Month: February 2021

Educational programs for the week of February 22nd, it’s not too late to join!

ANR Programming Newsletter: Week of February 22, 2021

 

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22

Ohio Cow/Calf Management Webinar School

6:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Planning for the Future of Your Farm Workshop

6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

 

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23

Commercial Agricultural and Horticultural Field Crop Pesticide Applicator Recertification Webinar

8:30 am to 3:30 pm

Ag Tech Tuesdays (Virtual)

10:00 am to 11:00 am

 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24

Water Quality Wednesdays (Virtual) – February 24, 2021

10:00 am – 11:30 am

Southern Ohio Farm Show (Virtual)

10:00 am to 11:00 am

Technology and Data Management on the Dairy Farm- Mini Series Session 2 (Virtual)

12:30 pm to 1:30 pm

2021 Ohio Cattle Feeding School (Virtual)

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25

The Dirt on Soil Health: Investing Below the Surface (Virtual)

8:00 am to 8:30 am

Agricultural Fertilizer FIRST-TIME Certification Webinar

8:30 am to 12:15 pm

Disease Management Options for Today’s Weather (Virtual)

9:00 am to 10:30 am

Farm Bill Webinar: ARC & PLC 2021 Crop Year

9:00 am to 11:00 am

East Ohio Women In Agriculture Program Series

12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

 

Updates on farm related legislation

Written by Peggy Kirk Hall, Associate Professor, Agricultural & Resource Law

The Ohio General Assembly is off and running in its new session.  Many bills that affect agriculture in Ohio are already on the move.   Here’s a summary of those that are gaining the most momentum or attention.

Tax Conformity Bill – S.B. 18 and H.B. 48.  The Senate has already passed its version of this bill, which conforms our state tax code with recent changes to the Internal Revenue Code made in the latest COVID-19 stimulus provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act.  Both the Senate and the House will also exempt forgiven Paycheck Protection Program second-draw loan proceeds from the Commercial Activity Tax.  The Senate version additionally exempts Bureau of Workers Compensation dividend rebates from the Commercial Activity Tax beginning in 2020, but the House bill does not.  Both bills include “emergency” language that would make the provisions effective in time for 2020 tax returns.

Beginning farmers tax credits – H.B. 95.  A slightly different version of this bill is returning after not passing in the last legislative session.  The bi-partisan bill aims to assist beginning farmers through several temporary income tax credits:

  • Businesses that sell or rent agricultural assets such as land, animals, facilities or equipment to certified beginning farmers can receive a 5% income tax credit for sales, a 10% of gross rental income credit for cash rents, and 15% of gross rental income for share rents.
  • Certified beginning farmers can receive an income tax credit equal to the cost of participating in a certified financial management program.

Beginning farmers, among other requirements, are those in or seeking entry into farming in Ohio within the last ten years who are not a partner, member or shareholder with the owner of the agricultural assets and who have a net worth of less than $800,000 in 2021, which adjusts for inflation in subsequent years.  Beginning farmers must be certified by the Ohio Department of Agriculture or a land grant institution.  The House Agriculture and Conservation Committee will discuss the bill at its meeting on February 16.

Wind and solar facilities – S.B. 52.  In addition to revising setback and safety specifications for wind turbines, this proposal would amend Ohio township zoning law to establish a referendum process for large wind and solar facility certificates.  The bill would require a person applying for a certificate for a large wind or solar facility to notify the township trustees and share details of the proposed facility.  That notification sets up opportunities for the township trustees or residents of the township to object to the application and submit the proposed application to a vote of township residents.  A certificate would not take effect unless approved by a majority of the voters.  A first hearing on S.B. 52 will be held on Tuesday, February 16 before the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee.

Grants for broadband services – H.B. 2 and S.B. 8.  The Senate passed its version of this bill last week, which sets up a $20 million competitive grant program for broadband providers to extend broadband services throughout the state.  The proposal would also allow broadband providers to use electric cooperative easements and poles, subject to procedures and restrictions.  The bill had its second hearing before the House Finance Committee last week.

