From Across the Field – Turning the Page

I hope every had a wonderful Christmas and is looking forward into beginning a new year in the coming days. Well 2018 was certainly an exciting year both in the world of agriculture and for myself on a personal note. Some highlights of my first year of really teaching and planning programs includes organizing NW Ohio Crops Day (February 9, for 2019) at the Bavarian Haus in Deshler, teaching at Farm Science Review, certifying nearly 200 producers in Beef Quality Assurance, developing the Grill Smart program, getting to further know my colleagues from across the state and the good folks here in Henry County. I look forward to continue programming, teaching, and learning with everyone once again in 2019. Continue reading

Chris Hurt: Corn Has a Better Chance of Cost, Price Aligning in 2019

By: Tyne Morgan. Previously published by AgWeb Daily

Corn prices continue to be stagnant heading into 2019. As the front-month contracts struggle to break the $4 mark, there are some signs that corn could have more of a bullish story in the new year, compared to other key crops.

“In terms of corn, we really have made some progress in our usage being higher than our production numbers in the last several years, and we’ve reduced those inventories to what I call manageable levels,” said Chris Hurt, a Purdue University economist.   Continue reading

What Did it Cost to Produce a Pound of Calf This Year?

By: Aaron Berger, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

By early December, weaning of spring-born calves has wrapped up for most cow-calf producers.  This is a good time of year to close the books on 2018 and analyze the business to see what it cost to produce a pound of weaned calf. Unit cost of production (UCOP) is a value based on a relationship in production or manufacturing between costs and units of product made or produced.

Unit Cost of Production = Costs / Units Produced

Continue reading

Tips to Reduce Winter-Feeding Hay Costs for Beef Herd

By: Bill Halfman, University Of Wisconsin-Extension

With hay being in short supply in some areas I thought it might be beneficial to re-post this article that Dr. Radunz and I put together back in 2011.

Winter-feeding of the beef cows represents the greatest expense in most beef cow-calf enterprises.  Currently high feed prices, even for hay, should cause farmers to evaluate their winter-feeding strategies to identify ways to reduce feed costs through minimizing feed waste.

Ring Hay Feeder with hay saver panel Continue reading

7 Ag Tech Advancements from 2018

By: Laurie Bedord, previously published by Successful farming

This past year was another banner year for ag tech advancements. From drones to blockchain, the myriad innovations developed by the seven companies that follow help farmers better manage their businesses now and into the future.

  1. AeroVironment Develops a Complete Drone Package

According to research firm Global Market Insights, the market for agricultural drones will top $1 billion by 2024, up from about $338 million in 2016. Continue reading

From Across the Field – Merry Christmas

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and is just about ready for next week. I do want to let the farmers know that we have the 2018 Farmers Tax guides and IRS tax forms available at the Extension office at no charge as the year is coming to a close. We also have a supply of various account books available as well. It is hard to believe the year is coming to a close but 2019 is just around the corner. As I wrap up my first full year here in Henry County it has certainly been a pleasure to live and work in the area and I am excited to see what 2019 has in store. Continue reading

Corn Producers Benefit from Red Meat Exports

By: U.S. Meat Export Federation 

The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) has received the results of an updated study aimed at quantifying the value delivered to U.S. corn producers through exports of red meat. The original 2016 study, as well as the 2018 follow-up, were conducted by World Perspectives, Inc. (WPI), a leading agricultural consulting firm.

The original study, titled The Intersection of U.S. Meat Exports and Domestic Corn Use, concluded that in 2015 exports of U.S. red meat accounted for 11.7 million tons of combined corn and Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS) use. In its update, WPI concluded that 2018 beef and pork exports will use a combined total of 14.9 million tons of corn and DDGS, which equates to an additional 459.7 million bushels of corn produced – an increase of 29 percent over the 2015 projections.  Continue reading

U.S. Pork Industry Ends 2018 with Major Antibiotic Progress

By: Cindy Cunningham, National Pork Board

America’s 60,000 pig farmers and their veterinarians are ending 2018 with recognition of their diligence to use medically important antibiotics in a strictly responsible way. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s newly published Annual Summary Report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food-Producing Animals cites 2017 data that shows a 33 percent decline in this most critical class of antibiotics intended for use in food animals. When added to the decline found in the 2016 data, it confirms a reduction of 43 percent in this class of antibiotics from the 2015 level. Continue reading

How Will the Shutdown Affect USDA Functions?

By: Ohio Ag Net Staff

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today detailed which functions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will remain available in the event of a lapse in government funding.

“There may be a lapse in funding for the federal government, but that will not relieve USDA of its responsibilities for safeguarding life and property through the critical services we provide,” said Secretary Perdue.  “Our employees work hard every day to benefit our customers and the farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers who depend on our programs. During a shutdown, we will leverage our existing resources as best we can to continue to provide the top-notch service people expect.” Continue reading

From Across the Field – Merry Christmas

As we are winding down the year there is lots still to do. I am finishing up some year-end reports and articles at work and winding up for winter programs. We have a full winter and spring of agriculture programming planned, details of which can be found on the events page at u.osu.edu/henryag. While there are more details to come I’d like to highlight the 2019 edition of “Northwest Ohio Crops Day” scheduled for February 8th at the Bavarian Haus in Deshler. During this full day agronomy program, we have a variety of topics and speakers lined up. One of those Speakers is NW Ohio’s own Gary Schnikey from the University of Illinois. As part of the program a full 3-hour pesticide recertification and 1-hour fertilizer recertification will be offered to producers. Continue reading