Agronomy News

Registration Open for 2026 Ohio State Organic Grains Conference

By:Peggy Kirk Hall, Attorney and Director, Agricultural & Resource Law Program

Interested in or growing organic grains?  Then be sure to attend the fourth annual Ohio State Organic Grains Conference on January 7-8, 2026, at Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio. This popular conference offers programming for experienced organic growers, growers transitioning to or considering organic, and consultants or educators who support these growers.

Featured speakers for 2026 include Willie Hughes from W. Hughes Farm in Janesville, Wisconsin; Dr. Matt Ryan from Cornell University; Dr. Aaron Wilson, Ohio State climate and agricultural weather specialist; and Nate Powell-Palm from the Organic Agronomy Training Service (OATS). Additional panelists and speakers will cover a wide range of agronomic and management topics for organic grain farming, including a session I’ll teach on Farmland Leasing Options for organic growers.

The conference is presented by our OSU Farm Office and Ohio State’s Organic Food & Farming Education and Research (OFFER) program with input from a planning committee of land grant staff and researchers and organic farmers from Ohio and surrounding states. Pre-registration is $140 per person through December 5, and $175 from December 6 through December 26. Attendees can also pay at the door for an additional fee. Continuing education credits will be available for Certified Crop Advisors. For more information and to register, visit go.osu.edu/OrganicGrains.

C.O.R.N. Newsletter: November 18-24

In this edition of the C.O.R.N. Newsletter:

  • The Long “Tail” of Drought Continues – Aaron Wilson
  • Certified Crop Adviser Exam Preparation Class – Lee Beers, CCA, Amanda Douridas, CCA, Stephanie Karhoff, CCA, Greg LaBarge, CPAg/CCA
  • Green Fields Green Dollars S2E4 Discusses Cover Crops: The Silent Weed Warriors – Rachel Cochran Henry, CCA/CPAg, Clint Schroeder
  • Register Today for the 2026 Soil Health Webinar Series – Manbir Rakkar, Asmita Murumkar, Stephanie Karhoff, CCA, Rachel Cochran Henry, CCA/CPAg

C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.

C.O.R.N. Newsletter: November 4-10

In this edition of the C.O.R.N. Newsletter:

  • 2025 Ohio Soybean Performance Trials: Yield Results For All Trial Locations –  Laura Lindsey, Allen Geyer
  • Delayed Wheat Germination and Emergence Due to Dry Soil in Northwest Ohio –  Laura Lindsey, Prabath Senanayaka Mudiyanselage, Jonathan Moore
  • Certified Crop Adviser CEU Credits Available – Nic Baumer, Ambria Small
  • Registration Open for 2026 Ohio State Organic Grains Conference – Eric Richer, CCA, Amanda Douridas, CCA, Stephanie Karhoff, CCA, Cassandra Brown

C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.

C.O.R.N. Newsletter: October 28-November 3

In this edition of the C.O.R.N. Newsletter: 

  • October’s Weather Pulse: Rain Gains, Drought Remains, and Ohio’s First Freeze – Aaron Wilson

C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.

C.O.R.N. Newsletter: October 21-27

In this edition of the C.O.R.N. Newsletter:

  • Green Fields Green Dollars: Manure Management for Profit – Rachel Cochran Henry, CCA/CPAg, Clint Schroeder
  • Forage Management After Drought and a Tough Growing Season – Emma Matcham, Christine Gelley, Ted Wiseman
  • Give Your Sprayer Some TLC by Properly Winterizing – Erdal Ozkan

C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.

C.O.R.N. Newsletter: October 14-20

In this edition of the C.O.R.N. Newsletter:

  • Drought Intensifies in Northwest Ohio while the South Sees Improvement – Aaron Wilson
  • Poultry Litter Application – Glen Arnold, CCA
  • Battle for the Belt: Season 3, Episode 29 – Growing Season Overview and Wrap-Up – Laura Lindsey, Osler Ortez, Taylor Dill, Diego Miranda, Maria Kessler

C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.

