I Hate Mud
I may have mentioned before that I hate mud, and that the ideal winter is one where it is cold enough for the ground to be frozen or one with limited precipitation. Unfortunately, over the past couple of winters we really haven’t experienced either of those conditions. With regards to rainfall, we are already ahead of where we were a year ago. Continue reading From Across the Field: 2-19-2020
By: Chris Zoller, Mary Griffith, Ben Brown, OSU Extension
Enrollment in the 2018 Farm Bill programs (PLC, ARC-CO, and ARC-IC) ends on March 16th. If you do not enroll by this date you will default to the election you made in the previous Farm Bill and receive NO PAYMENTS for the 2019 program year. This same election holds true for 2020.
As a reminder, PLC is a price protection/income loss option that covers declines in crop prices and the ARC-CO program is an income support option based on county-level benchmark revenues and guarantees compared to actual revenues. For those with prevent planted acres, the ARC-IC program may be worth consideration. ARC-IC issues payments when individual crop revenue is less than the guarantee and uses individual yields, rather than the county yields. Continue reading Farm Bill Decision Deadline Fast Approaching
By: Ed Lentz and Mark Badertscher, OSU Extension
The Conservation Tillage Conference (CTC) is the largest agriculture meeting in northwestern Ohio. Historically over 800 individuals will attend each day of this two-day conference. This year’s event will be March 3 and 4 on the campus of Ohio Northern University in Ada.
The meeting and program have been developed by The Ohio State University Extension Specialists along with Agriculture and Natural Resources Educators in local counties with assistance from local Soil and Water Conservation Districts and the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. Continue reading Conservation Technology Conference
By: Maureen Hanson. Previously published by Bovine Veterinarian online.
Dairy-Beef Crossbred ( Maureen Hanson )
If the dairy industry wants the beef business to embrace beef-on-dairy crossbreds long-term, we need to up our genetic selection game, according to Denise Schwab, Extension Beef Specialist for Iowa State University.
Schwab advised producers at Iowa State’s recent Midwest Dairy & Beef Day that beef-on-dairy breeding decisions need to be made with the same precision they devote to genetic selection for dairy replacement females. “It’s not likely you tell your semen rep, ‘Just give me Holstein semen that’s cheap,’” she stated. “Yet that’s what’s happening with a lot of beef-on-dairy breeding right now. We need to aim for more than just a black calf.” Continue reading “Black” is Not the Only Goal in Beef-on-dairy Breeding
By: Laura Lindsey and Will Hamman, OSU Extension
Winter wheat has molecular regulation preventing the transition to reproductive growth until a certain threshold of cold days has been reached. This regulation is called “vernalization.” In winter wheat, the vernalization period protects plants from breaking dormancy too early.
The vernalization requirement varies among cultivars and is temperature (and day length) dependent. In a study conducted on one winter wheat cultivar, it took 40 days for plants to achieve vernalization at 52°F while it took 70 days for plants to achieve vernalization at 34°F (see Figure). Continue reading Vernalization Requirements for Winter Wheat
Not All Roses
First off, thank you to all of the sponsors, exhibitors, speakers, and attendees of Northwest Ohio Crops Day last week in Deshler. For the third year in a row it was a cold snowy day, filled with excellent information with regards to the upcoming growing season. A few points that I took home were that our recent weather patterns have the potential to become trends as our climate changes. Another key point was that commodity outlooks for the coming year were rather guarded due to factors across the globe. I’m always amazed that they are able to get two corn crops in a year in Brazil, which impacts the amount of corn available on the global market. I sure hope this year is more cooperating than last. Continue reading From Across the Field: 2-13-2020
By: Elizabeth Hawkins, Ohio State University Extension
Have you been enjoying the 2019 eFields Report and are excited to learn more? The Ohio State Digital Ag team is hosting six regional eFields meetings this winter. Join us to learn more about the eFields program and results we are seeing across the state. Each meeting will feature presentations highlighting local trials including seeding rate, nutrient management, and crop management. There will be a panel discussion featuring cooperating farmers who are conducting on-farm research with Ohio State Extension. We would also like to hear from you about what topics you are interested in seeing in eFields in the future. Continue reading Learn More About eFields at Regional Meetings
By: Todd Hubbs, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics University of Illinois. farmdoc daily (10):29
Soybean prices put in a moderate rally last week. An outlook for a large South American soybean crop and uncertainty of the impact on economic growth associated with the evolving coronavirus situation hang over U.S. soybean demand scenarios moving forward. Expanding soybean acreage in 2020 looks to test the prospects for lower ending stocks despite stronger Chinese buying. Continue reading 2020 Soybean Price Prospects
Source: Ohio Ag Net online
Last week, Governor Mike DeWine announced the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s (OEPA) intention to create a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for Western Lake Erie.
Under the Clean Water Act, a TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a substance (in this case phosphorus) that is allowed to enter a body of water and meet water quality standards for that pollutant. The TMDL sets a reduction goal for that pollutant for each source, such as agriculture, municipal wastewater, developed land, and septic systems.The Clean Water Act directs the state to submit a 303(d) list to U.S. EPA every two years. A TMDL must be developed for all waters identified by a state on their 303(d) list of impaired waters, according to a priority ranking on the list. Continue reading TMDL Effort For Lake Erie To Be Led By Ohio EPA