Battle for Lake Erie includes debate over manure-based phosphorus concentration

8/31/2020
BY TOM HENRY / THE BLADE

A major agronomic debate is being played out in Columbus now, which has potentially large ramifications for western Lake Erie and goes beyond simply looking at the staggering volumes of liquid and solid excrement produced by northwest Ohio cows, hogs, and chickens.

It focuses on the minutia of agricultural science, right down to the parts per million of phosphorus applied to soil in the form of manure.

One of the many groups raising questions is the Lake Erie Foundation, a consortium of Lake Erie-area business and environmental interests. That group and others, including Lake Erie Waterkeeper, want manure-based phosphorus applications dialed down to roughly the same concentration as commercially made, synthetic fertilizers, which is about 40 to 50 parts per million. Manure has for years been applied on northwest Ohio crop farms at much higher concentrations, usually 150 ppm. Some critics, though, claim the application rate has, in reality, gotten as high as 200 ppm to 250 ppm.

From information gathered in a public records request, the foundation believes the state of Ohio has rejected a recommendation from an independent consultant, McKinsey & Co., to promote 50 ppm as a limit for manure, even though Dorothy Pelanda, Ohio Department of Agriculture director, showed support for that in 2019. The firm was paid $1.5 million to provide advice to the DeWine administration for its H2Ohio program, which aims to improve water quality statewide through better farming techniques, more and improved wetlands, better pipelines, and other measures. Continue reading

Tar Spot – What is it?

Figure 2. Tar spot symptoms on leaves both on the lower and the upper canopy. (Photo Credit: Darcy Telenko)

While I have been out in Paulding county scouting in the last week, I have not noticed any tar spot in our cornfields as of yet.  It could be there though as I am not walking in every field. I wanted producers to take note of what Tar Spot looks like and some monitoring from our neighbors in Indiana and information from a previous CORN New Article.  Continue reading

Soil Residual Herbicides And Establishment Of Cover Crops In The Fall

Crimson clover stands in 2019 cover crop trials. (Photo Credit: Connor Hodgkiss)

By Marcelo Zimmer and Bill Johnson, Purdue Extension

Indiana growers have shown increased interest in utilizing cover crops in our corn and soybean production systems over the last decade.  Concurrently, there has also been increased utilization of soil residual herbicides to help manage herbicide-resistant weeds such as marestail (horseweed), waterhemp, and giant ragweed in our corn and soybean production systems.  Soil residual herbicides can remain active in the soil for a period of weeks to months after application.  The length of time a residual herbicide remains biologically active in the soil is influenced by soil texture, soil pH, organic matter, rainfall, and temperature.  Since these factors will vary from field to field, definitive time intervals of residual herbicide activity can be difficult to predict.

The use of residual herbicides in our corn and soybean production systems may interfere with the establishment of fall-seeded cover crops under certain conditions.  Unfortunately, many of the species being used for cover crops were not evaluated for herbicide carryover when field research was conducted to support EPA’s approved herbicide labels.  As a result, data are lacking regarding rotational intervals of many residual herbicides for the establishment of many cover crop species. Continue reading

Cover Crop Field Day in NW Ohio, SE Michigan (Hillsdale Conservation District Cover Crop Field Day)

Join Hillsdale Conservation District on Thursday, September 3 for their 2020 Cover Crop Field Day hosted by Person Farms (19233 County Rd. 5.50, Montpelier, OH 43543; .5 mile South of W. Territorial Rd.). Please note, registration is required for entry. You may RSVP with names and numbers of guests to Allison Grimm at 517-320-3245; Cody Birdsell at 517-260-1276; or e-mail hillsdalecd@macd.org.

Registration and dinner will be from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. and the program will begin at 6:00 p.m. with a cover crop test plot tour followed by a cover crop trial and error open discussion. Credits offered include 2 MI RUP credits and CCA credits (pending approval).

Farm Bill Reminders and Deadlines

Two Quick reminders and deadlines:

  • Producers who wish to update their FSA farm yield have until September 30, 2020, to do so. A tool to determine if a producer might want to update their PLC yields is available at https://aede.osu.edu/research/osu-farm-management/2018-farm-bill/arcplc-decision-aid-tools
  • Enrollment and Election for the 2021 program year will start October 1, 2020, and end March 15, 2021. OSU Decision aides will be updated once we have annual trend yield values for historical ARC-CO yields matching the program year 2021.

From the Farm Management Front – Update on County Yield Estimates for 2019 ARC/PLC Programs

On the dark art of software estimation | TechCrunchFrom Sarah Noggle with additional information from Ben Brown.

Sarah’s information: Yes, you read that correctly, 2019 estimates. As many of you know and are understanding the 2018 Farm Bill program through USDA (yes – it’s confusing sometimes when you are working with it daily), one will remember that payments will be made the calendar year after the program selection in late October. 

