Farm Bill and Falling Leaves
Growing up in Appalachia there is always brilliant colored fall foliage around this time of year. As spectacular as the colors were it always amazed me that people would drive down from Columbus just to see leaves before they drop. Going into my third harvest season here in Henry County, I appreciate the changing of the leaves more than ever, that is until they begin to litter my yard. Continue reading From Across the Field – 10/24/2019
By Jim Noel, NOAA
A more active weather pattern is ahead. We expect a weak to moderate storm with some rainfall every 3 to 4 days over the next few weeks.
For the week of Oct. 22, expect slightly above normal temperatures by a degree or two and rainfall between 0.25-0.75 inches on average. There could be some scattered freezing temperatures in the north and west sections of Ohio especially come Saturday morning.
For the last week of October, there should be early to mid week rainfall with another 0.25-1.00 inches followed by a surge of cold weather and the real possibility of the first widespread freeze toward Halloween.
The outlook for November is above normal temperatures after a cold start to the month and rainfall normal to above normal. The early trends suggest a turn to a wetter late winter and spring of 2020 but we will need to simply monitor that.
The next two weeks rainfall totals will generally range from 0.50 to 2 inches across the state.
By: Peter Thomison, OSU Extension
According to the USDA/NASS (https://www.nass.usda.gov/) as of Sunday, Oct. 27th, 37 percent of Ohio’s corn was harvested for grain, compared to 62 percent for last year and 56 percent for the five-year average. Late corn plantings and sporadic rain in some areas are not helping with field drying. Some growers are delaying harvest until grain moisture drops further. However, these delays increase the likelihood that stalk rots present in many fields will lead to stalk lodging problems. Leaving corn to dry in the field exposes a crop to unfavorable weather conditions, as well as wildlife damage. Continue reading Field Drying and Harvest Losses in Corn
By: Carl Zulauf and Ben Brown, Ohio State University, and Gary Schnitkey, Krista Swanson, Jonathan Coppess, and Nick Paulson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, October 2019
Click here for the complete article as PDF
ARC-IC (Agriculture Risk Coverage – Individual) has received less attention than ARC-CO (ARC – County) and PLC (Price Loss Coverage). ARC-IC is operationally more complex, thus harder to explain and understand. It pays on only 65% of program base acres while ARC-CO and PLC pay on 85% of base acres. Nevertheless, ARC-IC is worth considering if an FSA farm has one or more of the appropriate production attributes. These attributes include (1) 100% prevent plant acres on a FSA farm, (2) high year-to-year production variability, (3) much higher farm than ARC-CO and PLC yields, and/or (4) acres planted to fruits and vegetables. The prevent plant attribute is more relevant than normal in 2019. Continue reading The Case for Looking at the ARC-IC (ARC-Individual) Program Option
By: Al Gahler, OSU Extension Educator, Sandusky County. Originally published in Ohio Beef Letter
Dr. Francis Fluharty returns to Ohio in January to teach during the first sessions of the Ohio Beef Cattle Nutrition and Management School.
Mark your calendars now for the Ohio Beef Cattle Nutrition and Management School, to be held in 2 locations, with 2 sessions at each locale. Session 1 will focus on utilizing small grains in the diets of all ages and production groups of beef cattle, utilizing alternative forages, and managing your herd or feedlot with lower quality feedstuffs. This discussion will be led by our former OSU research nutritionist and current University of Georgia Department of Animal Sciences Chair, Dr. Francis Fluharty. Session 1 will take place from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Sandusky County (location to be determined) on January 29th, and 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the OSU Newark Campus in Licking County on January 30th. Continue reading Ohio Beef Winter Programs; Save the Dates!
By: Harold Watters, Ohio State University Extension
I have conducted a number of trials and comparisons over the years and generally have concluded that new is better when it comes to choosing a hybrid or variety. One such comparison I have been making over several years now is of a modern hybrid to open pollinated corn varieties. This may be used as a comparison for those who grow open pollinated corn for sale as organic, although I used herbicides here for weed control. For 2019, I compared a modern traited hybrid, an early modern traited hybrid, a modern open pollinated variety and several older open pollinated varieties. Continue reading Are Modern Genetics Worth the Money?
