Month: December 2017

From Across the Field – Label Language Continues to Confuse Consumers

I have always been curious about what goes through a person’s mind while shopping at the grocery store. In the past couple of weeks, I have read several articles regarding consumer surveys, gauging consumer wants and purchasing habits when at the grocery store. I shared one such article in my weekly online newsletter titled, Informed Consumers Won’t Pay More For ‘Natural’. In this experiment researchers at Arizona State University polled 663 beef eaters about their willingness to pay for steak labeled with different attributes: one of which being natural. Half of the participants were provided with the definition of natural and half were not. Continue reading From Across the Field – Label Language Continues to Confuse Consumers →

2018 Ohio State University Outlook Meeting Schedule

Ohio State University Extension is pleased to announce the 2018 Agricultural Outlook Meetings! In 2018 there will be seven locations in Ohio. Each location will have speaker addressing the topics of Free Trade Agreements: Why They Matter to US Agriculture, Grain Market Outlook, and Examining the 2018 Ohio Farm Economy. Additional topics vary by location and include 2018 Farm Bill Policy Update, Dairy Production Economics Update, and Farm Tax Update. Continue reading 2018 Ohio State University Outlook Meeting Schedule →

6 Tips for Tax Time: Make the Most of the Year’s End

By AgWeb Guest Editor

As the calendar year comes to a close, most dairy farmers have already made at least one trip to the accountant’s office. There’s a good chance most dairy farmers have enough expenses to offset low on-farm income this year, but it still pays to pay attention to year-end tax basics. Here are a few tax tips from Paul Neiffer, CPA and principal at CliftonLarsenAllen.

  1. Keep Accurate Records

This should go without saying, but your accountant can only work with the information you provide. If your records are incomplete, you could end up paying more taxes than necessary. Continue reading 6 Tips for Tax Time: Make the Most of the Year’s End →

From Across the Field – Home Holiday Hazards

Looking forward at the weather forecast, it looks like winter is finally going to take hold. It looks like daytime highs will only be in the 30s for quite some time. As the ground becomes frozen that will allow for any remain harvest to continue, while bringing a halt to tillage and manure application. The recent snow has helped put me in the Christmas spirit as long I don’t have to travel too far in it.  I am also looking forward to the shortest day of the year in a couple weeks, so at least we can start to have daylight. It will be nice to leave the office with some daylight to burn. Continue reading From Across the Field – Home Holiday Hazards →

Northwest Ohio Crops Day

By Garth Ruff, OSU Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Henry County

 Join OSU Henry County Extension at the Bavarian Haus, just outside of Deshler, Ohio on Friday, February 9, 2018 starting at 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 for the inaugural Northwest Ohio Crops Day.  Find answers to your agronomy questions as you prepare for the next growing season. Speakers and topics for the day will include the following: Continue reading Northwest Ohio Crops Day →

Nitrogen Concerns for Ohio?

By Harold Watters, Ohio State University Extension

Over the past month or so, I participated in three conferences on nutrient loss. While many speakers addressed phosphorus concerns, several mentioned nitrogen as the next target. I focused on the nitrogen talks.

So lets talk about nitrogen management. It leaks, like everywhere. Up and down — up as a gas when the soils are saturated and moves down and out with water movement. By my estimate we mineralized 100 pounds of N per acre in 2017, and probably lost 100 pounds or more in many spots to leaching and to denitrification. Even though 80% of the atmosphere is N, we still have to supply it for our grass crops. And we add more than we need, because we don’t want to be short. That’s an economic concern. Continue reading Nitrogen Concerns for Ohio? →

Informed Consumers Won’t Pay More For ‘Natural’

By: Greg Henderson

Consumers are willing to pay more for steak labeled “natural,” unless they know the definition of “natural.”

Researchers at Arizona State University asked 663 beef eaters about their willingness to pay for steak labeled with different attributes: natural, grass-fed or corn-fed, fed without genetically modified feed and produced without growth hormones or antibiotics. Half of the participants were provided with the definition of natural and half were not. Continue reading Informed Consumers Won’t Pay More For ‘Natural’ →

Winter Manure Application Reminders

From: Ohio’s Country Journal

The Ohio Department of Agriculture Division of Soil and Water Conservation would like to remind producers and nutrient applicators of laws and restrictions on manure application.

Signed into law by Governor John R. Kasich in July 2015, Ohio Senate Bill 1 clarifies and enhances the restrictions on manure application within the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB). Continue reading Winter Manure Application Reminders →

Climate Scientists Study the Odds of a U.S. Megadrought

By: Cornell University

To help untangle fact from speculation, Cornell climate scientists and their colleagues have developed a “robust null hypothesis” to assess the odds of a megadrought – one that lasts more than 30 years – occurring in the western and southwestern United States. The research was published online in the Journal of Climate. Continue reading Climate Scientists Study the Odds of a U.S. Megadrought →