Month: May 2020

Join OSU Extension for Rt. 6 Virtual Coffee Chat on Wednesday, May 20

Join Henry County and Williams County OSU Extension Educators Garth Ruff and Steph Karhoff for virtual coffee and conversation every other Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. We will give agronomy and livestock updates, discuss ongoing on-farm research in NW Ohio, and answer any questions you may have.

  1. Call in using your phone. The number is toll-free, so no worries about being charged for a call.
  • Dial 1-646-876-9923
  • You will be asked to enter a meeting id number.
  • Enter 951 9408 5371
  • You will then be connected to the call
  1. Join via Zoom. Zoom is a free video conference service.
  • Join directly by clicking on this link:  go.osu.edu/Rt6CoffeeChat
  • You can also download the free Zoom app to your phone, tablet, or other device from the app store.
  • Once on your device, open the Zoom app and click “Join a Meeting”.
  • Enter the meeting ID 951 9408 5371.
  • You can also enter your name and choose to turn on/off your audio and video.
  • Click “Join” and you will be added to the conference!

For more information either contact Garth Ruff at ruff.72@osu.edu or Steph Karhoff at karhoff.41@osu.edu.

 

From Across the Field 5/7/2020

Looking back at past columns that I have written since 2017, this past week has arguably been the best week in terms of row crop planting, we have experienced during my time in Henry County. Even with the temperature being on the cool side, tremendous progress has been made over the past week.

Saturday was a great day to work outside and I even sunburned by arms a little bit as I mowed the yard and fired up the weed eater for a bit. Later in the afternoon as I made a lap across most of the county, I saw more tractors and planters out at one time than I have during the past two springs.

At this point, I do want to give everyone an update on the status of our office operations. Ohio State University Extension will continue its teleworking plan for all employees and keep OSU Extension offices closed. While some businesses and organizations throughout the state are starting to reopen, the physical Extension office in each county will remain closed through July 6, unless a decision is made by Ohio State to return sooner. Continue reading From Across the Field 5/7/2020 →

Cold Weather Impact on Corn and Soybean

By: Alexander Lindsey, Laura Lindsey. OSU Extension. Originally published in OSU Extension C.O.R.N. Newsletter

In Ohio, between May 9 and 10, temperatures were as low as 26°F with some areas even receiving snow. The effect on corn and soybean depends on both temperature, duration of low temperature, and growth stage of the plant. The soil can provide some temperature buffering capacity, especially if soil is wet. Water is approximately 4x more resistant to temperature changes than air or dry soil, and thus will buffer the soil from experiencing large temperature changes as air temperatures drop. Deeper planted seeds may also be more resistant to large temperature swings. Continue reading Cold Weather Impact on Corn and Soybean →

How Cold is Too Cold for Wheat at Feekes 8 and Feekes 10.5.1 Growth Stages?

By: Laura Lindsey, Alexander Lindsey, Aaron Wilson. OSU Extension. Originally published in OSU Extension C.O.R.N. Newsletter.

Every year presents a different set of challenges for agricultural production across Ohio. Last year, northwest and west central Ohio could not escape the rain. This year, Ohio cannot seem to shake the chill. An unusual weather pattern set up across the Midwest and Northeast U.S. late last week and into the weekend that led to some snow in spots and record or near-record lows across the state (Figure 1). Overnight lows for a few locations in Ohio on Saturday May 9, 2020 include 26°F outside of Toledo, 27° in Lancaster and Youngstown, and 28°F in Dayton, Cincinnati, and New Philadelphia. Many areas spent more than eight hours below 32°F with about 4 hours spent below 30°F. Naturally, this would raise questions concerning potential wheat damage.

