout each day to showcase agriculture.
I also hope you had a chance to stop by our 100th Anniversary of Cooperative Extension Celebration, which occurred Sunday in the Community Building. If you didn’t yet take the survey that was on the iPads at this event, you might want to go to https://go.osu.edu/2014PPFExtSurvey and give your input about OSU Extension programs of the past, present, and future. And if you ventured into the area to look at the exhibits, you might have seen yourself in the slideshow that was playing throughout the event in the back corner of the room. Photos of the various Agriculture and Natural Resources programs held in the past year were the focus of this presentation. There will be several opportunities for you to get involved in the coming year with upcoming programs, so I hope to see you at these events that will be planned with you in mind.
Don’t forget about the Carcass Show which will be taking place Tuesday, September 9 at Mt. Victory Meats. This program will begin at 6:00 pm and will feature the champion and reserve champion market livestock on the rail (see attached flier). Other events this week include a Sheep Tour planning committee meeting Wednesday, September 10, starting at 4:00 pm in the Extension office. The Farm Bureau Board is meeting Thursday, September 11 at the fairgrounds, starting at 6:30 pm. Ag Council will be meeting for breakfast at Henry’s Restaurant on Friday, September 12, starting at 7:00 am for sharing of agriculture and county information and a discussion of Ohio Farm Custom Rates. By the way, the Farm Science Review is coming up next week, September 16-18 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London. Make sure you read the attached news release about this event and purchase your pre-sale tickets by September 15. We have them available for $7.00 at the Extension office, which will save you from paying $10 per ticket at the gate.
Putman County Extension Educator Jim Hoorman wrote an informative article about Cover Crop Herbicide Programs. I have attached this article which contains recommendations to avoid carry-over problems and residual activity that may affect your cover crops. There are also some informative articles below that I have selected from this past week’s CORN Newsletter that you may be interested in reading.
Putnam County Sentinel Cover Crop Herbicides
Mark
Assessing the risk of frost injury to late maturing corn – Peter Thomison
According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (http://www.nass.usda.gov/) as of August 31, 87 percent of Ohio’s corn acreage was in the dough stage (R4), nearly the same as the five-year average of 88 percent. Forty-one percent of the corn acreage was in the dent stage (R5), compared to 49 percent for the five-year average. In some areas of the state corn is considerably behind the five-year average because of late planting (the result of persistent rains and excessively wet soils that delayed planting in some localized areas) and cooler than normal temperatures in July. This later than normal maturation of the corn crop had led to questions about the likelihood for frost damage and whether more fuel will be needed to dry corn. To continue reading this article, go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2014/2014-29/assessing-the-risk-of-frost-injury-to-late-maturing-corn.
We’re looking for a few good Amaranth populations – Mark Loux
OSU weed science is once again looking for seed from populations of Amaranth species – waterhemp, Palmer amaranth, and redroot/smooth pigweed – to screen for herbicide resistance this winter. We will be collecting seed from infested fields we encounter during our annual survey of the state next month. We would also encourage readers to submit seed from problem Amaranth populations in their fields. Amaranth seed are mature when small black seeds fall out of the seedhead when it is shaken or rapped against something. Seedheads should be cut off and stored in open paper bags to allow further drying, until arrangements can be made to get them to us. Go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2014/2014-29/we2019re-looking-for-a-few-good-amaranth-populations to finish reading this article.
Farm Science Review 2014: Plan your show – Nathan Douridas
Plan to attend the 2014 Farm Science Review September 16th-18th in London, Ohio. The FSR show hours are: Tuesday and Wednesday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm; Thursday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. You can plan your show now by visiting fsr.osu.edu and looking at the Schedule of events, Exhibit area maps, and 2014 Exhibitor listings. Field demonstrations will occur daily depending on weather starting at 12:30 pm. Some of those demonstrations include corn and soybean harvesting, tillage, nutrient application including gypsum, planter technology, UAV (drones), and field drainage installations including controlled drainage. Be sure to visit the AgCrops Team demonstration plots as you enter the show from the public parking lot. Go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2014/2014-29/farm-science-review-2014-plan-your-show to read more.
Will the late increase in soybean aphid hurt yield? – Andy Michel
Over the last two weeks, many growers have seen rapid increases in soybean aphid populations. This is similar to the late outbreak seen last year, when aphids infested during the R5-R6 growth stage transition. As a reminder, it takes a lot of soybean aphid to impact yield after the R6 growth stage, likely above 1,000 aphids per plant. Even at R5 and below, aphids do not hurt yield until ~500-600 aphids per plant. Go to http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2014/2014-29/will-the-late-increase-in-soybean-aphid-hurt-yield to continue reading this article about soybean aphids.
Last alfalfa cutting of the year – Rory Lewandowski, Mark Sulc
The cool, wet spring followed by rainy weather well into the summer has delayed hay cutting schedules across much of Ohio. The delayed cutting schedules will likely mean that many fields won’t be ready for a last harvest until we are into the critical fall rest period for alfalfa, considered to be from September 7 to 15 to late October in Ohio. Careful consideration is warranted if this is the situation. Cutting during the critical fall rest period if often practiced in Ohio without great harm to the stand, but it always carries risk to stand health. The fall period is when alfalfa and other tall legumes like red clover undergo many physiological responses to the cooling weather in preparation for the winter. Finish reading about alfalfa cuttings at http://corn.osu.edu/newsletters/2014/2014-29/last-alfalfa-cutting-of-the-year.
Mark A. Badertscher
Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator
OSU Extension Hardin County
1021 W. Lima Street, Suite 103, Kenton, OH 43326
419-674-2297 Office