Eminent domain – H.B. 63.   Based on a similar bill that didn’t pass last session, this bill changes eminent domain law in regard to property taken for the use of recreational trails, which include public trails used for hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, ski touring, canoeing and other non-motorized recreational travel.  H.B. 63 would allow a landowner to submit a written request asking a municipality or township to veto the use of eminent domain for a recreational trail within its borders.   The bill would also allow a landowner to object to a use of eminent domain for any purpose at any time prior to a court order for the taking, rather than limiting that time period to ten days as in current law.   The bill had its first hearing before the House Civil Justice Committee last week.

Minimum wage increases.  S. B. 51 and H.B. 69.  Bills on each side of the General Assembly propose gradually increasing the state minimum wage to $15, but have different paths for reaching that amount.  S.B. 51 proposes increasing the wage to $12/hour in 2022, followed by $1/hour increases each year and reaching $15 by 2025, which is when a federal bill proposes to establish the $15 minimum wage.  H.B. 69 begins at $10/hour in 2022 with $1/hour increases annually, reaching $15 in 2027.  S.B. 51 was referred last week to the Workforce and Higher Education Committee and H.B. 69 was referred to the Commerce and Labor Committee.

Hay quality – What a difference a year makes, or does it.

Here is an article I worked on with Ted Wiseman from Perry County.

We can certainly say this past year has had its challenges. However, quality of forages made in 2020 was much better for most compared to the previous two years.  Weather conditions were more favorable especially for first cutting. The late frost in May set our forages back and for many first cutting forage yields were extremely low. Second, third and four cuttings were better, but overall hay supplies are tight again for some.

Again in 2020 Extension Educators in 10 counties have collected forage samples from across the state. Chart 1 is data collected in 2019. I know we would like to forget the condition of forages in 2019, but I have included it for comparison to forage quality in chart 2 for 2020. To clarify most of these samples are not from the same producer or the same fields. This demonstration is to make a simple comparison of the overall quality of random forage samples.

Percent TDN (total digestible nutrients) is a measure of the amount of energy in the feed.  Basically, this equates to the number of calories. Percent protein shown as the yellow horizontal line is a measure of the protein that is available to the animal for maintaining muscle and body systems. It is also very important for development of the calf she is carrying. In both charts the vertical blue bars represent 1st cutting hay samples while the vertical orange bars represent 2nd cutting.

For a 1200-pound cow, a TDN level of 60% is needed for a cow in peak lactation, 54% at calving, and 49% for the last trimester. The corresponding protein levels for each of these times would be 8, 10 and 11 percent, respectively. Looking at the charts you will notice that in 2019 we certainly had some issues with meeting cattle TDN requirements with first cutting hay. Although many would have been adequate for the last trimester and at calving. In 2020 samples tended to be much better and would have met their nutritional needs for most.

However, for both years some samples still fall short of having high enough levels of energy or protein for the 3 stages of pregnancy in this example. It is also notable that higher TDN levels do not translate into higher protein levels regardless of what time of year the forage was harvested.

No matter how good or bad of a forage harvest season we have. It is extremely beneficial for producers to collect forage samples. Regardless of what specie of livestock you have, knowing what the quality of forage you are feeding is well worth the costs of the sample.

2021 Ohio Land Grant Hemp Conference: Looking Back to Plan for the Future!

This two day conference is brought to you buy OSU Extension and Central State University. On March 5th, join the OSU Extension team for day of virtual sessions that will cover topics such as fiber, pest management, economics, and more! Then join the Central State team on March 6th for a virtual trade show, highlighting hemp processors, seed and clone companies, equipment, and more! This conference is free but registration is required. Registration link is below; deadline to register is March 3rd at 11:59 PM EST. If you have any questions, please contact Cindy Folck at afolck@centralstate.edu or Teresa Funk at funk.67@osu.edu.

2021-2022 Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide is now available

The new Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide is available for free online at https://edustore.purdue.edu/item.asp?Item_Number=ID-465

Print copies are available locally for $15 but please notify us before coming in as the number in Ohio is limited and we will need to have it delivered to us.  Printed versions are also available at the link above and will be shipped to you at an additional cost.

March 15th is the last day to complete enrollment for 2021 ARC/PLC programs with FSA

The link at the bottom of this article will take you to a very good recorded video presentation by Ben Brown on making your decision.

Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage for the 2021 Crop Year

by: Mary Griffith, Chris Zoller, Hallie Williams, OSU Extension Educators

Enrollment for the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2021 crop year opened in October, with the deadline to enroll and make amendments to program elections on March 15, 2021. This signup is for potential payments for the 2021 crop.

If changes are not made by the March 15th deadline, the election defaults to the programs selected for the 2020 crop year with no penalty. While it is optional to make changes to program elections, producers are required to enroll (sign a contract) each year to be eligible to receive payments. So, even if you do not change your program elections, you will still need to make an appointment at the Farm Service Agency to sign off on enrollment for the 2021 crop year by that March 15th deadline.

Producers have the option to enroll covered commodities in either ARC-County, ARC-Individual, or PLC. Program elections are made on a crop-by-crop basis unless selecting ARC-Individual where all crops under that FSA Farm Number fall under that program. These are the same program options that were available to producers during the 2019 and 2020 crop years. In some cases producers may want to amend program election to better manage the potential risks facing their farms during the 2021 crop year.

As you consider amending your program choices, here are some important reminders:

  • PLC payments are triggered by low prices. PLC is a disaster price program and pays when the marketing year average price is below a reference price. The marketing year average price (MYAP) is an average price calculated using cash prices across the nation over the course of a year. The 2021 marketing year for wheat is May, 2021 – June, 2022 and for corn and soybeans is August, 2021 – September, 2022. This means that the MYAP for 2021 for wheat will not be known until June, 2022 and the MYAP for corn and soybeans will not be known until September, 2022. PLC payments will only be triggered for a covered commodity if the MYAP published at the end of the marketing year are below the reference price. The reference price for corn is $3.70, for soybeans is $8.40, and for wheat is $5.50.
  • ARC-County payments are triggered by low county revenues. Revenues are calculated using the market year average price times the county average yield. When producers enrolled for 2019 and 2020, they were enrolling after the 2019 crop had been harvested. Yields for 2019 were known at the time of the enrollment deadline for that year. For the 2021 crop year, producers will be enrolling before the crop is planted.
  • Producers have less information about both price and yields for the 2021 enrollment period, compared to the last enrollment period. When producers enrolled for 2019 and 2020, we were more than halfway through the marketing year for each crop, so there was much more information on price expectation. For the 2021 crop year, producers will be enrolling before the marketing year begins.
  • The maximum ARC-IC payment is triggered in cases where an FSA Farm has 100% Prevent Plant acres. At the time of enrollment for the 2019 crop year, producers knew if they had FSA Farms that fit this description and were able to use that information to decide if ARC-IC was a good fit for a FSA Farm. For the 2021 crop year, producers will need to decide by March 15th if ARC-IC is still the right choice for those farms without knowledge of how many acres they will have in Prevent Plant. While some FSA Farms triggered large payments for ARC-IC in 2019, producers may want to re-assess this program election for the 2021 crop year if they do not expect to put those farms in 100% Prevent Plant in 2021.

For most producers, the number one consideration driving program election is the markets. What are markets going to do? We will not know the MYA price for corn or soybeans until September of 2022, and a lot could change in that time.

OSU Extension and the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics (AEDE) are offering several webinars between now and the March 15th enrollment deadline for producers to get up to date market outlook information. For information about AEDE’s 2021 Winter Outlook Meetings, visit https://aede.osu.edu/research/agricultural-policy-and-outlook-conferences/county-meetings.

Additionally, OSU Extension will be offering two webinars this winter focused specifically on the ARC/PLC decision, reviewing decision-tool calculators available to evaluate options, and current market outlook. The dates for these webinars are January 13th from 1:00-3:00 pm and February 25th from 9 -11 am. Both programs are free to attend, but registration is required. Register online at: http://go.osu.edu/arcplc2021.

2021 BUCKEYE FRESH MINI MEAT CUTTING WORKSHOPS

Want to learn more about food animal processing? Ohio State University extension meat specialists are offering a two-day
workshop to help the current labor force face challenges brought forth by the 2020 pandemic.

