Click below to view the second video in our new 5-Minute Ag Topic video series, which we hope to continue over the course of 2022. The topic for this second video is manure. Water Quality Extension Associate Rachel Cochran discusses different types of manure, rules and regulations surrounding its use, benefits to applying manure, as well as safety considerations. If you have any suggestions for future video topics, or would like to get information regarding manure research opportunities on your farm, please reach out to cochran.474@osu.edu or noggle.17@osu.edu.
Environmental
Upcoming Water Quality Wednesday Winter Programming
Join the Ohio State University’s Water Quality Extension Associates for a webinar series discussing topics related to water quality, ranging from Phosphorus and agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) to watershed planning and technology. Continue reading
New 5-Minute Ag Topic Video: Phosphorus
Click below to view the first video in our new 5-Minute Ag Topic video series, which we hope to release over the next few months. This first video topic is Phosphorus, where Water Quality Extension Associate Rachel Cochran discusses a quick overview of this essential plant nutrient. If you have any suggestions for future topics, please reach out to noggle.17@osu.edu or cochran.474@osu.edu.
Manure Science Review Coming August 10th
By Glen Arnold- OSU Extension
The annual Manure Science Review will be held on Tuesday, August 10 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at MVP Dairy near Celina, Ohio. Attendees will see and hear about this state-of-the-art dairy’s 80-cow rotary milking parlor, manure handling and management for the 4,400-cow herd, and regenerative farming practices. Speakers will provide updates on the effectiveness of saturated buffers in reducing runoff in Grand Lake Saint Marys as well as issues of legacy phosphorus runoff and the KDS/Quick wash system for manure nutrient recovery. Field demonstrations will include solid and liquid applicators, the Cadman Side-dress System, Oxbo Equipment, in-season manure side-dress demos, and more.
Continuing education credits have been approved for Certified Crop Advisors, Certified Livestock Managers, and Indiana State Chemist certifications. Registration costs are $25 per person until August 1st and $30 per person after that date. For program and registration details, click on the link at ocamm.osu.edu or contact Mary Wicks (wicks.14@osu.edu; 330.202.3533).
Bagworm Eggs are Hatching: The Game’s Afoot!
Authors Joe Boggs
Published on
Overwintered common bagworm (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) eggs are hatching in southwest Ohio. The 1st instar caterpillars are very small with their bags measuring around 1/8″ in length.
The tiny 1st instar bags are constructed with pieces of tan to reddish-brown sawdust-like frass (excrement) stuck to the outside of silk and look like “dunce caps.” As the caterpillars mature, they begin weaving host plant debris into the silk which provides structural stability and helps to camouflage the caterpillar bag-abodes. Continue reading
Box Tree Moth Alert
Boxwoods (Buxus spp.) are some of the most common plants found in Ohio landscapes and they remain a mainstay of our nursery industry. Box Tree Moth (Cydalima perspectalis) caterpillars defoliate boxwoods and will strip bark once they run out of leaves to eat. The moth has multiple generations per year, depending on geographical locations, and sustained high populations are capable of killing boxwoods.
Federal bills target carbon reduction practices on farms and forests
President Biden announced a major goal this week–for the U.S. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by half over the next decade as compared to 2005 levels. Agriculture will play a key role in that reduction by “deploying cutting-edge tools to make the soil of our heartland the next frontier in carbon innovation,” according to President Biden. Several bills introduced in Congress recently could help agriculture fulfill that key role. The proposals offer incentives and assistance for farmers, ranchers, and forest owners to engage in carbon sequestration practices.
Here’s a summary of the bills that are receiving the most attention.
Growing Climate Solutions Act, S. 1251. The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee passed S. 1251 today. The bipartisan proposal led by sponsors Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) already has the backing of over half of the Senate as co-sponsors, including Ohio’s Sen. Sherrod Brown. The bill has come up in prior sessions of Congress without success, but the sponsors significantly reworked the bill and reintroduced it this week. The new version includes these provisions: Continue reading
Farmer Advocates wanted!
Do you know of a farmer who would be an excellent candidate with leadership, enthusiasm, and passion for soil health and water quality management as a Farmer Advocate for Conservation? You can nominate them by completing an online form. Select the button for the application.
The Nature Conservancy is looking for farmers who are currently utilizing cover crops on their farms in the Maumee River Watershed of the Western Lake Erie Basin. We are looking for a diverse group of farmers; large acreage, small acreage, corn and soy, small grains, livestock, new and experienced, willing to reach out and share their knowledge and experiences with other farmers in their area. Selected farmers will be compensated for their time. Select the button for this application.
If you are interested in being part of this exciting farmer-led outreach project and would like to apply as a Farmer Advocate for Conservation please complete the online application form by selecting the button above.
The application period is open for farmers in the Western Lake Erie Basin that are interested in sharing their conservation farming practices with other farmers. Farmer Advocates will be compensated for their time to attend the training and work with other farmers @ $30/hour. The focus of the project is to promote farmers learning from each other about building soil health and managing water.
To apply as a Farmer Advocate for Conservation or to nominate a farmer you believe would be an excellent candidate please use the online application and nomination forms on the landing page found at https://sites.google.com/view/farmeradvocate or please contact Stephanie Singer, Stephanie.Singer@tnc.org.
The Dirt on Soil Health: Investing Below the Surface recordings available.
Did you miss out on the live presentations for this winter on The Dirt on Soil Health: Investing Below the Surface? Great news! Recordings are available for the entire series of topics.
In this weekly series, farmers, industry, and academic experts weighed in on practical steps to improve soil health and measure impact on crop yield and farm profitability.
