Agriculture and Natural Resources

2021 Pesticide Disposal Dates

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The Ohio Department of Agriculture will be sponsoring three collection events for farmers wishing to dispose of unwanted pesticides. This year, the collections are happening in Morrow, Portage and Butler counties on the following days and locations:

  • August 12, 8AM – 3PM: Morrow County, Morrow County Fairgrounds, 195 South Main Street, Mt. Gilead, Ohio 43338
  • August 17, 9AM – 3PM: Portage County, Deerfield Ag Services, 9041 US-224, Deerfield, Ohio 44411
  • August 24, 9AM – 3PM: Butler County, Butler County Fairgrounds, 1715 Fairgrove Avenue, Hamilton, Ohio 45011

The pesticide collection and disposal services are free of charge, but only farm chemicals will be accepted.  Paint, antifreeze, solvents, and household or non-farm pesticides will not be accepted.

The pesticide collections are sponsored by ODA in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  To pre-register, or for more information, contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture at 614-728-6987.

New and Small Farm College

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2021 Registration is Open!

Photo of a green field with a brown rail fence and green trees in the background
“I recommend this program to anyone starting or thinking about farming in any area. The amount of knowledge presented was priceless.” -J. A.

The New and Small Farm College is a seven-week program that introduces new and seasoned farmers to a wide variety of topics. The program teaches participants how to set goals, plan, budget, and where to find resources if they choose to start a small farming operation. The course will lay out how to manage financial and farm records.

This August, three colleges are beginning in Wayne, Fayette and Pike counties. Sessions will be held in the evenings beginning at 6:00 pm with a light dinner followed by a 6:30 – 9:00 program on a different weekly topic.

The cost to attend is $125 and includes a resource binder, meals, all programs including Farm Science Review admission, and a soil test. Additional family members can register for $100 per person (excludes binder).

PIKE COUNTY FAYETTE COUNTY WAYNE COUNTY
OSU South Centers
Piketon		 Fayette County Extension
Washington CH		 OSU Wooster Shisler Conf. Center
Wooster
Wednesdays
Begins August 18
Download flyer		 Thursdays
Begins August 19
Download flyer		 Tuesdays
Begins August 31
Download flyer

“Small Farm college provided the spark to launch my farm operation and prepared me with the resources and contacts to move forward with confidence.”-S.F.R

Extension Educators will illustrate many different enterprises that can be profitable on land as small as one acre. The educators will show the benefits and pitfalls of each enterprise so that the participant will be able to pick and choose what may work best for them and what suits their interest.

If you are new to farming, or looking for that spark to make your farm resources more profitable, don’t miss the Small Farm College in your region!

“A great resource offering Pro’s & Con’s of a small farming operation. Don’t even think about starting one without taking this course first!”-D. D.

FARM OFFICE LIVE IS BACK!

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Farm Office Live returns this summer to provide the latest outlook and updates on ag law, farm management, ag economics, farm business analysis and other related issues. Targeted to farmers and agri-business stakeholders, our specialists digest the latest news and issues and present it in an easy-to-understand format.

The live broadcast is presented monthly. In months where two shows are scheduled, one will be held in the morning and one in the evening. Each session is recorded and posted on the OSU Extension Farm Office YouTube channel for later viewing.

Current Schedule:

July 23 10:00 – 11:30 am   December 17 10:00 – 11:30 am
August 27 10:00 – 11:30 am January 19 7:00 – 8:30 pm
September 23 10:00 – 11:30 am January 21 10:00 – 11:30 am
October 13 7:00 – 8:30 pm February 16 7:00 – 8:30 pm
October 15 10:00 – 11:30 am February 18 10:00 – 11:30 am
November 17 7:00 – 8:30 pm March 16 7:00 – 8:30 pm
November 19 10:00 – 11:30 am March 18 10:00 – 11:30 am
December 15 7:00 – 8:30 pm April 20 7:00 – 8:30 pm

 

Topics we will discuss in upcoming webinars include:

  • Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP)
  • Legislative Proposals and Accompanying Tax Provisions
  • Outlook on Crop Input Costs and Profit Margins
  • Outlook on Cropland Values and Cash Rents
  • Tax Issues That May Impact Farm Businesses
  • Legal Trends for 2021
  • Legislative Updates
  • Farm Business Management and Analysis
  • Farm Succession & Estate Planning

Who’s on the Farm Office Team?  Our team features OSU experts ready to simplify farm management issues and make farm ownership less stressful.

