Hunters on the land? Recreational User’s Statute protects landowners from liability

Source: Peggy Kirk Hall, Associate Professor, Agricultural & Resource Law

A question we often hear from landowners is “will I be liable if a hunter is injured on my property?”  Ohio’s Recreational User’s Statute is an excellent risk management tool for farmers who so often have hunters stopping by and asking for permission to hunt on the farm.  The law provides immunity for landowners of non-residential land who allow people to engage in recreational activities on the land without charging a fee for the activity.  The law states that by granting permission, the landowner is not extending any assurance to a recreational user that the premises are safe for entry or use.

To receive the law’s liability protection, it’s important for a landowner to meet the following requirements:

  1.   Grant permission to a person to engage in a recreational activity such as hunting, fishing, hiking, snowmobiling, four-wheeling, or other recreational activities.
  2.   Don’t charge a fee or benefit for the use, except that the law does allow a lease payment fee.

Read more about the law in our new bulletin,  The Who, What, When, and Where of Ohio’s Recreational User Statute: What Landowners Need to Know.   The bulletin is available here.

Watersheds in Distress – New Reg’s Coming

Governor John Kasich signed an executive order on July 11, 2018 directing the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) to “consider whether it is appropriate to seek the consent of the Ohio Soil and Water Commission (OSWC) to designate” certain watersheds “as watersheds in distress due to increased nutrient levels resulting from phosphorous attached to soil sediment.”  Since that time, ODA has submitted a proposed rule dealing with Watersheds in Distress.  Amendments were made to the proposed rule after evaluating the first set of public comments, and ODA is now resubmitting the rules package.

 Highlights of the Department’s revisions include the following changes:
  1. Make the proposed rule mirror the existing standards in the Revised Code that govern the application of manure and fertilizer on frozen, snow-covered and rain-soaked ground in the Western Basin.  These standards were enacted in Senate Bill 1 of the 131st General Assembly;
  2. Remove the manure application prohibition window for Grand Lake Saint Marys;
  3. Give the Director more flexibility in establishing the deadline for the submission and approval of nutrient management plans;
  4. Allow farmers to attest to the completion of their nutrient management plans by the deadline, while maintaining Ohio Department of Agriculture oversight to verify the completion and incorporation of a nutrient management plan.

A draft of the newly amended proposed rules is available here.

PEM or “Polio” in Small Ruminants

Richard Ehrhardt, Small Ruminant Extension Specialist, Michigan State University
(Previously published on the Michigan State University Sheep and Goat Extension Page)

 

Understanding how to prevent and treat Polioencephalomalacia (PEM) in sheep and goats.

Polioencephalomalacia (PEM) is also known as cerebrocortical necrosis (CCN) and is a relatively common nutritional disorder in sheep and goats. A common name for this disease in sheep and goats is “polio”; however, it has absolutely no relationship with the infectious viral disease found in humans (poliomyelitis). Cases of PEM can be successfully treated if detected early in the disease course, making recognition of early symptoms a critical issue for sheep and goat producers.

Continue reading PEM or “Polio” in Small Ruminants

Planting Buckeye Nuts

Originally posted in the Secrest Arboretum Newsletter.

 

Fall is here and that means trees are releasing their fruits produced over the summer. For squirrels and other wildlife, this is a busy time. It is a busy time for us here at Secrest too.

Our staff and volunteers have been out collecting and cleaning various tree fruits to sow in the spring. Each year we receive questions on how to grow oaks, or buckeyes, or other trees from seed. Usually when someone plants an acorn or a buckeye it doesn’t grow simply because it didn’t receive the right conditions needed to germinate.

Continue reading Planting Buckeye Nuts

Changes Made to Ohio’s Prohibited Noxious Weeds List

Source: Peggy Kirk Hall, Associate Professor, Agricultural & Resource Law (edited)

Palmer Amaranth

New changes to Ohio’s prohibited noxious weeds list took effect Friday, September 14th.  The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) added 13 new species to the list, and removed 3 species.

On this blog, throughout the spring and summer I posted information and identification tips on each of the 21 Ohio noxious weeds.  This information can be easily found by typing “noxious weeds” in the Search this blog… box found on any page within our blog.  In the upcoming weeks, I will add similar posts for each of the new weeds added to this list.

