I have installed a weather station by some of my on-farm research trials near Centerburg. This station records weather data every 5 minutes.
The following summary list the various types of weather data i am able to collect.
If you need local weather data to update your records, click the link below.
Today managing your wheat crop requires knowledge of the different growth stages of the plant. Growth stage identification is critical for scouting and proper timing of fertilizer and pesticide applications. Each week throughout the rest of the growing season I will discuss the various wheat growth stages I am seeing in our wheat fields and management issues at each stage. This week I will focus on Feekes 5. Most of our wheat has progressed to the Feekes 5 growth stage, some fields are in Feekes 6 growth stage.
Feekes 5 – Leaf sheaths strongly erect.
The beginning of the stem elongation phase. The pseudo-stem is strongly erect and leaf sheaths are elongated. The developing head reaches the terminal spikelet stage and is pushed up into the pseudo-stem.
Terminal spikelet occurs at Feekes 5. This stage marks the completion of the spikelet initiation phase. At this stage, the number of spikelets per head has been determined. Stress during this stage can reduce total number of kernels per head.
The first hollow stem stage occurs when there is approximately 0.6 inch of hollow stem below the developing head. Crop water use is about 0.1 inch per day.
Management.
This is an ideal stage for spring topdress nitrogen application. Weed control efforts should be made prior to or during Feekes 5.0 with 2,4-D and other labeled herbicides. This is also a good stage to begin scouting for foliar diseases. Tillers developing after this time are not expected to contribute to yield.
By: Robert Moore, OSU Extension
The federal estate tax exemption is set to drop dramatically in 2026—from $13.99 million in 2025 to an estimated $7–$7.5 million per person. For some farm families, this shift could result in significant estate tax exposure. While most estates won’t exceed the new limit, some farmers, especially those with high-value farmland or appreciating assets, will find themselves suddenly at risk of federal estate taxes.
Gifting is one strategy to reduce the size of your taxable estate, but it’s not always simple or risk-free. Let’s explore when gifting can help, when it might not, and what to watch out for.
Two Types of Gifts
There are two main gifting categories under federal law:
Example: If a parent gifts a $1,019,000 farm to a child, the first $19,000 is exempt from taxes and does not reduce the parent’s estate tax exemption. The remaining $1,000,000 reduces the parent’s lifetime estate tax exemption from $13.99 million to $12.99 million.
Gifting Strategies That Work
1. Annual Exclusion Gifts
If you’re just slightly over the expected 2026 exemption, annual gifts can move you back under the limit.
Example: A grandparent with 10 grandchildren can gift $190,000 per year. Over 2 years, that’s $380,000—enough to reduce a modest estate and eliminate taxes.
But for high-net-worth individuals, $19,000 per person may be too little to make a significant impact.
2. Lifetime Gifts of Appreciating Assets
Large gifts don’t directly reduce estate tax liability (since they reduce your exemption), but they remove future appreciation from your estate.
Example: If you gift farmland worth $1M that later appreciates to $3M, only $1M is deducted from your estate tax exemption — the $2M in appreciation escapes estate taxation entirely.
Potential Downsides of Gifting
Another Strategy: Pay Directly for Education & Medical Expenses
The IRS allows unlimited direct payments of tuition or medical bills without using your exemption. But payments must go straight to the provider, not to the individual.
Example: Grandpa has a $9 million estate and wants to reduce its size before the federal estate tax exemption drops in 2026. He has four grandchildren in college and a daughter who recently underwent surgery.
Grandpa pays the following directly:
Total Reduction in Taxable Estate: $105,000
Impact on Exemption: None—these payments do not count against Joe’s $13.99 million estate tax exemption or annual gift limit, because they qualify under the IRS educational and medical exclusions. Grandpa could still give each of those recipients an additional $19,000 under the annual gift exclusion without any tax consequences.
Conclusion: Gift With Caution and Professional Help
Gifting can be an effective estate tax strategy—but only when used thoughtfully and with professional guidance. Consider the loss of stepped-up basis, the asset’s appreciation potential, your own financial needs, and the stability of the recipient. For some, the risks of gifting may outweigh the benefits.
With estate tax rules changing in 2026, now is the time to review your estate plan. Consult your attorney and tax advisor to determine if gifting fits your strategy—and how to do it safely.
For more information on gifting and estate taxes, see the Gifting to Reduce Federal Estate Taxes bulletin available at farmoffice.osu.edu.
Brownfield’s Weekly Commodity update featuring former OSU Extension Ag Economist Ben Brown. This week Will and Ben discuss how tightening corn ending stocks sets the futures market up for gains if adverse weather lowers yield potential this summer.
Topics:
Market recap (changes on week as of Friday’s close):
Weekly highlights:
U.S. retail sales in March surged to a 26-month high. Consumer product chains warn that it was a lot of panic buying ahead of anticipated U.S. tariffs on imports.
