Month: November 2019

From Across the Field: 11/21/2019

Time to Talk Turkey

As an Extension educator who specializes in livestock production and meat quality and safety, I feel somewhat obligated to write about preparing of the Thanksgiving ham turkey.

Nearly 88 percent of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation in 2016 at turkey ate Thanksgiving (I was likely part of the other 12 percent). On Thanksgiving alone 51.6, million birds of an average weight of 16 pounds are consumed. In total approximately 736 million pounds of turkey are consumed in the United States during Thanksgiving. Continue reading From Across the Field: 11/21/2019 →

How Reliable will this Year’s Test Plot Data Be?

By: Laura Lindsey and Peter Thomison, OSU Extension

Ohio’s corn and soybean crops experienced exceptional growing conditions in 2019, including record rainfall in May and June followed by drier than normal August and September conditions in many areas. As a result of the early season saturated soils, corn and soybean planting was delayed across most of the state. For soybean, planting date is the most important cultural practice that influences grain yield. Planting date is also a major factor affecting crop performance and profitability in corn. The persistent rains and saturated soils caused localized ponding and flooding. These conditions resulted in root damage and N loss that led to uneven crop growth and development between and within fields. Agronomists often question the value of test plot data when adverse growing conditions severely limit yield potential. Continue reading How Reliable will this Year’s Test Plot Data Be? →

Registration is Open for Farmer and Farmland Owner Income Tax Webinar

By:  Barry Ward, Director, OSU Income Tax Schools

Columbus, Ohio – Are you getting the most from your tax return? Farmers and farmland owners who wish to increase their tax knowledge should consider attending this webinar that will address tax issues specific to this industry. Content focuses on important tax issues and will offer insight into new tax legislation and further guidelines that have been released this year.

Mark your calendars for January 13th, 2020 to participate in this live webinar from 1 to 3 pm. Continue reading Registration is Open for Farmer and Farmland Owner Income Tax Webinar →

Weekly Outlook: Acreage in 2020

By: Todd Hubbs, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois. November 25, 2019. farmdoc daily (9):222

The 2019 crop year will live long in the memory.  A record amount of prevent plant acres, delayed harvest, and considerable dismay over USDA reports compounded the uncertainty associated with the trade war.   Speculation about the acreage levels in 2020 is already underway.  Current market conditions support acreage increases in corn and soybeans in 2020.  It appears only the magnitude of those increases is in doubt.

A variety of surveys and projections by industry analysts place 2020 corn acreage close to 94 million acres.  Soybean acreage projections come in around 84 million acres. Continue reading Weekly Outlook: Acreage in 2020 →

Be on the Lookout for Mycotoxins in Livestock Feed

By: Jennifer Shike, previously published by Farm Journal’s Pork online

Producers need to be diligent about monitoring for mycotoxins in livestock feed this winter on the heels of weather conditions that promoted their growth this fall.

Kansas State toxicologist Steve Ensley says Kansas’ summer drought conditions led to a heightened risk of aflatoxin in the state’s grain crop, while wet conditions during the 2018 harvest also made that grain susceptible to fumonisin.

“This year we have already had some death losses associated with mycotoxins in pigs and horses and so we’ve measured just a very few samples of corn and found very high concentrations of fumonisin and aflatoxin,” Ensley says. “I’m very concerned that it may be a bigger health issue statewide than the localized cases we’ve seen so far.” Continue reading Be on the Lookout for Mycotoxins in Livestock Feed →

Cover Crops to Support Forage Diets

By: Farm Journal Content Services for Drovers online

Interested in pairing up a cover crop with corn silage? A key is to consider harvest timing – usually mid- to late May for boot stage – to ensure the cover crop forage is of the quality needed for lactating cows.  If targeting forage for heifers, harvest a bit later at heading stage to increase tonnage and fiber content.

Popular cover crop options include winter cereals, like winter rye and triticale.

“Winter rye is growing in popularity because it has rapid growth, especially in the spring, and will mature earlier in the spring,” said Matt Akins, University of Wisconsin–Madison dairy management specialist. Continue reading Cover Crops to Support Forage Diets →

From Across the Field – 11/14/2019

Holiday Season is Here

It is hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us. Thanksgiving is only two weeks away and Christmas will come fast. I hope you had a good Veterans Day and had a chance to reflect upon the many blessings we have due to the efforts of our Veterans. Thank you to all that have served.

Late fall is one of my favorite times of the year. Harvest is usually winding down, the cooler temperatures outside makes a cup off coffee in the morning even better, Buckeye football is in full tilt, and nearly all of my program planning for the start of the next year is complete. Stay tuned throughout the winter for information on some great programming in Henry and surround counties. Continue reading From Across the Field – 11/14/2019 →

USDA Will Issue Second MFP Payments Before Thanksgiving

Source: USDA

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the second tranche of 2019 Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments aimed at assisting farmers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations. The payments will begin the week before Thanksgiving. Producers of MFP-eligible commodities will now be eligible to receive 25% of the total payment expected, in addition to the 50% they have already received from the 2019 MFP. Continue reading USDA Will Issue Second MFP Payments Before Thanksgiving →

Your Hay Storage Impacts Quality and Quantity

By: David Dugan, OSU Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Adams County

Where and how hay is stored can have a huge impact on the quality and quantity that’s available to be used for feed

With the calendar turning to November, and the temperatures dropping below freezing several mornings now, the time to feed hay is near, if not already here. Several have been feeding hay due to the pasture situation following a dry September that included several 90 degree plus days that zapped much of the grass. Continue reading Your Hay Storage Impacts Quality and Quantity →

Change Your Employee Recruitment and Interview Mindset

By: Rory Lewandowski, Extension Educator Wayne County

Originally written for Dairy Excel column for the 10-31-19 Farm and Dairy

Labor is an important component of any farm operation.  Beyond just checking the box that a certain task has been completed, farm profitability often turns on how well a task was completed, the attention to detail and protocol.  Improving employee recruiting and interviewing skills increases the chance of hiring the right employee for your farm situation.  For many farms, employee recruitment, interviewing and hiring requires a mindset adjustment. Continue reading Change Your Employee Recruitment and Interview Mindset →