  • Peggy Kirk Hall — agricultural law
  • Dianne Shoemaker — farm business analysis and dairy production
  • David Marrison — farm management
  • Barry Ward – farm management and tax

Register once at  https://go.osu.edu/farmofficelive and you will receive a reminder with your personal link to join each month.

The Farm Office is a one-stop shop for navigating the legal and economic challenges of agricultural production. For more information, visit https://farmoffice.osu.edu or contact Julie Strawser at strawser.35@osu.edu or call the Farm Office at 614.292.2433.

Livestock News

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Beef News

 

Four new articles have been posted in this week’s issue number 1252 of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter: http://u.osu.edu/beef/

If you’re in a part of the state experiencing dry weather, you might be approaching that time of year when we experience a summer forage ‘slump.’ If that’s commonly your situation this time of year, this week Christine Gelley discusses how a native warm-season grass might be a forage specie you might consider adding to your mix.

Articles this week include:
* Patience Required for Prairie-Modeled Pasture
* Keeping Quality in Mind
* Manure Science Review Coming August 10th
* International Beef Trade Update

Sheep News

How to Detect Poisonous Weeds in Your Pasture

Tony Nye, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Clinton County On many livestock operations, pastures are a very important part of the production process. Every year, I

Sheep 101 Field Day

Carri Jagger, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Morrow County OSUSheep 101 Field Day Flyer Morrow County Extension and Morrow County Farm Bureau welcomes local shepherds to

Patience in Prairie Modeled Pasture

Christine Gelley, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Noble County If I were to make a playlist for establishing native warm-season pastures, these songs would be on

 

Clermont County Food Preservation Workshops

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Clermont County Food Preservation classes are in full swing this year. Last week’s workshop allowed attendees to make water bath salsa. Vegetables used to make the salsa were provided by the Clermont County Master Gardeners Demonstration Gardens and consisted of onions and peppers of all varieties. Workshops take place on the fairgrounds, located in the 4-H hall kitchen, and are hosted and taught by OSU Extension Clermont County’s Family Consumer Science Educator, Margaret Jenkins. Be on the lookout for future Food Preservation Workshop Dates. To register for a Food Preservation Workshop use the registration link below. For questions about future workshops or food preservation contact: Margaret Jenkins, Clermont County FCS Educator, jenkins.188@osu.edu or 513-732-7070.

Food Preservation Workshop Registration 

Clermont County Master Gardener Volunteers Weekly Garden Update

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This week the Clermont County Master Gardener Straw Bale Demonstration Garden has again provided a wonderful harvest. More zucchini, cucumber, and peppers were harvested. This week onions, tomatoes, and banana peppers were also harvested. The green beans are close to being harvested, tomato vines are full of tomatoes, and the pumpkin vines have produced pumpkins of a decent size that will soon be ready for harvest. Harvests from this week will be used for an upcoming Food Preservation Class hosted by the Clermont County OSU Extension Office. The garden is continuing to be monitored for Japanese Beetles and other types of pests. With the recent rain we have received it has also flourished the growth of several weeds. The MGV’s have been hard at weeding out all their gardens this week. Pictured below is how the MGV’s store their daily garden notes and any other materials they need to have while at the garden. The MGV’s are continuing to keep a weekly schedule on maintaining the gardens and keeping track of their findings, tasks, and accomplishments within the gardens.

                       

National Agricultural Law Center Free Webinar

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The National Agricultural Law Center’s next free webinar will be held on Wednesday, July 21st at 12 p.m. EDT/11 a.m. CDT, and will provide an overview of legal approaches to dealing with noxious weeds on farmland.

Farmers and ranchers are familiar with noxious weeds—those invasive weeds that pose threats to the environment, people, and animals. Noxious weeds have always been a concern for agriculture due to their ability to affect crop yields, soil, and livestock health. Nearly all states in the U.S. have enacted laws that list prohibited noxious weeds and assign responsibility for eradicating prohibited noxious weeds in certain circumstances.  These laws aim to reduce the potential of noxious weed invasions to neighboring lands. Even so, noxious weed problems appear to be on the increase, raising questions about noxious weeds and the laws that attempt to control them.

Join us to discuss the factors that may contribute to increased occurrences of noxious weed problems on farm and ranch lands, such as herbicide resistance, changing weather patterns, and seed transference. The webinar will present different approaches to controlling noxious weeds and compare state laws addressing noxious weeds in agricultural areas. The speakers will also compare various approaches for reconsidering noxious weed laws, discussing changes that may be necessary to adapt to evolving noxious weed issues. Lastly, this webinar will highlight two upcoming publications for the National Agricultural Law Center: a state compilation of noxious weeds laws and a report that reviews and recommends legal approaches to dealing with noxious weeds and their impacts on farm and ranch lands.

