A Little Harvest Fun Under the Stars!
Month: November 2018
Variable Rate Corn Seeding Considerations
Source: Alexander Lindsey, Peter Thomison, Emerson Nafziger
As producers are planning their seed needs for next year, it is important to think about acreage, hybrids, and seeding rates. Finding the best corn seeding rate is important for efficient production, but the “optimum” corn seeding rate – the one that maximizes profitability – can vary within and among fields with small differences in soils and weather. While adoption of variable rate technology is increasing, there are still questions related to how this technology will impact seeding rates, profitability, and be impacted by yield level compared to using a uniform (or fixed) seeding rate with modern hybrids. In order to help estimate the profitability of variable rate corn seeding in the US Corn Belt, we used results of 93 seeding rate trials in Ohio (2012-2016) to see how variable the response to seeding rates was, and to see if factors like yield level might help us do a better job of setting plant populations.
Farmers’ Costs to Go Up
Source: Barry Ward (edited)
The cost of producing a grain crop is expected to rise next year, but farm income is unlikely to increase, an agricultural economist with The Ohio State University has projected. On average, profits for Ohio farmers next year will be “low to negative,” said Barry Ward, an assistant professor in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
For the past five years, farm income nationwide has been declining, with the exception of 2017 when it increased slightly. Next year, fertilizer, seed, machinery, labor and energy costs likely will be “modestly higher,” Ward said.
“Nothing is really exploding, but we are going to see some increases,” said Ward, one of several faculty who spoke Nov. 2 at the Agricultural and Policy Outlook Conference hosted by the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics (AEDE), which is part of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).
Borrowing money will come at a higher cost because interest rates have gone up and will continue to increase in 2019, Ward said. “We know farmers are borrowing more money now.
Land owners likely will see a decline in the value of their farmland as a result of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes as well as the uncertainty that has come with the future of corn and soybean crop prices, Ward said. Crop prices for corn and soybeans have trended lower since 2013 and in recent months have plunged partly due to China’s imposition of 25 percent retaliatory tariffs on U.S. soybean imports.
But some positive changes are expected in 2019. Ohio farmers’ tax bills could be lower. Across the state, farmland is being taxed at a lower rate due to a new law passed last summer.
The price of renting agricultural land in Ohio likely will be about the same or will go down slightly, about 2 percent, in 2019, Ward said.
And a new federal tax deduction allows farmers and other business owners to take a tax deduction of 20 percent on their qualified business income.
2018 Ohio Corn Performance Test Preliminary Results Now Available On-Line
Results from the 2018 Ohio Corn Performance Test are now available on line at: http://oardc.osu.edu/corntrials
Single and multi-year agronomic data is currently available for the Southwest / West Central and North Central / Northeast regions. Upper Sandusky will be harvested when field conditions allow. Results for Upper Sandusky and the Northwest region summary will be updated immediately after harvest. The results can be accessed by following the links on the left side of the page. Information regarding the growing season, evaluation procedures and traits will be available soon. Additional hybrids will be added as soon as marketing information becomes available, as will the combined regional tables (which are especially helpful in assessing hybrid performance across locations).
Properly Winterizing Sprayers Can Help Mitigate Costly Problems Next Spring
Source: Dr. Erdal Ozkan (Edited)
OK, it’s way too wet to be in the fields … So how about doing something like winterizing your sprayer too take your mind off of harvest for awhile?!
The four main steps are Rinsing, Cleaning, Winterizing and Storing. Below are some suggestions from Dr. Erdal Ozkan, Extension Agricultural Engineer.
This is a busy time of year for many farmers, but taking time to winterize your sprayer now can payoff in avoiding problems next spring. Without proper winterizing before the temperature falls below freezing, you could end up with a pump that is cracked and/or not working at its full capacity. Here are some important things you need to do with your sprayer this time of the year.
Rinsing
Make sure to rinse the whole sprayer thoroughly before storing. Rinsing the sprayer thoroughly after each use reduces likelihood of cross-contamination of products applied next spring. Insufficient rinsing may also result in clogged nozzles. Once the nozzles are clogged, it is extremely difficult to bring them back to their normal operating conditions. Leaving chemical residues in nozzles will usually lead to changes in their flow rates, as well as in their spray patterns resulting in uneven distribution of chemicals on the target.
