New Year’s Checklist
Happy New Year. Much like it was a year ago, another wet start to the start of calendar. Here’s hoping that that trend will not carry into late spring this go around. The beginning of the year is always a good time to check up and a take care of a couple things around the home. By doing a couple of simple checks an some annual maintenance one can reduce the risk for accidents and injury. Continue reading From Across the Field: 1-1-2020
By: Anne Dorrance, Pierce Paul, OSU Extension
The seed suppliers want your early orders and the catalogs are all spread out on the tables. Now to begin the process of choosing the best variety or hybrid for your fields that can hold up to the all of the challenges facing soybeans and corn in Ohio. Our recommendation is to first focus on the disease and insect scores. Every company uses a different scale based on 1 to 10 – but for some companies 1 is best and for others, 10 best – so first read the fine print. In addition, some companies use a distributive disease rating scale, using words like “excellent disease package,” “good disease package,” or “poor.” While this scale is unclear as to which specific disease the hybrid is most resistant to, it can still be used as a guide for hybrid/variety selection. For instance, a hybrid listed as having an “excellent disease package” should be less susceptible to the primary diseases than one listed as having a “good disease package.” Next step – what key diseases and insect pests do we need to focus on. Continue reading Choosing Varieties & Hybrids for 2020 – Check Disease Resistance Ratings
By: Peggy Kirk Hall, director of agricultural law, Ohio State University Agricultural and Resource Law Program
Christmas is a good time to make wishes for the peace and well-being of others. One of our top wishes this year does that: we hope for all farmers in Ohio to have written farmland leases. It’s an odd wish, we know. But putting leases in writing can help landowners and farm tenants live in peace, and we like that.
Farm leases have always been prone to being verbal agreements, sealed with a handshake. Simplicity and trust are two plausible reasons we’ve done business that way. But a written farm lease can be simple, and using one doesn’t have to mean that the parties don’t trust each another. Instead, a lease can keep distrust from arising between the parties by anticipating needs and foreclosing uncertainties and disagreements. Continue reading Add a Farm Lease in Writing to Your Holiday Wish List
By: Glen Arnold, CCA, Ohio State University Extension
Some Ohio livestock producers will be looking to apply manure to farm fields frozen enough to support application equipment. Permitted farms are not allowed to apply manure in the winter unless it is an extreme emergency, and then movement to other suitable storage is usually the selected alternative. Thus, this article is for non-permitted livestock operations.
In the Grand Lake St Marys watershed, the winter manure application ban from December 15 to March 1 is still in effect. Thus, no manure application would normally be allowed from now until March 1. Continue reading Winter Application of Manure: Remember Setbacks
By: Emerson Nafziger, Department of Crop Sciences University of Illinois. farmdoc daily (9):238
Snow has now fallen throughout much of Illinois, and temperatures have dropped going into the last weeks in 2019. With the recent Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy biennial report highlighting P and N levels in Illinois waterways, this is a good time to review the application of nutrients on frozen and/or snow-covered soils.
Last spring, after a short and often-muddy fall fertilizer season, a considerable amount of fertilizer—mostly P in the form of DAP or MAP and K as KCl—was applied during the first week of March when the soil surface was frozen. Between March 3 and March 8, 2019, minimum air temperature averaged less than 15 degrees F, and maximum temperature averaged less than 30 degrees over most of Illinois. This was one of the few times last winter when soils were frozen and there was little or no snow; and many took the opportunity to apply P and K. Continue reading Nutrient Movement off Frozen and Snow-Covered Soil
Tis the Season
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I had the opportunity to head south for an extended weekend, where I spent the holiday with friends and family. On Thanksgiving Day we head to Wadsworth, Ohio to spend time with Ruff side of the family. Always good to visit with the extended family that we don’t see as often as we probably should. I was also good to see another big Buckeye victory over TTUN, a great start to coach Day’s tenure in The Game.
On “Black Friday” the closest thing I did to going shopping was helping my dad at a bred heifer and cow sale. Needless to say we were not in the market for any “Black Friday” specials. This past Monday I also went deer hunting for a spell. It was almost too windy to sit and wait as the deer really weren’t moving. That said I’m not the most dedicated hunter, rather more the opportunistic type.
Now that Thanksgiving is in the rear-view mirror, bring on the Christmas music. Continue reading From Across the Field – 12/5/2019
By: Rich Minyo, Allen Geyer, David Lohnes, Peter Thomison OSU Extension. Previously published in CORN Newsletter.
In 2019, 163 corn hybrids representing 20 commercial brands were evaluated in the Ohio Corn Performance Test (OCPT). Four tests were established in the Southwestern/West Central/Central (SW/WC/C) region and three tests were established in the Northwestern (NW) and North Central/Northeastern (NC/NE) regions (for ten test sites statewide). Hybrid entries in the regional tests were planted in either an early or a full season maturity trial. These test sites provided a range of growing conditions and production environments. Continue reading 2019 Ohio Corn Performance Test: Regional Overviews
By: Todd Hubbs, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics University of Illinois .December 9, 2019. farmdoc daily (9):230
The two major drivers of uncertainty impacting soybean prices in 2019 appear set to carry over into 2020. The status of trade negotiations with China continues to move soybean markets despite numerous fits and starts in the process. Another USDA estimate of the 2019 soybean crop comes out in January. Without supportive information on either issue, the sustainability of the recent price rally into 2020 seems remote.
Nearby soybean futures prices since the middle of September ranged between $8.70 and $9.40. The highest prices came in mid-October in association with a reduced soybean production level in the October WASDE report and thawing relations on the trade front. The lowest prices occurred in early December after another round of trade frictions. Soybean basis during the recent rally in central Illinois sits in a stronger position than during the October price jump. Soybean basis strengthened almost twenty cents in the region from October levels with cash prices at soybean processors showing particularly strong bids. Continue reading Soybean Price Prospects Moving into 2020
By: Rory Lewandowski, OSU Extension Agriculture & Natural Resources Educator, Wayne County
I have received several phone calls recently where the caller describes their hay; date baled, whether or not it got rained on before baling, general appearance, and sometimes smell. The question is how to best use this hay, is it suitable for horses or cows or sheep to eat? Physical evaluation of hay is useful to sort hay into general categories such as high, medium or low quality. To move beyond general categories and predict animal performance requires a forage chemical analysis. Continue reading Hay Sampling