New 5-Minute Agriculture Topic Video on Cover Crops

Check out the newest video in the 5-Minute Ag Topic Video Series, found on the Paulding County YouTube Channel. This video, centered on cover crops, features Water Quality Extension Associate, Rachel Cochran, and Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension Educator, Sarah Noggle, both from our Paulding County Extension Office. To learn more about benefits that cover crops can provide, as well as tools for selecting the best ones to fit your goals, click the embedded video above!

Omitting residual herbicides in soybeans – really – we have to have this argument again?

By Dr. Mark Loux OSU Weed Science

According to our network of sources, the effectiveness of new soybean trait systems has some growers once again thinking about omitting preemergence residual herbicides from their weed management programs.  Some people apparently need to learn the same lessons over and over again.  Having gone through this once in the early 2000s when Roundup Ready soybeans had taken over and we all sprayed only glyphosate all day every day, we think we’re pretty sure where it leads.  We’re sensitive to concerns about the cost of production, but the cost-benefit analysis for residual herbicides is way in the positive column.  We’re not the ones who ultimately have to convince growers to keep using residual herbicides, and we respect those of you who do have to fight this battle.  Back in the first round of this when we were advocating for use of residuals, while the developers of RR soybeans were undermining us and telling everyone that residuals would reduce yield etc, we used to have people tell us “My agronomist/salesman is recommending that I use residuals, but I think he/she is just trying to get more money out of me”.  Our response at that time, of course, was “no pretty sure he/she is just trying to save your **** and make sure you control your weeds so that your whole farm isn’t one big infestation of glyphosate-resistant marestail.”  And that answer probably works today too – maybe substituting waterhemp for marestail. Continue reading

USDA Issues Third Tranche of 2019 MFP Payments

Press Release Release No. 0143.20

Contact: USDA Press
Email: press@oc.usda.gov

(Washington, D.C., February 3, 2020) – At the direction of President Donald J. Trump, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the third and final tranche of 2019 Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments aimed at assisting farmers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations. The payments will begin to show up in farmers’ bank accounts by the end of this week. Continue reading

Preparing for a Crop Insurance Audit

By: Ellen Essman, Senior Research Associate, Senior Research Associate
Friday, January 10th, 2020
With 2019’s ups and downs in the weather and the marketplace, it’s likely that many farmers used the Federal Crop Insurance Program to mitigate their losses.  Those farmers whose crop insurance claims reach $200,000 or more will be audited by the USDA’s Risk Management Agency.

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Thinking about Cover Crops…thoughts to consider

By Sarah Noggle and Alan Sundermeier

Decisions, decisions these days.  When it comes to selecting the right cover crop for your farm, there is no one-size-fits-all option. This document is to help those of you new to cover crops with the thoughts, questions, and decisions, one needs to make when selecting cover crops. oatsPlanting cover crops to prevented planting acres to protect the soil from further water and wind erosion.

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Considerations for Using Soybeans as a Cover Crop

Taken from the CORN Newsletter – Article by Laura Lindsey

From the USDA RMA website (https://www.rma.usda.gov/News-Room/Frequently-Asked-Questions/Prevented-Planting-Flooding):

“Q. Can I plant a cover crop of the same crop I was prevented from planting? Or in other words, can I use the seed I have on hand (corn, soybeans, wheat) to plant a cover crop as long as it’s at a lower-seeded rate that qualifies for the cover crop?

A. Yes. An acceptable cover crop must be generally recognized by agricultural experts as agronomically sound for the area for erosion control or other purposes related to conservation or soil improvement is planted at the recommended seeding rate, etc. The cover crop may be the same crop prevented from planting and may still retain eligibility for a prevented planting payment. The cover crop planted cannot be used for harvest as seed or grain.” Continue reading