Here We Go Again
Fall is my favorite time of the year for a few different reasons, but it is also one of the busiest and most interesting times in the agricultural year. Not only is this year’s crop being harvested but there are many operations and decisions being made that will have major impacts on the coming year as well.
As I make observations around the county, soybean harvest has been progressing well, considering how scattered planting was this spring. For a historically late planted crop, yields I have heard have been acceptable, all things considered. Wheat planting is wrapping up and the large amount of prevented planting acres did allow for a large percentage of the wheat to be planted in a timely fashion. Tillage in preparation for next spring and tiling continue. I had one person ask how many miles of tile was installed this summer in the county. My answer: A lot, most since I have been here. Continue reading From Across the Field – 10/17/2019
By: David Marrison, OSU Extension Coshocton Co.
The Current Agricultural Use Valuation (CAUV) program allows farmland devoted exclusively to commercial agriculture to be taxed based on their value in agriculture, rather than the full market value, resulting in a substantially lower tax bill for the farmer.
The formula for CAUV values incorporates agricultural factors (soil types, yields, prices, and non-land costs for corn, soybeans, and wheat) to calculate the capitalized net returns to farming land based on the previous 5 to 10 years. CAUV underwent large-scale changes to its calculation in 2017 that was targeted to reduce the property tax burden of farmland.
A new report, Ohio CAUV Values Projected to Decline Through 2020, shows the projection of CAUV values though 2020. According to the study authors, OSU agricultural economists Robert Dinterman and Ani Katchova forecast a decrease in the assessed value of agricultural land to an average CAUV value of approximately $600 in 2020.
Access this report at:
https://aede.osu.edu/sites/aede/files/publication_files/CAUVProjectionsFall2019.pdf
By: Pirece Paul, OSU Extension and Felipe Dall Lana da Silva, OSU Plant Pathology
Tar Spot, a new disease of corn caused by the fungus Phyllachora maydis, was reported for the first time in Ohio at the end of the 2018 growing season. At that time, it was found mostly in counties close to the Indiana border, as the disease continued to spread from the middle of country where it was first confirmed in 2015. Over the last few weeks, there have been several new, confirmed report of Tar Spot in Ohio, this time not only in the northwestern corner of the state, but also from a few fields in central and south-central Ohio. As was the case last year, disease onset was late again this year, with the first reports coming in well after R4. However, some of the regions affected last year had more fields affected this year, with much higher levels of disease severity. It could be that Tar Spot is becoming established in some areas of the state due to the fungus overwintering in crop residue from one growing season to another. This is very consistent with the pattern observed in parts of Indiana and Illinois where the disease was first reported. We will continue to keep our eyes out for Tar Spot, as we learn more about it and develop management strategies. You can help by looking for Tar Spot as you walk fields this fall, and please send us samples. 
Continue reading Tar Spot of Corn in Ohio Again this 2019
By: Amy Stone, OSU Extension Lucas Co.
Earlier this month, Emerald Ash Borer University (EABU) hosted an online webiner entitled, “Putting Ash Wood to Good Use – Lessons from the Urban Wood Network.” While many of us from Ohio have already lived through the devastation of EAB; some may have utilized the ash, some may have not, but either way, you will enjoy the webinar presented by Don Peterson, executive director of the Urban Wood Network to learn more about what is happening in this arena across the county when it comes to urban wood utilization.
All EABU sessions are recorded and posted on the EABU You Tube Channel following the live presentation.
To check out the Urban Wood Utilization session, check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrksAL-mGfM&feature=youtu.be
To learn more about EABU and look at past session, or view a calendar of upcoming sessions, you can explore on the EABU webpage on the Regional Emerald Ash Borer website, http://www.emeraldashborer.info/