I have had a few requests and asks about what will my 2019 Farm Bill payments look like if I choose ARC-CO or PLC for Paulding County.  While this information will officially come from the FSA office later in the calendar year in 2020 (usually in October), I have attached some information on the ESTIMATES. Remember these payments are made on your BASE acres, not on the acres you planted in 2019. 

  • Paulding County – ARC-CO Wheat Base Acres $33.38
  • Paulding County – ARC-CO Corn Base Acres $0
  • Paulding County – ARC-CO Soybean Base Acres $0
  • Paulding County PLC Wheat Base Acres $36.66
  • Paulding County PLC Corn Base Acres $11.22
  • Paulding County PLC Soybean Base Acres $0

 Also, remember due to 2019 prevent plant acres in Paulding County and the surrounding counties, some producers choose the ARC-IC program.  The ARC-IC payments will be made comparing your own farm-level data and requires you to submit extra information to the FSA office. Ben Brown has created the estimates for corn, soybean, and wheat base acres for all the counties across the state.  His information will allow producers to have an idea of autumn working capital, debt repayment, and information to purchase inputs with an early season discount.  Continue reading

Late Season Forage Harvest Management

Alfalfa Harvest

The best time to take the last harvest of alfalfa and other legumes is sometime in early September in Ohio, for the least risk to the long-term health of the stand. These forages need a fall period of rest to replenish carbohydrate and protein reserves in the taproots that are used for winter survival and regrowth next spring.

 

Many forage producers around the state have been cutting this past week and are continuing into this week. It will be ideal if this is indeed the last harvest of the season. But some growers might try to squeeze out another late cutting, and others have fields that are not quite ready for harvest right now. Like most farming decisions, there are trade-offs and risk factors to consider when making a fall harvest of forage legumes after the first week of September. This article reviews the best management practices and risk factors affecting fall cutting management. Continue reading

What is Required Before You Sell Your Field Harvested Seed in Ohio?

This is the time of year we often hear of Ohio producers considering seed harvests of red clover or other crops (e.g. cover crop seed). If the intention is to sell that seed, even if just “across the fence” to a neighbor,  it is important to be reminded there is a permitting process that must be followed before any seed can be sold in order to stay legal with state and federal laws related to seed sales and consumer protection.

Before selling any seed, the seed producer must acquire a permit from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. This permit involves an application and testing a sample of the seed for seed purity and germination. The results of the seed test must be disclosed on a label (seed tag) when the seed is sold.

If the Ohio Department of Agriculture finds any restricted weed seeds in the seed sample, this also must be disclosed on the label, and there are limits to how much restricted weed seed can be present in a seed lot for sale. If there are any prohibited seeds found in the sample, the seed permit will be denied and cannot be sold in that condition. The seed would have to be cleaned and then re-tested to prove the absence of prohibited seeds before a permit would be issued. Continue reading

Pre-harvest Herbicide Treatments

Velvetleaf in a Soybean Field

Information on preharvest herbicide treatments for field corn and soybeans can be found in the “Weed Control Guide for Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois”, at the end of these crop sections (pages 72 and 143 of the 2020 edition).  Products listed for corn include Aim, glyphosate, and paraquat, and for soybeans include Aim, paraquat, glyphosate, and Sharpen.  Some dicamba products are also approved for preharvest use in soybeans, and some 2,4-D products are approved for use in corn, and these are not listed in the guide.  The basic information for these follows:

Dicamba – soybeans:  Apply 8 – 32 oz/A (4 lb/gal products) as a broadcast or spot treatment after soybean pods have reached mature brown color and at least 75% leaf drop has occurred; soybeans may be harvested 14 days or more after a pre-harvest application; do not use preharvest-treated soybean for seed unless a germination test is performed on the seed with an acceptable result of 95% germination or better; do not feed soybean fodder or hay following a preharvest application of this product. Continue reading

Potential for Nitrate Problems in Drought Stressed Corn

Have very dry soil conditions increase the potential for toxic levels of nitrates in corn harvested for silage? Nitrates absorbed from the soil by plant roots are normally incorporated into plant tissue as amino acids, proteins, and other nitrogenous compounds. Thus, the concentration of nitrate in the plant is usually low. The primary site for converting nitrates to these products is in the growing leaves. Under unfavorable growing conditions, especially drought, this conversion process is slowed, causing nitrate to accumulate in the stalks, stems, and other conductive tissue. The highest concentration of nitrates is in the lower part of the stalk or stem. For example, the bulk of the nitrate in a drought-stricken corn plant can be found in the bottom third of the stalk. If moisture conditions improve, the conversion process accelerates, and within a few days, nitrate levels in the plant return to normal. Continue reading

Coffee Talks to Continue

Don’t forget to Join OSU Extension Educator, Sarah Noggle, and Water Quality Extension Specialist, Rachel Cochran on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 8:30 AM for our Virtual Coffee Shop.

