H2Ohio Signup to be Extended

By: Glen Arnold, OSU Extension

The deadline to enter into a contract with the H2Ohio program for farmers in the 14-county, Maumee River watershed is being extended. The original deadline was March 31st but due to COVID-19, more farmers and Soil and Water Conservation District personnel are conducting information exchanges through phone calls and e-mails.

The H2Ohio deadline is expected to be extended to June 2nd,tentatively. Contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District for more details.

Winter Application of Manure: Remember Setbacks

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

ODA Announces Ohio Working Lands Small Grains Program and Other Updates of WLEB Programs

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is announcing an additional assistance program for producers in the Western Lake Erie Basin funded by the passage of Ohio Senate Bill 299.

The Ohio Working Lands Small Grains Program is a voluntary program that will encourage producers in the Western Lake Erie Basin to plant small grains such as wheat, barley, oats, or cereal rye on eligible cropland. As the “working lands” name implies, participants must plant and harvest small grains, land apply manure, and plant a cover crop to receive a cost-share payment to help offset operating costs. The program benefits the planting of small grains not only for the conservation benefits, but to provide livestock producers with a longer application window to land apply manure and nutrients. Continue reading

Keeping Phosphorus Out Of Waterways

Previously published by Ohio Ag Net

In a pit about 3 feet underground lies one possible solution to reducing a large amount of the phosphorus draining from some of Ohio’s agricultural fields.

At two locations in the state, researchers with The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) are testing phosphorus filters that have removed up to 75% of the phosphorus running through them. Phosphorus can be found in commercial fertilizers and animal manure. Continue reading

OSU Looks At Options to Apply Manure When It’s Rained A Lot

Previously published by Ohio Farmer online

Throughout the growing season, and particularly this fall, there were a lot of rainfalls — off and on. Not only did fields fill up with water, but manure ponds and lagoons did also, and that might make some farmers a bit nervous.

Ohio had the third-wettest year ever in 2018, and there’s been little letup since then, leaving farm fields across the state saturated. For farmers with a lot of livestock, spreading manure onto wet or frozen land as fertilizer is not an option right now, and manure ponds are filling up fast. Continue reading

Lessons Learned in Ohio’s Updated Fertilizer Recommendations

From Ohio Ag Net

At the recent 4R Field Day in Hardin County, Ohio State soil fertility specialist Steve Culman presented on the updated fertilizer recommendations through 300+ on-farm strip trials since 2014.

He said some main take-home points he hoped to get across to agriculturalists were: Continue reading

Manure Impact on Soil Aggregation

By: Rick Koelsch, University of Nebraska, Previously published on Farm Journals Pork online

If manure increases formation of larger (macro) and more stable soil aggregates , several benefits may result for fields fertilized by manure compared to commercial fertilizer including:
1) Reduced runoff and soil erosion;
2) Increased water infiltration into the soil possibly leading to greater drought tolerance; and
3) Partial offsetting of higher soil P levels resulting from manure application and limiting P loss to local surface water.  Continue reading

Agricultural Nutrients Targeted in Clean Lake 2020 Bill and Kasich Executive Order

By: Peggy Hall, Asst. Professor, Agricultural & Resource Law, Ohio State University

Recent actions by the Ohio legislature and Governor Kasich will affect the management of agricultural nutrients in Ohio. The Ohio General Assembly has passed “Clean Lake 2020” legislation that will provide funding for reducing phosphorous in Lake Erie. Continue reading

New Ohio Nitrogen Rates

By: Steve Culman, Anthony Fulford, Peter Thomison, Rich Minyo, Eric Richer, CCA, Harold D. Watters, CPAg/CCA, Greg LaBarge, CCA, Joe Nester, and Karen Chapman

Previously on Ohio Ag Net

Ohio State University corn nitrogen rate recommendations follow a unified framework used throughout the Corn Belt. Together with six other states (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin), the Ohio recommended nitrogen rates are not based on yield goals, but on economic returns. Corn yield responses along with corn and nitrogen prices are used to calculate the point at which the last unit of added nitrogen returns a yield increase large enough to pay for the added nitrogen cost. This approach, called the maximum return to nitrogen (MRTN), is favored because of the economic volatility in both corn grain and nitrogen fertilizer prices. The past 10 years provides ample evidence of these fluctuations. Continue reading

Fertilizer Outlook

By: Karl Stenerson
Market Reporter – Fertecon

Here is a breakdown of wholesale prices and trends of the various fertilizers:

AMMONIA

International

Global ammonia markets remained soft in March with weakness in urea and nitrates markets pressuring ammonia prices as well as reduced demand in India due to phosphate plant turnarounds.

The April Tampa contract settled at $275 metric ton (mt) cfr (cost and freight), a $30 decrease from March. The Caribbean Nitrogen Company (CNC) and the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago reached an agreement for a new gas supply contract. The Prime Minister of Trinidad has indicated the seven-week closure of the CNC plant will end. It has been suggested the plant will restart in first-half April. Continue reading