Map

Figure 1. Daily overnight lows based on station observations for May 9-10, 2020. Figures generated at Midwest Regional Climate Center. Continue reading How Cold is Too Cold for Wheat at Feekes 8 and Feekes 10.5.1 Growth Stages? →

Burndown and Residual Herbicide Issues

By: Mark Loux, OSU Extension

Depending upon where you are in the state, it’s possible right now to be experiencing delays in getting anything done, progress in planting but delays in herbicide application, weather too dry to activate residual herbicides, and/or reduced burndown herbicide effectiveness on big weeds due to cold weather.  What’s become a typical Ohio spring.  Some information relative to questions that OSU Extension educators have passed on to us:

1.  Residual herbicides and rainfall.  Residual herbicides do vary in the relative amounts of rain needed for “activation”, or adequate movement into the soil to reach germinating seeds.  Most growers are applying mixtures or premixes of several products, so we’re not sure these differences are as important as the overriding principle here.  Residual herbicide treatments need to receive a half to one inch of rain within a week or so after tillage or an effective burndown treatment, to control weeds that can will start to emerge at that time.  This varies with timing of application and weather. Continue reading Burndown and Residual Herbicide Issues →

Farm Office Live Session Slated for Thursday, May 14 from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.

OSU Extension is pleased to be offering the a “Farm Office Live” session on Thursday morning , May 14 from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.  Farmers, educators, and ag industry professionals are invited to log-on for the latest updates on the issues impact our farm economy.

The session will begin with the Farm Office Team answering questions asked over the ten days.  Topics to be highlighted include:

  • Updates on the CARES Act, Payroll Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), and Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) Update
  • Corn and soybean budgets
  • Supply and demand balance sheets
  • Other legal and economic issues

Plenty of time has been allotted for questions and answers from attendees. Each office session is limited to 500 people and if you miss the on-line office hours, the session recording can be accessed at farmoffice.osu.edu the following day.  Participants can pre-register or join in on Thursday morning at  https://go.osu.edu/farmofficelive 

From Across the Field 4/30/2020

Thus far we have been fortunate to miss out on some of the heavier rain that has fallen a bit farther south. As soil conditions become fit, with the exception of temperature I suspect that we will see increased planting s. This is my annual reminder to be safe and careful on the roads, especially south of Napoleon where 108 is closed and traffic is routed down some of the county roads.

Here yet today, or tomorrow depending on the weather, I plan on mowing the lawn for the third time this spring, the frost a while back slowed up what was some nice lush growth after the first mowing. Remember starting out we should be mowing grass fairly short this time of year, about two and a half to three inches off the ground is about where I like to be.

The smell of fresh cut grass is an indicator that we are also closing in on barbecue and grilling season. This weekend if it isn’t too chilly I think I’ll fire up my charcoal smoker and experiment with a pork loin or in preparation for a brisket on Mother’s Day weekend. Continue reading From Across the Field 4/30/2020 →

The Basics of Pricing Freezer Beef

By: Garth Ruff, OSU Extension Henry County

COVID-19 has proven to be a catalyst for consumer demand for local product

Over the last decade the demand for locally raised meats have steadily increased and that demand has skyrocketed as of late, due to the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on animal agriculture and the meat packing sector. With the significant increase of demand in local product we have also seen an increase in the number of producers entering the world of direct marketing. Perhaps the toughest aspect of direct marketing is determining how to set a price. In this article I am going to address that very subject and answer the question: What should I charge for a freezer beef? Continue reading The Basics of Pricing Freezer Beef →

Thoughts Concerning the U.S. Beef Industry

By: Francis L. Fluharty, Professor and Head, Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia

The beef and pork industries are in a tremendously stressful period with Covid-19 causing temporary shut downs in several meat processing plants due to worker concerns over their health. This is having devastating short-term losses in all segments of the supply chain. I want to address a disturbing trend over the past few weeks where people claim that the current beef marketing system is completely broken, and that we need to go back to more small-scale packers and not import foreign lean beef. Continue reading Thoughts Concerning the U.S. Beef Industry →

Alfalfa Weevil Update

By: Kelley Tilmon, Aaron Wilson, Mark Sulc, Rory Lewandowski, CCA, Andy Michel

Peak alfalfa weevil feeding damage occurs between 325 and 575 heat units (based on accumulation of heat units from January 1 with a base of 48°F).  Locations in red are there, and locations in orange are getting close.  Now is the time for most alfalfa growers to step up their alfalfa weevil scouting.  For more details on alfalfa weevil scouting and thresholds please see our April 13 article https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-09/alfalfa-weevil-%E2%80%93-it%E2%80%99s-closer-you-think

Accumulated growing degree days (base 48°F sine calculation method) for January 1-May 3*, 2020 at several CFAES Ag Weather System (https://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weather1/) locations and additional NOAA stations around Ohio.  *Ashtabula through April 30