Use science to make your farm work even better

CFAES’ eFields program, whose motto is “connecting science to fields,” has published its 2019 findings, which come from 88 on-farm trials in 30 Ohio counties. The report, its webpage says, can “help farmers and their advisors understand how new practices and techniques can improve farm efficiency and profitability.”

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Tour: Their sunny change to specialty crops

Guy and Sandy Ashmore, owners of That Guy’s Family Farm in southwest Ohio, transitioned in the late 1990s from traditional row crop production to certified organic production. In the process, they diversified into specialty crops, including produce and cut flowers; reduced the acreage they need to turn to a profit; and diversified their business network by partnering with their son and daughter.

How did they do it? What did they learn? Find out on Sunday, Aug. 11, as part of the Sustainable Farm Tour and Workshop Series.

CFAES is one of the series presenters. (Photo: Getty Images.)

Save inputs, protect water with new app

A new app is helping farmers save money while also protecting water quality. Developed by Ohio State experts including from CFAES, the Field Application Resource Monitor, or FARM, uses advanced weather forecasting — specific to a geographic area as small as 1.5 miles wide — to advise farmers on when to apply fertilizers and pesticides so rain doesn’t wash them away.

Read the full story. Visit the app’s website.

How small-, medium-sized farms can diversify for greater success

CFAES holds its 2017 Agricultural Diversification Research Tour from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. this Thursday, Aug. 17, at OARDC’s Mellinger Research Farm, 6885 W. Old Lincoln Way, in Wooster. The focus is on how small- and medium-sized farms can widen their product range and increase their profitability without having to get bigger in size. Free. Learn more. OARDC is CFAES’s research arm.

It’s actually pretty refreshing

Discover new and better ways to manage manure — methods that boost soil fertility, crop yields and farm profits while protecting water and the environment — at the annual Manure Science Review on Aug. 2 in western Ohio.

CFAES’s outreach arm, OSU Extension, is a co-host of the event.

It’s good for your farm. It’s good for everyone’s water

If you live and farm in Ohio and apply fertilizer to more than 50 acres of land, you need to earn your agricultural fertilizer certification by Sept. 30 of this year. Learn more about the requirement here. See the training dates and locations here. The next training session is May 10 in Cortland in northeast Ohio.