Coffee Shops usually only are 30 minutes in length and are hosted via the Zoom platform. Join via the internet or phone https://osu.zoom.us/j/694208805 for the internet or dial 301-715-8592 by phone and press code 694 208 805#. PASSCODE ADDED 419399

 

Corn Silage Harvest Timing

The milk-line of on these ears is about one-fourth to one-third down the kernel. This stage might be about right for oxygen-limited silos but could be too late for conventional tower or bunker silos.

Silage harvest has begun in some parts of Ohio. Proper harvest timing is critical because it ensures the proper dry matter (DM) concentration required for high-quality preservation, which in turn results in good animal performance and lower feed costs. The proper DM concentration is the same whether it is a beautiful, record-breaking corn crop or a severely drought-stressed field with short plants containing no ears.

The recommended ranges for silage DM are:

Bunker: 30 to 35%

Upright: 32 to 38%

Sealed upright 35 to 40%

Bag: 32 to 40%

Chopping corn silage at the wrong DM concentration will increase fermentation losses and reduce the nutrient value of the silage.  Harvesting corn too wet (low DM concentration) results in souring, seepage, and storage losses of the silage with reduced animal intake. Harvesting too dry (high DM concentration) promotes mold because the silage cannot be adequately packed to exclude oxygen. Harvesting too dry also results in lower energy concentrations and reduced protein digestibility. Continue reading

Corn Smut in my Fields

Last week on our Coffee Talk, we had a producer talking about Corn Smut.  Today, as I listened to the Michigan State virtual breakfast, they were talking about Corn Smut also.

Here is a little bit of information about Corn Smut from Peter Thomlison, retired Corn Specialist from OSU.

Corn Smut

Source: P. Thomison, OSU

Common Corn Smut in-ears at R5   Source: P. Thomison, OSU

Source: P. Lipps, OSU Plant Pathology

Source: P. Lipps, OSU Plant Pathology

Symptoms: The smut gall is composed of a great mass of black, greasy or powdery spores enclosed by a smooth white covering of corn tissue. The gall may be 4-5 inches in diameter. The corn plant may be infected by smut at any time in the early stages of growth, but becomes less susceptible after the formation of the ear. Above-ground parts may be infected, but it is more common to see the smut galls on the ears, tassels, and nodes than on the leaves, internodes, and brace roots. After the spores mature, the covering becomes dry and brittle, breaks open, and the spores sift out. Greatest yield losses occur when the ear becomes infected or if the smut gall forms on the stalk immediately above the ear. Common corn smut is not associated with mycotoxins. In Mexico, immature smut galls are consumed as an edible delicacy.

Cause: Corn smut is caused by the fungus, Ustilago zeae, that survives as a resistant spore over winter, and possibly for 2 to 3 years in the soil. These spores can be blown long distances with soil particles or carried into a new area on unshelled corn and in manure from animals that fed on infected corn stalks. Spores germinate in rainwater that has collected in the leaf sheaths. This leads to infections that are visible in 10 days or more. Wounds from various injuries (including hail, wind, and insects) provide points for the fungus to enter the plant.

The smut fungus is sensitive to temperature and moisture changes. In a warm season, the amount of smut is related closely to the amount of moisture in the soil, especially during June. When temperatures are lower than normal, there may be little smut even though soil moisture may be high.

Management: Seed treatment is of no value for smut control because few spores are on the corn seed.

Spraying for corn borer control helps in cases when insect populations are high. Avoid injury of roots, stalks, and leaves during cultivation. Tillage to bury diseased corn stalks in the fall will help give some control.

References: White, Donald G. (ed.). 1999. Compendium of Corn Diseases (3rd Edition). APS Press, The American Phytopathological Society.

Join Paulding SWCD at their Annual Banquet

Join Paulding SWCD at their annual banquet.

The 2nd Annual Conservation Classic Golf Scramble and Annual Banquet will be held on Friday, September 11th at the Auglaize Golf Club. The outing begins at noon with dinner and elections to follow. Register your team today and join us for this fun outing! Only registration can be found online, by clicking Here

To make this event a success, we are seeking event sponsors and donations for door prizes. There are several sponsorship levels available. If you would like more information, please email paulding@pauldingswcd.org or call 419-399-4771.

We would like to thank our current 2020 sponsors:

      • Paulding Dairy Queen
      • Haviland Drainage Products
      • Wagner Metals LLC
      • Antwerp Exchange Bank
      • Williamson Insurance Agency
      • Mercer Landmark

Check out the link to their website here

CFAP Federal Assistance Available for Nursery (including Greenhouse) and Specialty Crops

The USDA recently opened the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to nursery crops (including greenhouse) and cut flower producers – and added numerous additional specialty crops to the list of eligible commodities.

