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As many of you know by now, on September 1 I will be starting in a new role as the OSU Extension Beef Cattle Field Specialist. I am fortunate to have began my career here in Henry County and appreciate the people, too numerous to list, that were critical making the Extension program here a success. Stay tuned to next week’s Northwest Signal for my final column From Across the Field. Continue reading

From Across the Field: 8-6-2020

It’s Fair Week

The 2020 version of the Henry County Fair is upon us, and even though this year’s iteration look’s significantly different, the overall mission, I believe has remained the same: promote agriculture and the youth that are the future of Henry County. While spectators will be limited during this week’s Junior Fair, I invite anyone who is interested to check the livestreaming of the livestock shows. More information the livestream and how anyone can participate in the 2020 version of the Jr. Fair Premium sale can be found on our county webpage henry.osu.edu. Also, if looking to support the youth that are exhibiting, check out the Henry County Jr. Fair Buyers Club, as an option. While the fair will be significantly different this year, I anticipate a successful week and wish good luck to all of the youth involved.

On a much different note, this week I was informed that Dr. Steve Culman, soil scientist at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), in Wooster is looking for farmers who would be willing to let his lab take soil health samples in fields in which the pipeline project from 2017 would have went through. Their goal is to evaluate the impact of the pipeline and it’s long term effects on soil health. Anyone interested should give me a call here in the next couple of weeks, and I will get your information to Dr. Culman. Continue reading

From Across the Field: 8-6-2020

Time and Change

Summer’s heat or winter’s cold-The seasons pass the years will roll-Time and change will surely show-How firm thy friendship … OHIO!

Those lines from Carmen Ohio, the Ohio State alma mater, have never had more meaning than they have over the past couple of days. On Monday, it was announced that I would be starting in a new position as the Extension Beef Cattle Field Specialist. This new role will take me back to southeast Ohio to Noble County, home of the Eastern Ag Research Station.

While I am looking forward to continuing my career in an area of specialization, it is definitely bittersweet. I’ve been fortunate and thankful to have had the opportunity to begin my Extension career in Henry County and to serve a great agriculture community with some top notch co-workers. Over the next couple of weeks I will be sure to take some time to reflect on the great experience that I have had here in Henry County. Continue reading

From Across the Field 7-30-2020

A Little Too Late

About the time I was a sophomore in high school there was a Luke Bryan song titled “Rain is a Good Thing” was released. I know the song fairly well, seeing as it was played nearly every morning on the way to school by Froggy 99.1, the country station out of Parkersburg, WV. The chorus even covers the most basic of agronomy lessons that “Rain makes corn,” which we know to be true and was the case in 2019, where a late planted crop received timely rainfall in mid-July and into August. By in large crop yields were better than expected last fall due to having plenty of soil moisture

Turn the calendar to 2020, where we could have certainly used some timely rain in June and July, and even though much needed, the rain this past Monday is likely a little too late. In evaluating crop conditions this week, I had corn, which has been hardest hit by the dry weather ranging from poor to good condition. In general, the corn that fairing the best is north of the Maumee, or in some of the lighter soils that were among the earliest planted. Continue reading

Additional Information From ODA About The Mystery Seeds

By: Amy Stone, OSU Extension Lucas County

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is asking Ohioans to please send in unsolicited seeds. Earlier today the ODA distributed the release that is included in this BYGL Alert.

After increasing reports of Ohio citizens receiving packages of unsolicited seeds in the mail, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is again urging the public to report and submit any unsolicited seed packets to ODA. In partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine Office, ODA is working to investigate the number of seed packets sent to Ohio, what type of seeds they are, and where they were mailed from.

