Making Corn Silage in Dry Conditions

The primary goal of making corn silage is to preserve as many nutrients in the corn plant as possible, to produce a feed that is acceptable to cows, and to minimize any risks associated with feeding the silage.  The following are important considerations for making corn silage when growing condit

Corn Silage Harvest Timing

Silage harvest has begun in some parts of Ohio. Proper harvest timing is critical because it ensures the proper dry matter (DM) concentration required for high quality preservation, which in turn results in good animal performance and lower feed costs.

Potential for Nitrate Problems in Drought Stressed Corn

Have very dry soil conditions increase the potential for toxic levels of nitrates in corn harvested for silage? Nitrates absorbed from the soil by plant roots are normally incorporated into plant tissue as amino acids, proteins, and other nitrogenous compounds.

Preharvest Herbicide Treatments

Information on preharvest herbicide treatments for field corn and soybeans can be found in the “Weed Control Guide for Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois”, at the end of these crop sections (pages 72 and 143 of the 2020 edition).  Products listed for corn include Aim, glyphosate, and paraquat, and for s

Late Season Forage Harvest Management

The best time to take a last harvest of alfalfa and other legumes is sometime in early September in Ohio, for the least risk to the long-term health of the stand.

What is Required Before You Sell Your Field Harvested Seed in Ohio

This is the time of year we often hear of Ohio producers considering seed harvests of red clover or other crops (e.g. cover crop seed).

Minimal WBC Reported Across Ohio

Very few Western bean cutworm (WBC) numbers were reported in traps for the week of August 17 – 23. Overall, a total of 26 counties monitored 84 traps, resulting in 30 WBC adults (a statewide average of 0.37 moths per trap) (Figure 1).

Cover Crop Driving Tour

Local farmers invite you out to their farms for a Drive-It-Yourself tour of fields with growing cover crops. These three farms are located in Northern Champaign and Logan Counties and are planted to different species of cover crops after wheat.