Month: April 2021

Have a Safe & Successful Planting Season!

OSU Extension Williams County wishes you and your family a safe & successful planting season. To show our gratitude for our local farm families, we will be out in the fields in the coming week with treat bags and bottled water.

Before you head for the fields, check out these C.O.R.N. articles featuring planting considerations for both corn and soybean. You may also find an electronic version of the Ohio Agronomy Guide at https://stepupsoy.osu.edu/sites/hcs-soy/files/Ohio%20Agronomy%20Guide_11APR18.pdf. If you have any questions, as always do not hesitate to contact me at karhoff.41@osu.edu or 419-636-5608.

Getting Corn Off to a Good Start – Planting Depth Can Make a Difference

Soybean Planting Date, Seeding Rate, and Row Width

Challenges Ahead

By:  Jim Noel

There are challenges ahead so we will break them into short-term and long-term.

Short-term

The recent snow was a rare event for the amount that fell across Ohio. However, the minimum temperatures in the 20s and 30s was not that far off of normal for last freeze conditions for Ohio. Continue reading →

Feed Your Cows and Your Forage

By:  Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist, OSU Extension (originally published in The Ohio Cattleman)

Beef Cattle

The highest energy demand of the cow arrives approximately 60 days post calving.

Spring has arrived, a successful Ohio Beef Expo is in the rear view, and for many Ohio beef producers, there are calves on the ground. This is a critical time in the beef and forage production cycle for many producers, especially those with spring calving herds. Continue reading →

Agronomy and Farm Management Podcast – Winter Impact on Cover Crops

Hosted by: Amanda Douridas and Elizabeth Hawkins, Ohio State University Extension

Agronomy and Farm Management PodcastAbout the Podcast:  Stay on top of what is happening in the field and the farm office. This podcast takes a bi-monthly dive into specific issues that impact agriculture, such as: weather, land value, policies, commodity outlooks, and more. New episodes released every other Wednesday, subscribe at go.osu.edu/iTunesAFM or go.osu.edu/StitcherAFM Continue reading →

What Questions Should Farmers Ask about Selling Carbon Credits?

Originally Published in farmdocdaily:  Sellars, S., G. Schnitkey, C. Zulauf, K. Swanson and N. Paulson. “What Questions Should Farmers Ask about Selling Carbon Credits?.” farmdoc daily (11):59, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, April 13, 2021.Permalink

By: Sarah Sellars, Gary Schnitkey, Krista Swanson, and Nick Paulson, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois & Carl Zulauf, Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics, The Ohio State University

Agricultural carbon markets exist through privately and publicly owned companies with aim to reduce carbon emissions through trade of carbon units sequestered at the farm level. The sale of carbon credits presents an opportunity for farmers to receive financial benefits from changing to more environmentally beneficial agricultural practices, although carbon prices may not currently be high enough to cover the cost of switching practices. Information about carbon markets can be challenging to navigate because each company typically has a different structure for payments, verification, and data ownership. This article provides a brief background about carbon markets, information about the breakeven price for carbon sequestration practices, and some questions for farmers to consider about selling carbon credits. Continue reading →

Will Forage Stands Be Damaged by Predicted Freezes?

By:  Mark Sulc

Figure 1. Alfalfa stem wilting caused by freezing.

Figure 1. Alfalfa stem wilting caused by freezing.

The weather forecast this week is indeed concerning for forage stands in general and especially for alfalfa and red clover. The low night temperatures in the forecast may potentially cause severe frost injury to both annual forage crops (e.g. winter rye and winter triticale) and perennials forages. Continue reading →

“Take the Test & Beat the Pest” – Free SCN Soil Testing Available in 2021


SCN coalition what's your number logoAs part of the SCN Coalition surveillance program, free SCN testing will be available to soybean growers in Williams, Fulton, Henry, and Hillsdale (MI) Counties again in 2021.

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN), is the #1 yield-limiting soybean pathogen in the U.S. and could be “silently” robbing you of bushels. This is because SCN can cause yield reduction without any visible above-ground symptoms, like stunting or yellowing. Knowing whether SCN is present in your field(s) and to what extent impacts your soybean variety, crop rotation, and seed treatment decisions. Continue reading →

USDA Rolls Out Its Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative

By:  Peggy Kirk Hall, Associate Professor, Agricultural & Resource Law

USDA Pandemic Assistance Initiative LogoWe’re used to April showers in Ohio, but this year producers can also prepare for a showering of USDA pandemic assistance.  Secretary Vilsack just announced the new “USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative,” which will devote $12 billion to deliver financial assistance and programs for agricultural producers affected by COVID-19 market disruptions.  The USDA aims to spread those programs to a wider set of producers than previous COVID-19 programs. Continue reading →

Good Idea? Bad Idea? Planting Corn and Soybean in Early April

By:  Laura Lindsey and Alex Lindsey

Freeze damage below the cotyledons. The soybean plant will not recover.

Freeze damage below the cotyledons. The soybean plant will not recover.

Planting when conditions are adequate (soil temperatures above 50°F and greater than 45% plant available water content) is recommended for corn and soybean. This year, these conditions are occurring sooner than normal. At a two-inch depth, average soil temperature ranged from 48 to 51°F between April 1 and April 7 (Table 1). In general, early planting helps increase yield potential of both corn and soybean. For soybean, each day delay in planting after May 1 results in a yield decrease of 0.25 to 1 bu/acre/day. Additionally, there is also the real observation of the last few years that if you don’t get planted early, rains in May could prevent planting all together (thinking of you, 2019). While there are benefits of early planting, there are also risks that should be considered (especially if the weather turns cool). Continue reading →

April ‘Farm Office Live’ to Focus on USDA’s Pandemic Assistance

By Barry Ward, David Marrison, Peggy Hall, Dianne Shoemaker and Julie Strawser – Ohio State University Extension

April’s Farm Office Live will focus on details of the USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative announced on March 24, 2021. Changes were made in effort to reach a greater share of farming operations and improve USDA pandemic assistance.

During the webinar, we will be sharing details about the pandemic initiative and discussing some of the changes made to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP).  Our Farm Office Team will also provide a legislative update and discuss changes to the Paycheck Protection Program and Employee Retention Credits. They will also be on hand to answer your questions and address any related issues.

Two live sessions will be offered on Wednesday, April 7, from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. and again on Friday, April 9, from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. A replay will be available on the Farm Office website if you cannot attend the live event. Continue reading →