The USDA-APHIS and ODA are asking Ohioans who have received these unsolicited packages not to open, plant, or throw them away. Instead, citizens should report receiving seeds here and then submit the packages to USDA using one of the following methods:

If possible, place the materials including the seeds, original packaging material and your contact information in a resealable plastic bag and mail them to USDA-APHIS at the following address:

Attn: USDA -SITC
8995 East Main Street, Building 23
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 Continue reading

Asian Longhorned Tick Confirmed in Ohio

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) announced the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, has confirmed that an exotic tick, known as the Asian longhorned tick, has been found in Gallia County.

The tick was found on a stray dog originating from Gallia County, which was later transported to a shelter in Canal Winchester. The tick was identified on May 28 by The Ohio State University and sent to the federal lab for confirmation.

“Due to the nature of this pest, the female ticks can reproduce without a male, so it only takes one tick to create an established population in a new location,” said Dr. Tony Forshey, ODA State Veterinarian. “This pest is especially fatal to livestock, so producers should practice preventative measures and be on the lookout for this new threat.” Continue reading

Pork Exports Rely on China

World pork markets were disrupted the last couple of years, first by African swine fever in China, followed by a U.S.-China trade dispute. Then, in 2020, came COVID-19.

ASF drastically reduced pork production in China starting in 2018 and continuing into 2020. This reduction created a tremendous opportunity for the U.S. to increase pork exports to China to help fill the animal protein void in Chinese consumers’ diets. So, what has taken place in 2020?

Despite pork supply chain disruptions in the U.S. resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. pork exports have increased dramatically. From January through May, exports rose 21% above the prior year. But it’s clear that exports would have been even larger without the disruptions that occurred as COVID-19 infections caused processing plant closures and slowdowns. Continue reading

August 28 Deadline for Coronavirus Food Assistance Program is Fast Approaching

Dianne Shoemaker, Extension Farm Management Specialist, Ohio State University Extension

2020 has not turned out as anyone expected, and the dairy industry received no exceptions. Good milk prices quickly reversed course, and what seemed to be improving prices did not materialize in on-farm milk checks. The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) was developed to provide farms that have been buffeted by these unforeseen, uncontrollable, and on-going circumstances some cash flow assistance.

The intent of this program is to directly assist farms impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.  Sign-up began at your local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office on Tuesday, May 26 and continues through August 28, 2020.  FSA offices currently work with clients via email, fax, and phone by appointment. Continue reading

From Across the Field: 7-23-2020

Tomato Troubles?

Mid to late July always seems to be the calm before the storm here in the Extension office, with the storm being the county fair. While I certainly enjoy the fair, it’s passing means that the end of summer is near, fall harvest is approaching, and planning for winter meeting season must begin.

That said, this year feels a bit different. We know that the fair is going to be scaled down to showcase the youth that have completed livestock projects. At this point, in-person fall Extension programming is on hiatus, and we don’t yet know what winter meeting season will look like.

While these unknowns and change of plans are at times inconvenient and frustrating, I think there is some good that has come out of this COVID situation with regards to how we provide Extension services. It has allowed us to refocus on priorities and utilize different ways of providing education and programming.

This is the time of year when we hear about the bottom of tomatoes rotting, this is actually called blossom-end rot. This is not a disease but a disorder which affects tomato, pepper, squash, and eggplant, and occurs when soil moisture is uneven. It is easily recognized by the flat, leathery, discolored area on the blossom end of the fruit. Continue reading

ODA Asks Public to Not Plant any Unsolicited Packages of Seeds

By: Stephanie Karhoff, OSU Extension Williams County

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) has been notified that several Ohio residents have received unsolicited packages in the mail containing seeds that appear to have originated from China. The types of seeds in the packages are currently unknown and may contain invasive plant species. Similar seed packets have been received recently in several other locations across the United States.

If you receive a package of this type, please DO NOT plant these seeds. If they are in sealed packaging, do not open the sealed package. You can report the seeds to ODA online here or you may contact the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Anti-smuggling Hotline by calling 800-877-3835 or by emailing SITC.Mail@aphis.usda.govAlso, if possible, please retain the original packaging, as that information may be useful to trade compliance officers as they work through this issue. Continue reading