What To Expect: Participants will have a better understanding of anatomy, muscle myology, cutting guidelines, food safety, meat quality, the role of processed meat and government regulated non-meat ingredients (i.e. salt, phosphates, nitrites, etc.) finalized by conducting hands-on cutting tests to understand the impact of yields on profit margins.

WORKSHOP DATES

Workshops are Friday and Saturday

8 AM – 5 PM

Choose one of the following dates:

  • March 26 & 27
  • April 9 & 10
  • April 23 & 24
  • May 7 & 8
  • May 21 & 22

Who Can Attend: Anyone (18 years of age and older) interested, or currently, working in meat processing plants.

Cost: $125 (for both days)

Method of Payment: Credit Card

Location: OSU Animal Sciences Building, The Ohio State University Room 111 – Indoor Arena; 2029 Fyffe Court, Columbus, OH 43210

See flyer for registration: 2021 BUCKEYE FRESH MINI MEAT CUTTING WORKSHOPS FLIER FINAL (002)

Educational programs for the week of February 15th.

ANR Programming Newsletter: Week of February 15, 2021

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15

Ohio Cow/Calf Management Webinar School

06:00pm to 07:00pm

Planning for the Future of Your Farm Workshop

06:30pm to 08:30pm

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16

Ag Tech Tuesdays (Virtual)

10:00am to 11:00am

High Tunnel Production School (Virtual)

12:30pm to 01:30pm

Small Ruminant Production Webinars

07:00pm to 08:00pm

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17

Commercial New Applicator Training Webinar

(All day)

Southern Ohio Farm Show (Virtual)

10:00am to 11:00am

Organic Winter Webinars

11:00am to 12:00pm

Technology and Data Management on the Dairy Farm- Mini Series Session 1 (Virtual)

12:30pm to 01:30pm

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18

The Dirt on Soil Health: Investing Below the Surface (Virtual)

08:00am to 08:30am

Managing Water in Today’s Wet and Dry Growing Seasons (Virtual)

08:30am to 10:00am

Disease Management Options for Today’s Weather (Virtual)

09:00am to 10:30am

GAPs Training Webinar

06:00pm to 09:00pm

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19

County Outlook Meeting (Virtual)

10:00am to 11:30am

SATURDAY. FEBRUARY 6

OSU Junior Swine Day (Virtual)

09:00am to 12:30pm

 

Private Pesticide and Fertilizer Re-certification Options

If your private pesticide or fertilizer license expires the deadline has been extended to July 1st, 2021.  Due to the COVID pandemic we have some new options for receiving education for re-certification. There are two virtual options and and in-person options.

  • On February 16th, we will offer a virtual Zoom Class you can watch from home and view the presentations on a computer or mobile device. This class will cover Pesticides from 6-9 p.m. and Fertilizer from 9-10 p.m. The fee for this will be $35 for Pesticide or Both. Online registration is available at go.osu.edu/pestsafety and has the option to pay online with a credit card or to mail a check to the Extension office. The meeting link will be emailed to you about a day before the meeting and after registration and payment have been received.
  • An online work at your own pace recertification class is also offered. Visit pested.osu.edu and scroll down to “2021 Ohio Self-Paced Online Pesticide and Fertilizer Recertification” for registration links. The cost for this is $35 for Pesticide and $15 for Fertilizer.
  • In person classes will be offered in Licking County on March 9th and March 16th. Both will be held from 12-3 p.m. for Pesticide and 3-4 p.m. for Fertilizer. The cost will be $35. Masks will be required, and we will not be able to provide lunch. Registration is available online at go.osu.edu/lickingpat and contains a payment link or you can call the office at 740-670-5315 and mail a check. Due to COVID related social distancing space will be limited in these meetings and we will not be able to accept walk-ins.
  • For those only needing fertilizer re-certification, an in person class will be offered in Licking County on March 22nd  from 7-8 p.m. The cost will be $10. Masks will be required.  You can call the office at 740-670-5315 and to register

One final note, ODA has a $30 fee to issue a renewed license and that needs to be sent to ODA. You should have received a letter from them around the first of the year. Extension has the fees that are listed above to cover expenses related to providing the education portion. I am asking to have those paid in advance this year to help with social distancing at check-in. Feel free to call me directly at 740-618-6332 with questions.