The National Oilseed Processors Association reported their members crushed 194.6 million bushels in March- down 3 million from expectations, but up 16.7 million bushels from the disappointing February value.
Again, this week crude oil stocks were higher (+21.6 million gallons) while U.S gasoline and distillate fuels were down 82.2 and 77.7 million gallons respectively. U.S. gasoline demand was flat week over week.
U.S. ethanol production fell to 298 million gallons matching a calendar year low. Ethanol stocks decreased 9.24 million gallons, but remain seasonally high.
Weekly export sales of grains and oilseeds were mixed. Corn sales of 61.5 million bushels are 2.5 months high, soybean sales of 20.4 million bushels are a six-week high. Grain sorghum and cotton export sales were average. Wheat and rice sales were somewhat disappointing.
U.S. cattle on feed as of April 1, 2025 was down 1.6% year over year- nearly matching expectations. Placements and marketings in March at +5.1% and +1.1%, respectively were both slightly higher than expected.
Open interest in futures and options positions of grains and oilseeds fell 4% week over week. Producers and merchants were net sellers expanding their short position while money mangers were net buyers of 208,757 contracts- decreasing their short position.
U.S. export inspections were bullish for grains and neutral to bullish for oilseeds for the second straight week. Corn and wheat inspections came in above all expectations at 67.0 and 18.7 million bushels, respectively. Soybean inspections were as expected at 20.2 million bushels.
U.S. corn planting was 4% this week- a little behind the 5% average for this time of year and behind the 6% trade expectation. U.S. soybean planting is at 2% matching the 2% on average but also behind the 3% expected in pre-report expectations.
U.S. winter wheat conditions were 47% good to excellent- down 1 point from the week prior but matching trade expectations. The value compares to 55% good to excellent this time last year.
In no-till corn and soybean fields, it is essential to apply herbicides with foliar activity before crop emergence to control existing weeds. Depending upon the herbicide approach used in the field for that year, herbicides used to control weeds at planting may include glyphosate or paraquat. Use of herbicide combinations in burndown treatments is justified in most no-till fields, due to the variety of winter annual weeds present. Consider fall herbicide treatments in fields that are heavily infested with such species as chickweed, marestail, dandelion, wild carrot, and poison hemlock.
Brownfield’s Weekly Commodity update featuring former OSU Extension Ag Economist Ben Brown. This week Will and Ben review the latest USDA acreage and stocks numbers and take a look at what Trump’s reciprocal tariffs mean for agriculture.
Topics:
Market recap (changes on week as of Friday’s close):
Weekly highlights:
Consumer confidence dropped in March to 92.9, down 7.2 points from 100.1 in February. This is the fourth consecutive monthly decline.
Personal incomes were higher than expected in February while spending was slightly less. The PCE index at 0.3% matched expectations and the prior months increase signaling prices remain stubborn.
Energy stocks were largely down week over week. Crude oil minus the strategic petroleum reserve was down 140.3 million gallons, gasoline down 60.7 million gallons, and distillate fuel down 17.7 million gallons.
US ethanol production decreased to 310 million gallons- down from 325 million gallons the week prior and matching the same volume last year. US ethanol stocks increased 32.6 million gallons.
Weekly grain and oilseed export sales were largely as expected, but mostly down week over week and recent volumes. Corn sales- 49.9 million bushels, soybean sales-12.4 million bushels, wheat- 3.7 million bushels, rice- 2.2 million hundredweight, and cotton- 89,000 bales.
Open interest in futures and options of grains and oilseeds was up 0.3% week over week. Producer and merchants decreased their net short 109,703 futures and options contracts. Money managers increased their net short 108,996 contracts.
USDA released grain stocks as of March 1- grain stocks were nearly as estimated across the board. Corn and rough rice stocks were down year over year, while soybean and sorghum stocks were up year over year.
USDA reported farmers intend to plant 95.3 million corn acres, 83.5 million soybean acres, 6.09 million soft red winter wheat acres, 9.87 million cotton acres, and 2.9 million rice acres.
Weekly grain and oilseed export inspections were relatively strong this week. Corn exports of 63.6 million bushels were bullish coming in above all pre-report expectations. Soybeans, grain sorghum, and wheat exports at 29.1, 0.9, and 16.0 million bushels were at the top end of expectations.
Source: USDA
Nationally, corn planted area for all purposes in 2025 is estimated at 95.3 million acres, up 5 percent or 4.73 million acres from last year. Compared with last year, planted acreage is expected to be up or unchanged in 40 of the 48 estimating States.
Ohio farmers intend to plant less corn and more soybean acreage in 2025 than they did last year, according to Ben Torrance, State Statistician, USDA NASS, Ohio Field Office.