The presenters for this webinar are Peggy Kirk Hall and Dr. Mark Loux of The Ohio State University.

For more information or to register for this webinar, click here.

If you have any questions regarding our webinar series, please contact Will Clark.

C.O.R.N. Newsletter

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July 13 – 19

Editor: Stephanie Karhoff

Soybean Defoliation: It Takes a lot to Really Matter!

Authors: Curtis Young, CCA, Kelley Tilmon

The mid-season defoliators are beginning to show up in soybean fields across Ohio. Read more

Tar Spot Showing Early this Year: a Note on Diagnosis

Author: Pierce Paul

I have so far only received one confirmed report of Tar Spot in the state, but the fact that the disease has been reported in a few neighboring states has some stakeholders asking questions about diagnosis and management. Tar Spot is a relatively easy disease to diagnose. Read more 

Pre-harvest Sprouting and Falling Number

Authors: Pierce Paul, Laura Lindsey, Wanderson B. Moraes

Persistent rainfall over the last several days has prevented some wheat fields from being harvested. This could lead to pre-harvest sprouting and other grain quality issues. Read more 

Nutrient Value of Wheat Straw

Authors: Laura Lindsey, Ed Lentz, CCA

Before removing straw from the field, it is important farmers understand the nutrient value. Read more 

Steps to Speed up Field Curing of Hay Crops

Authors: Mark Sulc, Jason Hartschuh, CCA, Allen Gahler

The rainy weather in many regions of Ohio and surrounding states is making it difficult to harvest hay crops.  We usually wait for a clear forecast before cutting hay, and with good reason because hay does not dry in the rain! Read more 

Late Wheat Harvest and Grain Quality Concerns

Authors: Laura Lindsey, Pierce Paul

Most of the winter wheat in Ohio has been harvested. However, persistent wet weather has delayed harvest in some areas of the state. Read more 

Western Bean Cutworm Numbers Begin to Increase Across Ohio

Authors: Amy Raudenbush, Suranga Basnagala , Aaron Wilson, Olivia Lang, Kyle Akred, Angela Arnold, Mark Badertscher, Jordan Beck, Frank Becker, Lee Beers, CCA, Bruce Clevenger, CCA, Tom Dehaas, Taylor Dill, Nick Eckel, Allen Gahler, Jamie Hampton, Andrew Holden, James Jasinski, Stephanie Karhoff, Alan Leininger, Ed Lentz, CCA, Cecilia Lokai-Minnich, David Marrison, Jess McWatters, Sarah Noggle, Les Ober, CCA, Maggie Pollard, Eric Richer, CCA, Beth Scheckelhoff, Clint Schroeder, Mike Sunderman, Curtis Young, CCA, Chris Zoller, Andy Michel, Kelley Tilmon

Western bean cutworm (WBC) numbers for the week ending July 11 have increased to the point where scouting for egg masses is recommended in Fulton, Henry, Lorain and Lucas counties. Read more 

Hydroponics/Aquaponics Field Night August 5th

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A special event aimed at aquaponics and hydroponics farmers is coming to The Ohio State University South Centers in early August. Aquaponic/Hydroponics: Impacts and Opportunities will be held on Thursday, August 5, 2021 from 5:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. This is a free event made possible by a USDA grant, and a light meal will also be provided.

Please see the attached flyer for more details.

FLYER

Anyone wishing to attend will need to preregister no later than August 1, 2021. We encourage everyone to early as soon as possible, as we believe there will be a high demand for this field night and space will be limited.

To register for this FREE event, visit the link below and fill out the short registration form:

go.osu.edu/aquaimpacts

 

 

Master Gardener Volunteers Weekly Garden Update

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The Master Gardeners are continuing to have success with their many gardens located here on the fairgrounds. Bountiful harvests continue for the MGV’s. You will see pictured a recent harvest from this week containing: Banana Peppers, Parsley, Radish, and Rosemary. The squash growing in the garden is growing rapidly and producing long and strong roots. The potato blooms are full and open and showing that the potatoes are growing. Many creatures/bugs/insects have been spotted around the gardens such as: Japanese Beetles, Monarch Butterflies, Dragonflies, Gardener Snakes, and more! The gardens continue to be a great success this year. The rain this weekend will surely create more beautiful harvests for next week.