Added to the list of prohibited noxious weeds are:

  • Yellow Groove Bamboo (Phyllostachys aureasculata), when the plant has spread from its original premise of planting and is not being maintained.
  • Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis).
  • Heart-podded hoary cress (Lepidium draba sub. draba).
  • Hairy whitetop or ballcress (Lepidium appelianum).
  • Perennial sowthistle (Sonchus arvensis).
  • Russian knapweed (Acroptilon repens).
  • Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula).
  • Hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium).
  • Serrated tussock (Nassella trichotoma).
  • Columbus grass (Sorghum x almum).
  • Musk thistle (Carduus nutans).
  • Forage Kochia (Bassia prostrata).
  • Water Hemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus).

Removed from the list are:

  • Wild carrot (Queen Anne’s lace) (Daucus carota L.).
  • Oxeye daisy (Chrysanthermum leucanthemum var. pinnatifidum).
  • Wild mustard (Brassica kaber var. pinnatifida).

Continue reading Changes Made to Ohio’s Prohibited Noxious Weeds List

Ag-note: Niche Marketing – An Agriculture Alternative

By: Murphy Deutsch, Emily Starlin, Breanna Sharp, Eric Moore, OSU Animal Science Undergraduate Students
Brady Campbell, Program Coordinator, OSU Sheep Team

 

This weeks Ag-note comes from OSU students Murphy Deutsch, Emily Starlin, Breanna Sharp, and Eric Moore as they discuss a topic that is unique to the small ruminant industry, niche marketing. One of the greatest benefits that small ruminants producers have here in the state of Ohio is the endless opportunity to marketing their livestock products to several different consumers. Whether you are producing breeding stock, show lambs, wool and fiber, or meat products, you will certainly be able to find your niche.

Continue reading Ag-note: Niche Marketing – An Agriculture Alternative

Biennial and Perennial Weed Control is Best in the Fall

– Dwight Lingenfelter, Extension Associate, Weed Science, Penn State and William S. Curran,Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Weed Science, Penn State

Fall is an excellent time to manage biennial and perennial weeds. In particular, biennials such as common burdock, wild carrot, and bull, musk, and plumeless thistles are much easier to kill while they are in the rosette stage of growth, prior to surviving a winter. Once biennials start growth in the spring they rapidly develop with the goal of reproducing and it becomes more difficult to control them.

Continue reading Biennial and Perennial Weed Control is Best in the Fall

Evaluation of Adapt-N and FieldView Corn N Fertilizer Tools in Ohio

Source:  Dr. Steve Culman, OSU Extension

NutrientStar, an independent evaluator of nutrient management tools, has just released results testing the performance of two web-based tools that provide customized corn nitrogen fertilizer rates: Adapt-N and Climate FieldView. Both tools are available for farmers in Ohio to use for a fee.

NutrientStar conducted 61 trials over 3 years evaluating Adapt-N and 21 trials over 2 years evaluating FieldView in Ohio. A summary of findings is presented below.

Compared to ‘farmer normal practice’ using the tools produced a range of yield differences across trials and years in Ohio. Some trials yielded more grain using the tools (positive values) and some yielded less grain (negative values). When all trials within a year were averaged, both tools resulted in lower yields compared to farmer normal practices (8 – 41 bushels/acre less). Depending on the year, farmers lost on average between $6 – $131/ acre on their return to N fertilizer.

The results varied by state, with some states benefiting from the tools and other states not benefiting from the use of the tools. Unfortunately, these tools have not performed well in Ohio to date.

An alternative approach to deciding corn N fertilizer rates is to use the economic model that Ohio State University Extension endorses. This simple calculator is based on maximizing farmer profitability. It uses 3 inputs to determine at what point will additional N fertilizer not pay for itself with more yield. This free, publicly-available tool was recently updated with extensive on-farm trials in Ohio and can be found here: http://go.osu.edu/corn-n-rate

More information on Adapt-N evaluation: http://nutrientstar.org/tool-finder/adapt-n/

More information on FieldView evaluation: http://nutrientstar.org/tool-finder/climate-fieldview/

Wetter Than Normal Pattern into October

Source:  Jim Noel

There is no change from last week as an overall wetter than normal pattern will persist into the October harvest season.

The one thing that has changed is that temperatures after last week’s hot weather do not look as warm into October. Temperatures are now more likely to be normal or maybe a degree above normal.

It still looks like the first freeze is on track with a near normal arrival. Most places tend to be in the October 10-20 range in Ohio from northwest to south.

Looking further ahead in November, indications are for a warmer and not as wet period. Rainfall will likely be normal or possibly slightly below normal.

Rainfall over the next two weeks will average 2-5 inches. Normal is about 1.5 inches.