Ohio corn producers intend to plant 3.25 million acres of corn this spring, down 4 percent from last year. Ohio soybean acreage is forecast at 5.10 million acres for 2025, up 1 percent from last year. Hay harvested area for 2025 is estimated at 830 thousand acres, up 5 percent from 2024. This includes alfalfa, grain, and all other types of hay intended to be harvested for dry hay.
Winter wheat acreage for 2025 harvest is estimated at 570,000 acres, up 10 percent from the previous year.
U.S. soybean planted area for 2025 is estimated at 83.5 million acres, down 4 percent from last year. Compared with last year, planted acreage is down or unchanged in 23 of the 29 estimating States.
Nationally, all wheat planted area for 2025 is estimated at 45.4 million acres, down 2 percent from 2024. If realized, this represents the second lowest all wheat planted area since records began in 1919. The 2025 winter wheat planted area, at 33.3 million acres, is down 2 percent from the previous estimate and down less than 1 percent from last year. Of this total, about 23.6 million acres are Hard Red Winter, 6.09 million acres are Soft Red Winter, and 3.66 million acres are White Winter. Area expected to be planted to other spring wheat for 2025 is estimated at 10.0 million acres, down 6 percent from 2024 estimate. Of this total, about 9.40 million acres are Hard Red Spring wheat. Durum planted area for 2025 is expected to total 2.02 million acres, down 2 percent from the previous year.
Farm transition planning is an essential process for agricultural operations. However, identifying and tracking assets and resources and preparing for transition planning can present significant challenges for farm families. To assist with these tasks, Ohio State University Extension has developed the Farm Asset and Resource Management Spreadsheet (FARMS), designed to provide a structured approach to organizing farm transition information.
What is FARMS?
FARMS is an Excel-based resource designed to support farm families and agricultural professionals in collecting and systematically organizing all necessary information related to farm transition planning. Whether at the preliminary stage or already engaged in detailed succession planning, FARMS enables users to input and manage varying levels of data effectively. See example screenshots below for further explanation.
What Information Does FARMS Collect?
Farms collects all the following information:
What Does Farms Do with the Collected Information?
FARMS uses the information provided by the user to do the following:
How to Use FARMS?
Given its foundation in Excel, users should possess at least a basic familiarity with spreadsheet navigation. Training videos are available on YouTube to assist new users with becoming familiar with FARMS, explaining how to enter data and use the summary and analysis functions. A link to the training videos is provided below. Additionally, OSU Extension occasionally provides training sessions for potential users. It is recommended to review the training videos or attend a training session before using FARMS.
Who Should Use FARMS?
FARMS is suited for anyone involved in the farm transition planning process, from family members beginning their farm transition plan to professional advisors engaged in developing detailed transition strategies for clients.
Accessing FARMS
To begin using FARMS, interested users can download the file at the link provided below. We request users complete an initial, short survey prior to downloading FARMS, as user feedback is important to the ongoing improvement of the spreadsheet. FARMS is available at no cost due to the financial support of key partners including North Central Extension Risk Management Education and the National Agricultural Law Center.
Conclusion
FARMS offers a structured, organized approach to farm transition planning, allowing farm families and professionals to collect comprehensive, accurate information. For additional information and to begin utilizing FARMS, visit Ohiofarmoffice.osu.edu and discover how FARMS can positively impact your farm’s transition planning efforts.
Links for FARMS
Training Videos are available here: https://www.youtube.com/@osufarmoffice
FARMS can be downloaded here: https://farmoffice.osu.edu/farmsspreadsheet
Upcoming FARMS Online Training Courses
Click on registration link to register for the course.
April 7 @ 10:00 am: https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/oJmnwm-VQx6XjqvBh7J0aA
April 16 @ 10:00 am: https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/iY9cLoJeQwS0rUHkHr3DpA
April 23 @ 1:00 pm: https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/vT_-X56FQQqBT63fKUQW4g
May 2 @ 3:00 pm: https://osu.zoom.us/meeting/register/KmbdTjq2SryLkYNOaevp3Q
Ohio has over 76,000 farms and 13 million acres of farmland. In such a large and diverse industry, conflicts commonly arise that can lead to disputes, litigation, and appeals. Ultimately, these conflicts can cause harmful effects that threaten the viability of Ohio agriculture.
The goal of Ohio Farm Resolution Services at The Ohio State University (OFRS) is to cultivate solutions to the conflicts that impact Ohio’s farms and farm families. Established in October of 2023 with funding from the USDA Farm Service Agency’s Certified Mediation Program, OFRS serves Ohio agriculture with a three-pronged approach to helping resolve farm conflicts that will provide:
What issues will we cover? The types of issues OFRS will address include:
If you have a farm conflict issue we can help you with now, please e-mail program director Robert Moore at moore.301@osu.edu.