Depending on the tank, proper rinsing of the interior of the tank can be challenging. Rinsing is easy if the tank is relatively new and equipped with special rinsing nozzles and mechanisms inside the tank. If this is not the case, manual rinsing of the tank interior is more difficult, and poses some safety problems such as inhaling fumes of leftover chemicals during the rinsing process. To avoid these problems, either replace the tank with one that has the interior rinse nozzles, or install an interior tank rinse system in your existing tank.
For effective rinsing of all the sprayer components, circulate clean water through the whole sprayer for several minutes with the nozzles off, then flush out the rinsate through the nozzles. Rinsing should be done in the field, or on a concrete chemical mixing/loading pad with a sump to recover rinse water. Dispose of the rinsate according to on the directions on the labels of the pesticides in the tank. Always check the label for specific instructions. Most labels recommend following procedure: If rinsing is done on a concrete rinse pad with a sump, put the rinsate collected in the sump back in the tank, dilute it with water and spray it in the field where there is no potential for the rinsate to reach ditches and other water bodies nearby. If the rinsing is done in the field, make sure you are not flushing out the rinsate in the system in one area. It is best to further dilute the rinse water in the tank and, spray it on the field on areas where there is no potential for the rinsate to reach ditches and other water bodies nearby.
Cleaning
Rinsing the system with water as explained above may not be sufficient to get rid of chemicals from the sprayer. This may lead to cross-contamination problems. Residues of some pesticides left in the sprayer may cause serious problems when a spray mixture containing these residual materials is applied on a crop that is highly sensitive to that pesticide. To avoid such problems, it is best to clean and rinse the entire spraying system with cleaning solution. A mixture of 1 to 100 of household ammonia to water should be adequate for cleaning the tank, but you may first need to clean the tank with a mixture containing detergent if tank was not cleaned right after the last spraying job was done. Some chemicals require specific rinsing solution. The Univeristy of Missouri has a publication listing commonly used pesticides and the specific rinsing solutions required of each, available online here: http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G4852. Always check the product label to find out the most recent recommendations on cleaning agents.
Cleaning the outside of the sprayer components deserves equal attention. Remove compacted deposits with a bristle brush. Then flush the exterior parts of the equipment with water. A high pressure washer can be used, if available. Wash the exterior of the equipment either in the field away from ditches and water sources nearby, or a specially constructed concrete rinse pad with a sump. Again, the rinsate should be disposed of according to the label recommendationsMost labels recommend the following practice: put the rinsate collected in the sump back in the tank, dilute it with water and spray it in the field where there is no potential for the rinsate to reach ditches and other water bodies nearby.
Continue reading Properly Winterizing Sprayers Can Help Mitigate Costly Problems Next Spring
2018 Ohio Soybean Performance Trials – All Yield Results Available
Source: Dr. Laura Lindsey
Yield results from all three regions (north, central, and south) are now available online as a pdf at: https://stepupsoy.osu.edu/soybean-production/variety-selection/ohio-soybean-performance-trial Grain quality results and sortable tables will be available in November.
Average yield for the Ohio Soybean Performance Trials by location and trial (early and late) for 2017 and 2018 is shown in the table below. Soybean yield in the north region (Henry and Sandusky County) was much greater in 2018 compared to 2017. (Yield from Henry County was not reported in 2017 due to extremely wet weather causing yield to be variable.) In the central region, soybeans in the early trial yielded greater in 2018 compared to 2018. However, in the late trial, soybean yield slightly decreased in 2018 compared to 2017. Yield in the south region was variable with Preble County yielding less in 2018 compared to 2017 while Clinton County yielded greater in 2018.
FARM: Field Application Resource Monitor
One of the missions of the State Climate Office of Ohio (SCOO; https://climate.osu.edu) is to serve as data stewards to connect Ohioans with the weather and climate information necessary to improve lives. In an effort to provide farmers across the state with sufficient weather guidance, specifically to aid in decisions regarding the application of fertilizer and manure, SCOO has developed FARM, the Field Application Resource Monitor (https://farm.bpcrc.osu.edu/).
FARM is a web-based, mobile friendly tool that provides:
- Real-time high resolution precipitation forecasts to field(s) of interest (up to five locations),
- Historical precipitation forecasts (back to July 2017),
- Daily email notifications if desired (text alerts coming soon).
