Month: April 2020

Annie’s Virtual Reunion – Registration Open

By:  Amanda Douridas

Those who have participated in an Annie’s Project understand the camaraderie and friendships that are developed during the course. They also understand the value of education to improve the farm operation. Keeping those two points in mind, the Ohio Women in Ag team is hosting a virtual Annie’s Reunion on May 6 from 9-11 a.m.

The reunion will allow past participants to catch up with each other through virtual breakout rooms and further expand their education through 3 different tracts: Farm Management, Livestock and Food. The opening session will provide resources and inspiration for the unique challenges farms are facing right now. Breakout sessions include grain and livestock market updates, backyard poultry, food prep and preservation and more. Those who have not participated in an Annie’s Project are also invited to attend to learn more!

Registration is open until noon on May 5 at http://go.osu.edu/AnniesReunion. For questions, please contact Amanda Douridas at Douridas.9@osu.edu. Continue reading →

Have a Safe 2020 Planting Season!

On behalf of OSU Extension Williams County, I want to wish you and your family a safe and happy planting season.

Below is a list of reminders to keep in mind during this busy season compiled by Union County OSU Extension Educator Wayne Dellinger and Dee Jepsen, PhD of the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering. You can learn more about spring farm safety here. Continue reading →

Need a Pest or Plant Issue Diagnosed?

As of April 28, the OSU Extension office in Williams County remains physically closed – but you can still reach out with your plant and pest ID needs.

If you need an insect or weed identified, or plant disease diagnosed, please send your completed diagnostic form and pictures to ANR Educator Stephanie Karhoff at karhoff.41@osu.edu or text/call 419-890-1721.

Examining 2020 Corn and Soybean Acreage

By: Ben Brown

Click Here for a PDF Version of this Article

Spring acreage decisions are of interest to analysts and producers across the country, as COVID-19 disrupts supply chains and raises questions of longer-term demand shifts. Analyst have interest on the supply for the 2020/21 marketing year, while producers weigh profitability and agronomic considerations. The challenging part of the whole picture is that most alternative options are not any better than the first. Corn and soybeans compete for acres through most of the Corn-belt with cotton competing in the southern and southeastern portions, grain sorghum competing in the lower plains and small grains like spring wheat competing in the upper plains. Ohio does not have many large-scale alternatives outside of corn and soybeans due to growing conditions, access to end markets and specialized equipment limitations. Therefore, for most Ohio crop producers the options in randomized order are plant corn, plant soybeans, convert to forage or pasture, utilize prevented planting, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) or to idle the ground to do capital improvements and prepare for winter wheat or barley. This article examines acreage intentions, local profitability, and the estimated national supply of corn and soybeans. Continue reading →

Economic Assistance for Agriculture during COVID-19

By:  David Marrison, Ben Brown, Barry Ward, Peggy Hall, Dianne Shoemaker

The coronavirus pandemic has certainly altered all our lives. The impact is being felt by families, businesses, governmental agencies, and civic organizations.  To help families and businesses alike, various levels of government have passed legislation to help lessen the economic blow of COVID-19. This article provides a brief overview of some of the assistance which has been made available. These include tax deadline provisions, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation rebates, unemployment compensation, and Wind and Hurricane Indemnity Program, Plus (WHIP+) Continue reading →

How cold is too cold (for winter wheat)?

By:  Laura Lindsey, Alexander Lindsey, and Aaron Wilson

Overnight temperatures on April 15 and April 16, 2020 dropped into the low to mid 20s across a large portion of Ohio (Figure 1), and unofficial reports show a few locations briefly dropped into the upper teens! These temperatures were generally 12-20°F below average (1981-2010). A closer investigation at a few of the colder sites reveal temperatures remained below 32°F for 9-11 hours, below 28°F (hard freeze) for 7-9 hours, and below 22°F for 3-5 hours.

Figure 1. Daily overnight lows based on station observations for April 15-16, 2020. Figures generated at the Midwest Regional Climate Center Continue reading →

OSU ANR Madness – Week #6

“Agriculture and Natural Resources Madness: A Tournament of Education” features online educational opportunities Monday – Friday at 9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m. The education tournament is free of charge, and webinar links are available at go.osu.edu/agmadness. Topics covered during week #6 include the following:  Women in Agriculture, Horticulture, Beekeeping, and Bringing the Farm to the Backyard. Continue reading →

Grain Market Outlook – Week of April 17

By:  Ben Brown

This week’s grain market outlook focuses on the potential for US soybean crush moving forward. The March NOPA crush values shattered monthly crushing records on increased demand for both meal, strong oil exports and healthy crush margins for processors. Historical pace would imply 2019/20 soybean crush at 2.140 billion bushels, but infrastructure constraints and declining demand for soybean oil compared to March could dampen soybean crush through the remaining six months. USDA raised soybean crush 20 million bushels in the April WASDE to 2.125 billion. At this time that adjustment is justified, but we might not see a crush report like March for a while.

Howdy folks- here is my market update for the week of April 17 on the potential for US soybean crush moving forward. Soybean crush has been the star of the show lately and the March report was eye popping, but it is hard to see soybean crush sustaining that pace. Although, I do think the 20 million bushel increase in the USDA April report is justified. Demand challenges moving forward- likely mean we won't see another crush report like what we saw in March for a while. The written report for the video can be found here- [https://u.osu.edu/ohioagmanager/](https://u.osu.edu/ohioagmanager/)Big thanks to Rachel Leggett and Rob Leeds for the video. Have a great week and hope to see you around the State of Ohio soon!

Posted by Ben Brown on Friday, April 17, 2020

The full written report for the video can be found here- https://u.osu.edu/ohioagmanager/

Grain Market Outlook – Week of April 10

In this week’s grain marketing update Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in Agricultural Risk Management Ben Brown covers the updated supply and demand estimates from USDA, corn used for ethanol and the potential to see elevated corn exports moving forward.

In this week's grain marketing update- I cover the updated supply and demand estimates from USDA, corn used for ethanol and the potential to see elevated corn exports moving forward. Hope to see you around the State of Ohio soon! Go Bucks!

Posted by Ben Brown on Friday, April 10, 2020