The groundhog who saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter ought to be fired. We are now in the third week of April and it feels more like January. As we monitor soil temperatures at the Hoytville OARDC Branch, we are currently around 44 degrees Fahrenheit, about five and half degrees lower than the average over the past 17 year. That being said I wouldn’t be in a hurry to rush out with the planter. I’ve heard from a lot of guys that they can be done planting in a week to 10 days. If that is the case getting an early May start doesn’t sound too bad.
While we are waiting for things to warm up this is a good time to remind you of all of the resources available to you from OSU Extension. The different teams within Extension coordinate these newsletters in an effort to share information with our stakeholders.
Many of you are aware of the C.O.R.N (Crop Observation Reporting Network) newsletter that comes out every Tuesday during the growing season. This is the outlet where the Agronomic Crops Team shares timely information regarding agronomic crops to our clientele across the state. Find the C.O.R.N Newsletter at corn.osu.edu.
The Ohio Ag Manager is a newsletter where you can find information regarding all things related to farm management decisions. Popular topics include farm succession planning, leases, taxes, and more. A nice compliment to the OAM are Peggy Hall’s Ag Law Blog. These resources can be found at u.osu.edu/ohioagmanager and farmoffice.osu.edu, respectively.
For all of your horticulture needs check out the Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine and VegNet pages. The BYGL team shares all sorts of information regarding landscape plants, insects, and especially trees. Check out bygl.osu.edu to see what OSU “Tree Amigos” are up to. VegNet is a blog focused on the management of vegetable insects, disease, and home of vegetable variety trial results. Interested readers can find VegNet at u.osu.edu/vegnetnews.
We also have online weekly newsletters regarding beef and sheep production here in the state. The Beef Team Newsletter is longtime weekly publication that covers everything from selection to forages to manure management. Recently revived, the Sheep Team newsletter, covers similar topics as they relate to small ruminant species.
Lastly, don’t forget to check out the Henry Ag News, where I share a smattering of articles that summarize the week in agriculture, share field days and events, as well as copy of Across the Field for online readers. To read and subscribe to your local Henry County Extension newsletter go to u.osu.edu/henryag. OSU Extension has access to an infinite amount information for both during and after the growing season, so be sure to take advantage of all of the resources available to your home or agricultural enterprise.
I’ll end this week with a quote from President John F. Kennedy, “Too often we… enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.” Have a great week.