Recordings and Slide Sets are available at https://agcrops.osu.edu/events/webinar-recordings/dirt-soil-health-investing-below-surface-0 or on the OSU Agronomic Crops Team YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYlh_BdeqniJPI5Ga7icO7mbFzDdpK7fr or by clicking one of the videos below.
Does It Pay to Improve Soil Health on Your Farm?
Panel discussion with farmers Nathan Brown (Highland County), Matt Falb (Wayne County), and Les Seiler (Fulton County).
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
Additional Information From ODA About The Mystery Seeds
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is asking Ohioans to please send in unsolicited seeds.
After increasing reports of Ohio citizens receiving packages of unsolicited seeds in the mail, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is again urging the public to report and submit any unsolicited seed packets to ODA. In partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine Office, ODA is working to investigate the number of seed packets sent to Ohio, what type of seeds they are, and where they were mailed from. Continue reading
Late-Season Waterhemp – The Goal is Stopping Seed
Flowering Waterhemp
By Mark Loux OSU Extension
In our windshield scouting of soybeans this year we have seen a lot of weed-free fields. This makes sense given the shift toward Xtend, LibertyLink, LLGT27, and Enlist soybeans over the past several years, which provides us with effective POST options for our major weed problems – common and giant ragweed, marestail, and waterhemp (now if we could just get rid of the baggage some of these traits carry). We are however getting many reports of late-season waterhemp as it grows through the soybeans and becomes evident. This also makes sense given that statewide we are in the midst of an overall increase in waterhemp, and continue to move up the curve in terms of the number of fields infested and the size of the infestations. Prevention and management of waterhemp and Palmer amaranth has been one of the primary goals of our state and county educational programs for half a decade or more. And one of the most important points about waterhemp and Palmer that we try to get across is their capacity for prodigious seed production – 500,000 to upwards of a million seeds per plant – and what this means for their ability to rapidly ramp up populations, infest equipment, etc. Continue reading
Don’t miss out on the Paulding County Twilight Field Day next Tuesday, August 4
Field to Lake – Twilight Open House – Country Evening, Old Sights, New Eyes
The Paulding Soil and Water Conservation District is working in collaboration with Ohio State University Extension of Paulding County and the Conservation Action Project (CAP) to bring you the Field to Lake – Twilight Open House. This program will feature water control drainage structures and provide opportunities to connect with farmers and professionals to learn more about them. Additionally, explore soil health displays, a drainage water management structure model, and learn about available funding for these structures for those that qualify. The Open House will be held on August 4th, 2020, from 6:00-8:00 pm, in the field, across from 22348 Road 178, Oakwood, OH, 45873. Stop in for 15 minutes or stay the full two hours. There will be an option to drive down the lane and observe the drainage control structures while staying in your vehicle if that is more comfortable for participants.
8.5 x 11 Poster Drainage Field Day
Why consider a drainage water management structure? “This new approach to managing drainage is a significant break from the old way of draining excess water from fields, specifically in the Upper Midwest, where tile drainage systems are most common,” says Leonard Binstock, drainage consultant and executive director of the Agriculture Drainage Management Coalition. According to the Natural Resource Conservation Service, these structures can provide both water quality improvement and production benefits. Water quality benefits are derived by minimizing unnecessary tile drainage, reducing the amount of nitrate that leaves farm fields. Controlled drainage systems can also retain water in field areas that could be used for crop production later in the season.
RSVP is requested, but not required- use the QR code or email address below. With the assistance of The Nature Conservancy, there will be a virtual option available after the event for those who can’t attend in person. Information to access the virtual event will be shared on the supporting organizations’ Facebook pages or by registering for the event and choosing the virtual option. Please note that social distancing will be observed at this outdoor event.
Page Drainage Field Day Invite,
Tri Fold Field to Lake Drainage
For more information, contact: Anna Gurney or Patrick Troyer, Paulding Soil & Water Conservation District, 419-399-4771, Paulding@PauldingSWCD.org
Dicamba takes another blow: Court of Appeals vacates dicamba registration
by: Peggy Kirk Hall, Associate Professor, Agricultural & Resource Law
Published on Thursday, June 04, 2020
Dicamba has had its share of legal challenges, and a decision issued yesterday dealt yet another blow when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the product’s registration with the U.S. EPA. In doing so, the court held that the EPA’s approval of the registration violated the provisions of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (“FIFRA”), which regulates the use of herbicides and other chemicals in the U.S. Here’s a summary of how the court reached its decision and a few thoughts on the uncertainty that follows the opinion. Continue reading
Message from The Nature Conservancy about a New Program for the Maumee Valley Watershed
From The Nature Conservancy NewsletterWe are looking for a diverse group of farmers; large acreage, small acreage, corn and soy, small grains, livestock, new and experienced who are willing to be trained to reach out and share their knowledge with other farmers. “This is an opportunity for farmers to take the knowledge they’ve gained on their own farm and make an impact in a larger area. We want people (farmers) who realize the importance of soil health goes beyond their own farms and who want to see farming be successful. The future of farming depends on soil health,” said Stephanie Singer, outreach education specialist at the Western Lake Erie Basin Project Office. If you are interested in being part of this exciting farmer-led outreach project please complete the online Farmer Advocate for Conservation Application, Click Here!
2019 North American Manure Expo
The 2019 North American Manure Expo is being held on July 31st and August 1stat Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana. This event is a great opportunity to see new manure technology, gain knowledge through educational sessions, and see equipment being demonstrated.
The Expo kicks off on Wednesday, July 31st with tours in the morning followed by liquid manure agitation demonstrations, special industry presentations, and the trade show in the afternoon.
Ohio Agricultural Law Blog–Legal defenses for agricultural production activities
Written by Peggy Kirk Hall, Associate Professor, Agricultural & Resource Law