Month: April 2020

CFAES Ag Weather System Near-Surface Air and Soil Temperatures/Moisture

Source: Aaron Wilson, Greg LaBarge, Elizabeth Hawkins, Sam Custer

We are once again providing a soil temperature overview in the C.O.R.N. Newsletter through April-May 2020. The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Agricultural Research Stations located throughout the state have two- and four-inch soil temperatures monitored on an hourly basis. Our Western site in Clark County is not available this year. Therefore, we are supplementing data from western Ohio with data from Darke and Greene Counties. These sites (noted by an asterisk on Figure 1) report minimum (morning) soil temperatures. The other sites are reported on Figure 1 as a daily average.

Our growing season follows a warmer than average winter. Winter (December 2019 – February 2020) air temperatures averaged 2-8°F above average compared to the climatological normal (1981-2010). This warmth continued throughout March as well, with temperatures 4-8°F (west to east) above average. As a result, soil temperatures are about 10°F warmer than the same date in April 2019.

Figure 1 shows that two- and four-inch soil temperatures at North Central, Wooster, and Piketon cooled a bit at the end of March and beginning of April, but all stations show conditions have since turned around with progressively warmer weather this week. Our northern stations (Versailles, North Central, and Wooster) show soil temperatures generally in the upper 40s-low 50s °F while our southern stations (Xenia and Piketon) report soil temperatures in the low to mid 50s °F. Soil temperature may warm slightly early this week before cooler weather late this week and next week likely slows warmth.

Average daily air temperature (red), two-inch (green) and four-inch (blue) soil temperatures for spring 2020.

CFAES Near-surface Air and Soil Temperatures Continue reading CFAES Ag Weather System Near-Surface Air and Soil Temperatures/Moisture →

Big Temperature Swings Next Two Weeks

Source: Jim Noel, NOAA

April Temperatures

Temperatures will be on a big roller coaster the next two weeks with highs ranging from the 40s to 70s and lows for the mid 20s to 50s. The tendency will be to switch from above normal the first half of this week to slightly below normal later this week and on.

April Precipitation

A progressive pattern is expected the next 2-3 weeks with a series of generally weak to moderate systems. The below normal rainfall pattern did occur to start April and that helped dry things out some. It does looks like we will see a gradual increase in rainfall chances the next few weeks. However, since systems will generally be weak to moderate rainfall will average 1-3 inches the next two weeks. Normal is 2 inches. The overall pattern will be switching to a bit more cool and damp as we go into mid to late April.

Continue reading Big Temperature Swings Next Two Weeks →

Knox County Extension COVID-19 Updates 4-7-2020

It is with a heavy heart, that we are giving you another update in result of the current pandemic: COVID-19. In an update from our OSU Extension Administration today, the following was announced:

ANY university event scheduled between now and July 6 will be canceled, and no new university events will be scheduled until that time. This includes all OSU Extension events that are face-to-face. Virtual programs and events are still allowed. We will continue to reevaluate based on evolving conditions. This has significant implications for many of our programs and events in OSU Extension.

Continue reading Knox County Extension COVID-19 Updates 4-7-2020 →

COVID-19 and Animals

What you need to know about COVID-19 and Pets and Other Animals

 

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that range from the common cold to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). About 20 percent of colds are the result of a human coronavirus. Animal species have their own coronaviruses that cause a variety of illnesses. The dog, cat, pig, and cattle coronaviruses are very common and do not cause illness in people.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, originated from wild animals (likely bats) in China. Due to mutations that created a new virus, it developed the ability to infect humans and spread efficiently from person to person. A few dogs and cats living with COVID-19 patients have tested positive for the presence of virus. Research is ongoing in multiple species to study how animals may be affected.

It is not surprising that SARS-CoV-2 can infect some animals under certain conditions. Other human viruses like H1N1 influenza and SARS-CoV-1, which is very similar to SARS-CoV-2, have also spread from people to animals in low numbers, most notably in cats, ferrets, and pigs. There is no evidence to suggest that a naturally infected animal is capable of transmitting infection back to humans.

COVID-19 is spread from person to person; the risk to animals is very low and the risk from animals is even lower. There is no reason to harm wildlife or abandon a pet out of fear, and fortunately, this does not seem to be an issue in the U.S. In fact, more people are fostering or adopting cats and dogs during the pandemic. The relationship with a pet can be a great source of comfort, helping to decrease depression, anxiety, and stress.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Vegetable Seeds Are the New Toilet Paper

Seeds have been flying off the “shelves” of online stores.

Got seeds?

Seed sellers across North America have been overwhelmed by skyrocketing demand in recent weeks as home gardeners are preparing to grow their own vegetables in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting around March 16, online seed stores saw a huge spike in orders for vegetable seeds, as fears emerged that the pandemic could threaten food security.

The increase in demand was so dramatic for Wayne Gale and his Canada-based business, Stokes Seeds, that they temporarily closed down their online store for home gardeners, in order to ensure they could fill all of their orders for commercial growers. Gale’s business received around 1,000 orders from home gardeners during the weekend before March 16, a period of time it would usually receive around 350 such orders. “And this is not our peak season. Usually our peak season is the second week of February,” Gale says.

Sellers say that many of their new customers are likely new to the world of gardening, and are cooped up in their homes with a lot of time on their hands. While seed growers think any time is a good time to start growing your own food, they say concerns over the food supply are probably driving a lot of the current interest. Continue reading Vegetable Seeds Are the New Toilet Paper →

How to Jumpstart your Victory Garden

 

By Brain Brath-Modern Farmer, April 6, 2020

Growing food at home has never seemed like a better idea. Here are three approaches to getting started quickly with minimal investment.

Gardeners work on a Victory Garden in 1943.
Photography by Ann Rosener. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Continue reading How to Jumpstart your Victory Garden →

Mining Bees Can Cause Minor Panic

By: Joe Boggs- Buckeye Yard and Garden OnLine – April 4, 2020

Last week, I came across one of the largest collections of soil “mining bees” that I’ve ever seen in Ohio. The “colony” was located in a picnic area and numerous males were making their low-level flights in search of females.  The sparse turfgrass coupled with early-evening lighting made conditions perfect for taking pictures.

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Ticked Off by Ticks

By: Ashley Kulhanekand Christine Gelley, April 1, 2020- Buckeye Yard and Garden OnLine

engorged tick

Ticks are on the move!  Be sure to check yourself and your pets as tick reports ramps up!

While spring is a peak time for tick reports, many ticks are active year-round when temperatures allow.  Now that temperatures are picking up and we are getting out where we can, tick reports have been coming in.

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Virtual Office Hours – Knox AgChat

As you know The Ohio State University has closed all Campuses and Extension offices.  While our office is closed, we are working from home and will continue to do so until we are able to return.   You can reach us by phone (740-397-0401) Monday through Friday from 8 – 5.  You can also reach us anytime by email:

        John – barker.41@osu.edu              Sabrina – schirtzinger.55@osu.edu

In the meantime we are working diligently to create new options to stay in contact with everyone.  With this in mind, beginning Monday April 6 we will begin VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS – Knox AgChat

Knox AgChat will provide us the opportunity to utilize video and/or audio conferencing on your computer or cell phone.  You can join us online here: https://osu.zoom.us/j/3927263521  or join by phone 1-253-215-8782 and enter Meeting ID: 392 726 3521.

We will focus on Ag questions from 7:30 – 8 and Horticulture questions from 8 – 8:30.

Additionally, we plan to periodically invite guest speakers to our chat.  We will post that schedule each week.