Research

From Across the Field – 3/26/2020

New Opportunities

Another wet start to the week. We are fortunate not have gotten the rains here that central Ohio has received. Over the weekend I helped my family navigate the challenges presented by the current muddy situation. Where my parents farm is, a large portion of the soil is red clay that makes Hoytville clay seem like potting soil. When that stuff gets wet it is about like walking in concrete, so much that my rubber boots got stuck on Saturday and I proceeded to fall nearly face first into it. My brother eventually did help me out of the mess after a good minute of laughing. Continue reading →

OSU Extension Seeking Farmer Cooperators for Fallow Syndrome eFields Trial

By:  Stephanie Karhoff, OSU Extension

Wet weather conditions last spring prevented Ohio farmers from planting over 1,485,919 acres (USDA-Farm Service Agency Crop Acreage Data). When fields are left unplanted or fallow, there may be a decline in beneficial mycorrhizal fungi, which is commonly referred to as fallow syndrome.

Mycorrhizae are beneficial fungi that colonize plant roots. They aid plants in scavenging for soil nutrients, by extending the root system via thread-like structures called hyphae. In return, plants provide sugars produced during photosynthesis to the mycorrhizae. 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 →

New Law Bulletin Explains The New Hemp Frontier

By: Ellen Essman, Senior Research Associate, Ohio State University Extension Agricultural & Resource Law Program

These days, industrial hemp never seems to leave the news. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit declined to decide a case involving the interstate shipment of hemp between Oregon and Colorado by way of Idaho. Hemp is illegal in Idaho, where the product was seized and the driver was arrested, even though the 2018 Farm Bill allows for the interstate transportation of hemp. The Ninth Circuit, reviewing the case, determined that the state court actions needed to be decided before federal courts could hear the case. Ohio also made news this summer when the state passed a bill legalizing hemp in the state. Continue reading →

Finding Value In Sharing Farm Data

By: Jenna Lee and John Fulton, OSU Extension Digital Ag

What will sharing my farm data accomplish and what is the value?

Many farmers may find themselves thinking about this very question as they weigh the benefits and drawbacks of sharing their farm data. The potential to realize value from data can often stem from sharing it via digital technologies to service providers or other consultants. In many cases, it may be necessary for a grower to share farm data with multiple entities in order to obtain the largest return on investment possible. While many simple solutions have been presented to farmers that make it easier than ever to share data, the benefits and tangible value of doing so have not been clearly or accurately conveyed. Continue reading →

Insights From The 2017 Census Of Agriculture

Source: Ohio Ag Net

In April the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the results of the 2017 Census of Agriculture, spanning some 6.4 million new points of information about America’s farms and ranches and those who operate them, including new data about on-farm decision making, down to the county level.

Information collected by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) directly from farmers and ranchers reveals both farm numbers and land in farms have ongoing small percentage declines since the last Census in 2012. At the same time, there continue to be more of the largest and smallest operations and fewer middle-sized farms. The average age of all farmers and ranchers continues to rise. Continue reading →

2018 eFields Research Report Available

By: Elizabeth Hawkins, John Fulton, Jenna Lee, OSU Extension
Previously published in OSU Extension C.O.R.N. newsletter

High quality, relevant information is key to making the right management decisions for your farm. The eFields program at The Ohio State University was created to provide local information about critical issues for Ohio agriculture. The 2018 eFields Research Report highlighting 95 on-farm, field scale trials conducted in 25 Ohio counties was released on Jan. 9. Research topics include nutrient management, precision seeding, crop management, soil compaction management, remote sensing, and data analysis and management. To help identify trial locations that are similar to your operation, each study includes information about weather, soil types, and management practices. Additionally, economic analysis was added to select trials this year. QR codes that link to videos featuring the researchers and partner farmers are available in the report. Continue reading →

Research Continues to Address Lake Erie Woes

By: Ohio Ag Net

Ohio Sea Grant, on behalf of The Ohio State University, The University of Toledo and the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), has released the third-year research findings update for the statewide Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative (HABRI), which seeks solutions for harmful algal blooms in Ohio.

The initiative consists of more than 50 science teams working on different critical knowledge gaps identified by front-line state agencies that include the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), Ohio Department of Health (ODH), and Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Continue reading →

Management Implications from the Scientific Journals

by: Brian E. Roe, Van Buren Professor, AED Economics, Ohio State University Leader, Ohio State Food Waste Collaborative

Sometimes good management advice is difficult to parse from cutting edge academic research.  Below I share a few articles I’ve run across from my reading of the journals that might have some ready implications for managers across the state Continue reading →