Agronomy

2020 Planting Decisions in the Face of COVID-19

By: Gary Schnitkey, Krista Swanson, Jonathan Coppess, Nick Paulson, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois and Carl Zulauf, Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics, Ohio State University. farmDoc Daily

Trade conflicts, prevented and late planting, and policy innovations have presented a difficult decision-making environment to farmers over the past several years. The decisions for this spring are now drastically complicated given the rapidly changing situation with the spread of COVID-19 and its attendant health threats and control measures. Currently, a paramount concern is continuing farming and livestock activities in the face of COVID-19 health threats and control measures. Continue reading →

Cover Crop Termination

By: Alyssa Essman and Mark Loux, Ohio State University Extension, Weed Science Specialist

The 2019 growing season came and went and left many fields in a state of disarray heading into 2020. Many growers that were unable to plant decided to use cover crops, to reduce soil erosion and provide some weed suppression during the extended fallow period. Terminating these cover crops using the right methods at the right time will be critical to ensure timely planting and prevent the cover crops from competing with cash crops. The three main methods of cover crop termination are natural (species that winter kill), chemical, and mechanical. Continue reading →

Conservation Technology Conference

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 →

Vernalization Requirements for Winter Wheat

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 →

Learn More About eFields at Regional Meetings

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 →

Overwintering of Pathogens and Insects – What do Winter Temperatures Tell Us About Next Season?

By: Anne Dorrance, Any Michel, Kelley Tilmon, OSU Extension

Over the years we have developed databases of winter temperatures followed by scouting to indicate starting pathogen populations for Ohio.

Frogeye leaf spot – We have documented early infections and overwintering ability of the fungus, Cercospora sojina, that causes frogeye leaf spot. It appears that when there are less than 10 days during the months of December, January and February of less than 17 F, we have had reports of outbreaks of frogeye leaf spot.  This occurred in fields where there was a high level of inoculum at the end of the season the same or similar moderately to highly susceptible cultivar was planted into the same field again which then initiated the epidemic that much sooner.  Losses of greater than 35% in yield or very early fungicide applications were necessary.

Expecting continued warmer winter temperatures, for fields with a history of frogeye leaf spot, and no-till production systems, the first thing for farmers is to do now to mitigate losses in 2020:

  1. Rotate fields with high levels of frogeye leaf spot into corn or another crop.
  2. If it is still targeted for soybean, look at their soybean varieties frogeye leaf spot resistance scores.  Your seed dealer will have more information.  Plan now for what fields they will go into.
  3. Scout the susceptible cultivars much earlier than what we have called for in the past and monitor levels.

Another pathogen that may be more prevalent after a warm winter is Stewart’s bacterial wilt.  This disease is transmitted to corn by corn flea beetle which survives in greater numbers in warm winters. This is a greater problem in popcorn and sweet corn as most field corn has high levels of resistance to the bacterium.

Most other field crop insect pests in Ohio are not highly influenced by winter conditions as they are well-adapted to withstand cold overwintering conditions.  Once exception is Mexican bean beetle, an occasional pest of soybean (especially in central Ohio).  Warm winter conditions may cause higher populations of this insect the following field season.

 

Are Sulfur Deficiencies Becoming More Common in Ohio?

By: Laura Lindsey and Steve Culman, OSU Extension

Sulfur is an essential macronutrient for crop production, often ranked behind only nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in importance. Overall, for corn and soybean, deficiencies are fairly rare. However, deficiencies can occur and are most likely on sandy soils with low organic matter (<1.0%). Much like nitrogen, the primary form of sulfur in the soil is found in the organic fraction, and the form taken up by plants (sulfate) is highly mobile. For every 1 percent of organic matter, there is approximately 140 pounds of sulfur, most of which is unavailable. Like nitrogen, sulfur must be mineralized to become plant available. (Plants may exhibit sulfur deficiencies under cool, wet conditions when mineralization is slow.) Historically, sulfur was deposited in large quantities from rainfall primarily due to burning of fossil fuels. However, emission standards have resulted in a sharp decrease in sulfur deposition from the atmosphere. As this trend continues, coupled with higher yielding crops, sulfur fertilization may become more important in the future.

Figure 1. Sulfur deposition maps from 2000-2002 and 2015-2017 (USEPA, 2019).
Continue reading →

Event Notice – NW Ohio Crops Day

By: Garth Ruff

Join OSU Extension at the Bavarian Haus, just outside of Deshler, Ohio on Friday, February 7, 2020 starting at 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 for the second annual Northwest Ohio Crops Day.  Find answers to your agronomy questions, obtain private and commercial pesticide applicator and fertilizer recertification, and CCA education hours as you prepare for the next growing season. This year we are pleased to have Greg Roth from the Penn State University as our featured speaker to discuss cover crop establishment and how it relates to water quality. The entire speaker and topic lineup for the day will include the following: Continue reading →

$30 Million Available For Farmers Through Dewine’s H2Ohio Plan

Source: Ohio Ag Net

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Dorothy Pelanda announced Jan. 15 that $30 million in H2Ohio funding will be available for Ohio farmers in more than a dozen counties beginning next month. The funds will be awarded as part of Governor DeWine’s H2Ohio plan to reduce agricultural phosphorus runoff and prevent algal blooms in Lake Erie.

“Since announcing the details of my H2Ohio plan in November, we’ve had a great deal of interest from farmers in the Maumee River Watershed who want to do their part to improve the health of Lake Erie,” said Governor DeWine. “H2Ohio will provide farm-by-farm support to help farmers minimize phosphorus runoff while increasing profit over the long-run.”

Continue reading →

2019 eFields Report is Available

By Elizabeth Hawkins and John Fulton, OSU Extension

The spring planting season of 2019 was a season that many of us may want to forget, but the weather conditions we dealt with provided us an opportunity to learn how we can be more resilient in agriculture. Looking back at the lessons learned can help us be prepared for similar conditions in the future. The 2019 eFields Research Report highlights 88 on-farm, field scale trials conducted in 30 Ohio counties. Research topics include nutrient management, precision crop management, cover crops, and forages. Other information about production budgets, planting progress, and the 2018 Farm Bill is also included. Continue reading →