By: Stephanie Karhoff
To growers’ dismay, 2021 is shaping up to be a “good” year for Tar Spot (“good” if you are a plant pathologist at least). Though the combine will have the last say on Tar Spot’s yield impact on corn fields across Williams County, it is already evident that Tar Spot has become more widespread across the county, state, and even the Corn Belt. Continue reading
By: Andy Michel, Curtis Young, CCA, Aaron Wilson, Kelley Tilmon, Mark Sulc
Fall armyworm caterpillars, photo courtesy of Mark Badertscher.
Last week, we discussed the possibility of a cold snap limiting any future fall armyworm outbreaks. We did have some fairly low temperatures last week—most areas had 40 to 60 straight hours of temperatures below 65oF (this was the temperature when mortality significantly impacted fall armyworm larvae). Today, several OSU extension educators have noticed a very large number of adult moths caught in our expanded trap network. Continue reading
Why take the survey?
Ticks and tick-borne diseases are a growing problem for both humans and animals in Ohio. The Ohio State University is interested in learning about your knowledge and experience related to ticks as a livestock producer through completion of a survey. Results of this survey will be used to develop customized training and educational materials about ticks for the livestock production community. Those who complete the survey will be eligible for a monetary compensation of $5.00 in the form of a gift card to the business of your choosing.
Who can take the survey?
Only livestock producers that reside in Ohio and are over the age of 18 are eligible to participate. Continue reading
The Williams County Health District in partnership with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Four County Solid Waste District will be hosting a tire recycling event on Tuesday, October 5 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Williams County Engineer’s Office located at 12953 County Road G, Bryan, Ohio.
Car, pick-up truck, lawn mower, motorcycle, and all other small tires will be accepted at a cost of $1.00 per tire. Large tractors from tractors, semi truck, farming implements, or other large vehicles will NOT be accepted. Tires must be removed from the rim.
For more information, call 419-485-3141.
Information provided by OSU Agricultural Safety and Health Program
Farm Safety Yields Real Results
September 19-25, 2021
National Farm Safety and Health Week is a time to turn the spotlight on far too overlooked practices in agriculture. Safety and health always seem to ride under the radar. This week provides a space and platform for safety and health professionals across the country to curate a collective of resources to help farmers address safety and health needs and practices. Yields, loans, conservation efforts, innovative technologies, weather, inheritance tax laws and carbon credits all seem to steal the thunder and the daily headlines, but farm safety yields real results and brings everyone home at night. Take some time out of your week to turn a focus to safety, not just this week but every week! Farmers are always short on time with a long list of to-dos but setting a pace that includes doing things safely can save lives. Put safety first! Talk with your employees and family members today. Schedule safety meetings with employees or conversations around the kitchen table with family to discuss safety rules and the safety culture on your farm. Decide to tackle one area and make it better, then another, and before you know it you will lead by example to your family, employees, and community. The daily topics of focus for this year are outlined below: Continue reading
By: Andy Michel, Kelly Tilmon, Curtis Young, Mark Sulc, Aaron Wilson
“Could Ohio really face another generation of fall armyworm in the next few weeks?” This has been the most frequent question from many of our stakeholders—and rightfully so given the damage we have already seen in forage and turf. Fall armyworm (FAW) is normally a tropical insect and can reproduce very fast in warm temperatures. In fact, our extension educators found fall armyworm egg masses in the field last week. Whether or not a new generation of caterpillars will cause damage largely depends on one factor: temperature. Continue reading
Please join OSU Extension Williams County in congratulating our 2021 Flo Chirra Memorial Barnyard Friends Coloring Contest Winners:
Kindergarten:
1st Place, Kimberly Batterson
2nd Place, Carter Oxender
3rd Place, Aiden DeGroff Continue reading
By: Mark Sulc
Alfalfa Damaged Field, Photo Courtesy of Mark Badertscher
A severe and fall armyworm outbreak developed across Ohio and neighboring states. It has caused serious destruction in many forage fields. For more complete details on this pest, including how to scout for this pest and options for control, see the articles posted at https://forages.osu.edu/forage-management/pests-diseases.
This article addresses how to manage forage stands damaged by the fall armyworm. Continue reading
By: Pierce Paul, Mark Badertscher, Marian Luis
Contrary to what was observed over the last three growing seasons when tar spot was restricted to a few counties in the NW corner of the state, in 2021, the disease has so far been reposted in 21 counties, including as far South as Clark County and as far east as Holmes County. In the past, the disease was seen late in the season (after R4), but this year it was reported in some fields at or before silking (R1). In most of the effected fields, only a few stromata (black tar-like spots) are observed on a few leaves, but in other cases, large sections of fields are affected and there is evidence of an increase in disease severity (percentage of leaf surface covered with stromata) as the crop matures. Severely affected fields show premature drying and wilting of leaves. Another interesting observation is the different in the pattern of development of stromata among hybrids. Disease severity varies considerable among hybrids; some affected hybrids develop many small spots (stromata) that do not seem to increase in size over time, whereas other hybrids develop fewer, but much larger stromata. Continue reading