 

C.O.R.N. Newsletter: October 7-13

In this edition of the C.O.R.N. Newsletter:

  • Managing Sorghum Species During Fall Frosts – Emma Matcham
  • Battle for the Belt: Season 3, Episode 28 – Green Stem in Soybean – Laura Lindsey, Taylor Dill, Maria Kessler, Diego Miranda, Osler Ortez
  • Use National Nematode Day as Your Reminder: Sample for SCN After Harvest – Horacio Lopez-Nicora

C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State

Annual Cost of Storing Ohio Corn and Soybeans Since 1973

By: Carl Zulauf, Professor Emeritus, Ohio State University; and Eric Richer, Associate Professor and Field Specialist , Ohio State University Extension

The cost of storing the average Ohio corn and soybean bushel since 1973 is examined.  Storage cost is measured three ways:  per bushel, relative to harvest price, and per acre of production.  All three measures are at or near post 1973 highs as total costs to store corn and soybeans have roughly doubled since 2020 and now exceed $1 per bushel for both corn and soybeans over a 12 month storage period.  This notable increase occurred after a long period (1974-2019) during which declining interest rates and thus interest opportunity storage cost per bushel largely offset increasing physical storage cost per bushel.  These storylines underscored the important role of interest rates and thus interest opportunity cost in offsetting or reinforcing on-going increases in physical storage cost.  The reinforcing role has been especially noticeable since 2020.

Procedures:

Starting this study with the 1974 marketing year postdates the increase in price variability that occurred in the early 1970s (Kenyon, Jones, and McGuirk).  The study ends with the last complete marketing year, 2024.  Cash price is the average monthly price paid to Ohio farmers by first handlers as reported by USDA (US Department of Agriculture), National Agricultural Statistics Service.  Storage starts in October, the month with the lowest average cash price.  Storage cost includes (a) physical storage cost at commercial facilities to keep the crop in useable condition and (b) interest opportunity cost of storing instead of selling at harvest.  Annual physical storage cost is from USDA, Commodity Credit Corporation through the 2005 marketing year.  Thereafter, it is for an Ohio country elevator, cross checked with another first delivery point.  Interest opportunity storage cost is calculated by multiplying (a) the October Ohio cash price times (b) the average one year US Treasury bill rate quoted on an investment basis for October as reported by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Physical storage cost for corn and soybeans can vary, even within a state, across different local markets in any year due, in part, to different local supply and demand conditions for storage.  Moreover, the structure of commercial storage cost for corn and soybeans often varies from year to year.  Common structures are (a) monthly or daily charge per bushel, (b) monthly or daily charge per bushel plus an upfront charge, and (c) an initial charge for a period, for example 3 months, then a monthly or daily charge per bushel.  To create a standard format across years, physical storage cost were converted into a cost for the year (i.e., 12 months of storage). Continue reading Annual Cost of Storing Ohio Corn and Soybeans Since 1973 →

C.O.R.N. Newsletter: Spetember 30-October 6

In this edition of the C.O.R.N. Newsletter:

  • Title: Heavy Rain For Some, Status Quo For Others – Aaron Wilson
  • Green Fields Green Dollars Explores Drainage Economics in Season 2, Episode 2 – Rachel Cochran Henry, CCA/CPAg, Clint Schroeder
  • Battle for the Belt: Season 3, Episode 27 – Corn Stalk Quality Considerations – Diego Miranda, Maria Kessler, Taylor Dill, Laura Lindsey, Osler Ortez
  • Lep Monitoring Network – Fall armyworm, Last Update # 23 – Amy Raudenbush, Nic Baumer, Frank Becker, Don Hammersmith, Mary Jo Hassen, Seth Kannberg, Ed Lentz, CCA, Sarah Noggle, Jordan Penrose, Frank Thayer, Kyle Verhoff, Jacob Winters, Curtis Young, CCA, Andy Michel, Kelley Tilmon

C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.

C.O.R.N. Newsletter: September 23-29

In this edition of the C.O.R.N. Newsletter: 

  • Title: Drought Expands – Some Relief Has Arrived – Aaron Wilson
  • Lep Monitoring Network – Fall armyworm # 22 – Amy Raudenbush, Nic Baumer, Don Hammersmith, Mary Jo Hassen, Alan Leininger, Ed Lentz, CCA, Les Ober, CCA, Jordan Penrose, Kyle Verhoff, Jacob Winters, Curtis Young, CCA, Andy Michel, Kelley Tilmon
  • Battle for the Belt: Season 3, Episode 26: Soybean Harvest Considerations after a Dry Season – Maria Kessler, Taylor Dill, Diego Miranda, Laura Lindsey, Osler Ortez
  • Combine and Field Fire Prevention and Preparation – Wayne Dellinger, CCA, Dee Jepsen

C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.