What is CFAP? This federal assistance program is geared to help producers that have faced 5% or greater price declines, lost product due to changing supply chain issues, or have faced additional marketing costs due to COVID-19. Want more info on CFAP?

For additional details on the CFAP program, and for a list of eligible commodities, please visit farmers.gov/cfap. Continue reading

Making Corn Silage in Dry Conditions

The primary goal of making corn silage is to preserve as many nutrients in the corn plant as possible, to produce a feed that is acceptable to cows, and to minimize any risks associated with feeding the silage.  The following are important considerations for making corn silage when growing conditions have been dry.

Chop at the correct dry matter concentration (Editor’s note: see the accompanying article “Corn Silage Harvest Timing”). Drought-stressed corn plants are often much wetter than they appear, even if the lower plant leaves are brown and dried up.  Before starting chopping, sample some plants (cut at the same height as they will be with the harvester) and either analyze DM using a Koster tester or microwave or send it to a commercial lab (turn-around time may be a few days if you send it to a lab).  If the plants are too wet, delay chopping until the desired plant DM is reached.  The plant may continue to accumulate DM (increase yield), and you will not suffer increased fermentation losses caused by ensiling corn that is too wet. Continue reading

Ohio Noxious Weed Law

Its that time of year when some of our ugly weeds begin to make their presence known by rising above crop canopies, appearing along the side of the road, etc.  I typically receive many questions about noxious weed identification, control, legal issues, and more.  Below is the first page of the OSU Law Bulletin on Noxious weeds.  Click here to download the complete bulletin.

 

Thinking about storing more grain this fall?

Source: Chris Bruynis, Associate Professor/Extension Educator

There are several market factors that may have farmers looking to increase their storage for this fall. With lower prices, some farmers will look to store grain and hope prices will improve. With the current basis and price improvement between the harvest period compared to the January/March delivery period of 22 to 40 cents for corn and 16 to 34 cents for soybeans, elevators are sending a message to store grain.

The concern I have is that we will use some facilities that are not typically used for grain storage making aeration challenging at best. With poor air movement, grain going into storage will need to be of better quality, lower foreign material, and probably lower moisture.

Farmers interested in learning some strategies for successful drying and storage of grain, specifically corn and soybeans, are invited to join a Zoom Webinar on Monday, August 24, 2020, at 8:00 PM.  Dr. Kenneth Hellevang, Ph.D., PE, Extension Engineer, and Professor from North Dakota State University will be the featured speaker. He is one of the leading experts on grain drying, handling, and storage.

To join the webinar, go to https://osu.zoom.us/j/7911606448?pwd=L1pQQ0VoODROZG56Q015enNBQkVVUT09 and enter the Password: STORAGE

Also, if you cannot attend the program during the broadcast time, the recording will be available on the Ohio Ag Manager website following the program. The recording will be located at  https://u.osu.edu/ohioagmanager/resources.

If you have questions, feel free to contact Chris Bruynis, bruynis.1@osu.edu or 740-702-3200. If you need assistance logging in on the evening of the program, contact David Marrison at 740-722-6073 or marrison.2@osu.edu.

Fertility Calculator for Ohio Recommendation

A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet has been developed to support nutrient management education programs provided by Ohio State University Extension and for users who want to generate their own recommendation or compare recommendations provided to them to the Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations for Corn, Soybeans, Wheat, and Alfalfa, 2020. The spreadsheet is designed to be compatible with the Excel version, Excel 1997-2003, or later.

The tool generates recommendations for the following crops:

  1. Corn
  2. Corn-Silage
  3. Soybeans
  4. Wheat (Grain Only)
  5. Wheat (Grain & Straw)
  6. Alfalfa
  7. Grass Hay
  8. Grass/Legume Hay

Continue reading

Are Stink Bugs in Your Soybean?

As soybean begin to produce pods and seeds, it becomes a good food source for stink bugs. These insects like to feed on the developing seed, leading to wrinkled or shriveled seed.  There are many types of stink bugs, but Ohio’s most common stink bugs include the green, the brown, and the brown marmorated.  Also, stink bugs have nymphal stages that can look very different than the adults—nymphs are smaller and lack wings but feed all the same, if not more, than the adults.  To look for stinkbugs, take a set of 10 sweeps in 10 different areas of the field (although stink bugs are mostly found along the edges, they can also be found in the interior of the field).  If the average number of stink bugs is higher than 4 per set of 10 sweeps, treatment is necessary (this decreases to 2 per set of 10 sweeps if soybean is grown for seed or food grade).  Visit our website for more information on stink bugs in soybean, including helpful guides for identification (aginsects.osu.edu).