As I was out and about this past week I noticed a lot of people tilling. Wide ranges of tilling methods are used in Washington County from moldboard to no-till. Growing up at home, the moldboard plow was the only method I knew of.  Cutting 3, 16” furrows at a time behind our International 666 was quite a process!  After a short time at Agriculture College and after discussions with friends of farming families across the state of Ohio, I learned that a moldboard plow is a thing of the past for most.

So why do we plow? For us, we plowed because that’s what grandpa taught us, and that’s what his dad taught him. Traditionally, farmers plowed as an act of disease and pest management in their fields. In the recent past there has been a movement toward no-till and conservation tillage systems in agriculture. Tillage is less desirable these days for many reasons: increased fuel and machinery costs, time, decreases organic matter near the soil surface, and new technology in pest management, just to name a few. But tilling is not bad in all cases.

No-till practices are fast and easy. It helps to build organic matter in soil and reduce soil erosion. It can be challenging in poorly drained soils, which we have plenty of in Washington County. Another big concern we have with no-till is that it forces us to rely on herbicide spray programs for weed control.

Moldboard plows are a great way to control weeds and prepare level seedbed after alfalfa or grass sod. However moldboard plowing can cause significant amounts of soil erosion resulting in a loss of nutrients and leave a hard pan below the soil surface that can be hard for roots to penetrate.

Conservation tillage is using equipment that leaves at least 30% of the soil surface with plant residue after planting. This is done with equipment such as chisel plow, disks, and field cultivators. This method is often faster and takes less fuel than moldboard plowing and though it may not be as effective as the moldboard at weed control, it will help.

After more education on tillage management we made the decision at home to take action and help reduce soil erosion. Last year we purchased a field cultivator and traded our old corn planter in for a no-till corn planter. This past year we spent less than 1/10 of the time we typically spend tilling and planting our ground and we saw an increase in yields. The change for us has been good, but my dad is not quite ready to get rid of the old moldboard yet.

Warm weather in the forecast and I see green as grass finally starts to grow. This is the time of year we like to make a walk around the farm and check fence lines. Winter can often bring down trees and increased wildlife pressure as the dormant underbrush makes accessing and cleaning fences easier. Doing routine checks and keeping well maintained fence lines is extremely important for any property owner. But those who have livestock on that line fence have a little more at stake. As most know, livestock owners are responsible for any damage that occurs due to escaped animals. That damage could be an animal hit on the road or crop damage to a neighbor’s field. A 2008 revision to the line fence law brought about some changes to those building a line fence.

Some important things to remember:

• The reimbursement procedure may only be used if:
  • An adjoining owner uses the partition fence for the purpose of containing livestock within thirty years after the fence was built.
  • The adjoining owner or his/her predecessors did not contribute to the costs of building and maintaining the fence.
• The new law sets standards for line fences that contain livestock and are constructed after the date the law became effective. After September 30, 2008, a line fence that contains livestock must meet the law’s definition of ―preferred partition fence.  A preferred partition fence is any of the following:
  • A woven wire fence of either standard or high tensile wire and topped with one or two strands of barbed wire that is at least 48 inches from the ground.
  • A nonelectric high tensile fence with at least seven strands of wire constructed in accordance with NRCS standards.
  • A barbed wire, electric or live fence to which the adjoining landowners agree, in writing.
• Adjoining landowners may agree to a different line fence for containing the livestock; if so, the preferred partition fence rule would not apply. The landowners’ agreement must be in writing and recorded with the county recorder.
• Landowner must allow the neighbor ten feet for the construction and maintenance to the fence. However, the neighbor is responsible for any harm done to the property. Landowners may demand clearing within four feet of a line fence. If then neighbor fails to do so, township trusties may order the fence row cleared and asses cost to the landowners property taxes. (Peggy Hall, Director of Agriculture Law, OSU Agricultural and Resource Law Program, Ohio’s Line Fence Law)

A few years back I had a load of steers that I bought to raise on pasture for the summer. This particular group of steers had a streak of “wild” in them for sure. With the help of others, we turned the steers out and, of course, there had to be a trouble maker. One steer decided to lead the way right through the fence with a couple others following. Using the four-wheeler to corral them back in the pasture, one steer was not going to have it. We lost site of the steer and decided to let him calm down. We warned the neighbors, and regrouped later that day to search. After returning, the calf was nowhere to be found. After a month or two of talking to neighbors and running ads in the newspaper looking for the steer we had lost hope that the animal was still alive.

Four months after losing the steer we were notified of someone nearby finding a steer in their hay field. So we investigated and it turned out to be my steer. By this point the animal acted as if it was a deer, only coming out at dawn and dusk, and skittish of every noise made. Using grain, we were able to lure him into a small pen, catch the animal, and bring him home.

I got lucky! That animal could have caused a lot of harm in that time frame but it didn’t. A story I’m not proud of but I’m guessing it’s a reality that many of you have faced as well.

So as you head out this spring and enjoy the long awaited warm weather, don’t forget to take a few minutes to check your fence. A few minutes with a chainsaw and some wire could save a lot of time, hassle, and money (speaking from experience). For more information on the line fence law see http://aglaw.osu.edu/tab1/test-page-cd/line-fence-law or contact your county extension office.