Originally designed in response to Senate Bill 1 regulations for the Western Lake Erie Basin, FARM can help any farmer throughout Ohio follow best management practices with regard to their precipitation forecast needs.
Precipitation forecasts in FARM are provided via the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC). We utilize the probabilistic forecasts which are based on a combination of WPC’s 6-hour quantitative precipitation forecasts and an ensemble of model forecasts. This data is available on a 1.5 mile x 1.5 mile grid, meaning FARM provides precipitation guidance on a local scale.
Again, FARM can be found by visiting /farm.bpcrc.osu.edu/. For more information on creating user profiles, returning, and other features of FARM, please check out http://u.osu.edu/farmprecip for a full tutorial. We have also provided a feedback button on the initial screen and request feedback, suggestions, and improvements as we continue to improve our product.
This program provides weather data only and does not take into account current field conditions. Below is a snapshot of the weather information for our office at 160 Columbus Rd.
Registration of Dicamba for Use on Dicamba-Tolerant Crops
The EPA extended the registration for two years for over-the-top use of dicamba to control weeds in fields for cotton and soybean plants genetically engineered to resist dicamba. This decision was informed by extensive collaboration between EPA, the pesticide manufacturers, farmers, state regulators, and other stakeholders. The registration includes label updates that add protective measures to further minimize the potential for off-site damage. The registration will automatically expire on December 20, 2020, unless EPA further extends the registration.
The following label changes willbecome effective this year.
- Only certified applicators may apply dicamba over the top (those working under the supervision of a certified applicator may no longer make applications)
- Prohibit over-the-top application of dicamba on soybeans 45 days after planting and cotton 60 days after planting
- For cotton, limit the number of over-the-top applications from 4 to 2 (soybeans remain at 2 OTT applications)
- Applications will be allowed only from 1 hour after sunrise to 2 hours before sunset
- In counties where endangered species may exist, the downwind buffer will remain at 110 feet and there will be a new 57-foot buffer around the other sides of the field (the 110-foot downwind buffer applies to all applications, not just in counties where endangered species may exist)
- Clarify training period for 2019 and beyond, ensuring consistency across all three products
- Enhanced tank clean-out instructions for the entire system
- Enhanced label to improve applicator awareness on the impact of low pH’s on the potential volatility of dicamba
- Label clean up and consistency to improve compliance and enforceability
Click Here To Read The Entire Article
(More) Wet Weather Ahead
Source: Jim Noel (edited)
The weather pattern will support wet weather into the middle of November with a series of storms now every several days. With clay type soils and reduced evaporation this could lead to standing water in fields in the next few weeks. We expect a wet weather system for the middle of this week followed by another next week.
November will be marked with above normal rainfall and temperatures trending from near normal to above or much above normal for the second half of the month.
Rainfall for the next two weeks will average 2-4 inches across the state with isolated higher totals in the south and east sections. A few spots in the northwest sections may be below 2 inches. This is above normal in all areas of the state though and much above normal in eastern and southern sections. See attached graphic for the two week rainfall outlook from NOAA/NWS/OHRFC.
The pattern remains in place with overall wetter conditions into December (though the second half of November may dry out some). It still appears January into February and possibly March will experience normal or slightly below normal rainfall before more wet weather returns sometime in April of 2019.
Much of the state has seen freeze conditions already with only pockets of the state not seeing a freeze yet (like near Lake Erie in northeast Ohio). However, much of the state has not seen a hard freeze yet (though parts of Northwest Ohio have). There is a chance we will go well into November before we see a hard freeze widespread across the state of Ohio.
Fall is the time to control lice. Or is it?
– W. Mark Hilton, DVM, PAS, DABVP, clinical professor emeritus, Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine
Fall is the time of year we think about lice control in much of the country, but is that the correct timing? More and more we hear producers and veterinarians lament about lack of effectiveness of lice control. Are lice getting harder to treat? Here’s a little history.
Cattle can have two types of lice: chewing (or biting) lice and sucking lice. These pests live their entire life cycle on the animal. Yes, some lice can fall off the animal and live in bedding for a few days, but that is of minor significance when we think about controlling the parasite.
Continue reading Fall is the time to control lice. Or is it?