Month: June 2023

Registration open for 2023 drainage field day at Ohio State Lima

The 2023 Drainage Installation Field Day will be held from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Tuesday, July 25, at the Ohio State Lima Regenerative Farm. Field demonstrations will be conducted by the Ohio Land Improvement Contractors of America in an open-house-style format throughout the day. Lunch will be provided and will include a short educational presentation by Bruce Clevenger, Farm Management Field Specialist, about crop yields and the economic benefits of drainage and drainage water management. The event is free and open to the public. Parking will be available off Thayer Road. Register here.

Cover crops add a tool to deal with varying moisture levels

Before the million-dollar rain the whole region was waiting for began falling, the first corn crop planted into a cover crop at Ohio State Lima’s Regenerative Farm was struggling to form an even growth pattern due to the dry conditions. The 1.2” that fell on the farm June 11 broke a 23-day dry spell in northwest Ohio and gives any corn that was lagging enough moisture to grow.

Seeing how the crop develops in a variety of situations is just part of the process for farmer Todd Mason as he tends to the fields that are essentially a giant learning lab in addition to a working farm. Except for the 35 acres of conventional tillage test comparison plots, the whole farm is now in a cover crop rotation, which gives Mason a new tool to work with.

Early this spring when things were soggy, Mason let the cover crops grow a little longer to soak up more of the water to get him on to the fields. It worked and all the crops were in just in time for the dry streak.

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