Month: March 2022

Winter Wheat Stand Evaluation for 2022

By:  Laura Lindsey

Between planting in the fall and Feekes 4 growth stage (beginning of erect growth) in the spring, winter wheat is vulnerable to environmental stress such as saturated soils and freeze-thaw cycles that cause soil heaving. All of which may lead to substantial stand reduction, and consequently, low grain yield. This year, many areas of Ohio have been wet and wheat plants look poor. However, a stand that looks thin in the spring does not always correspond to low grain yield. Rather than relying on a visual assessment only, we suggest counting the number of wheat stems to help estimate wheat grain yield. Continue reading Winter Wheat Stand Evaluation for 2022 →

OSU Extension Defiance County to Offer $mart Rates for Fertilizer Workshops

Join OSU Extension Educator and Certified Crop Advisor Bruce Clevenger to develop your own recommendation for lime, phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen based on the new OSU Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations. Bring a soil test report from your field and optionally a laptop with MS Excel. Each class is a repeat of the same agenda. Class size is limited to 12.

When:  April 4, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. OR April 5, 9:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Registration Information: RSVP deadline, March 30. Registration mandatory No walk-ins are available. Meal included in registration.

Location: Defiance County Extension Office, 06879 Evansport Road, Defiance, OH 43512

Cost: No Charge.

Contact: Bruce Clevenger at 419-782-4771 or clevenger.10@osu.edu

Getting the Most Out of Your Outdoor Power Equipment

By:  Alan Leininger

If you have purchased or are planning to purchase outdoor power equipment for your lawn care & gardening needs, then this is the program for you. We will take you through the steps of dismantling and reassembling a Briggs & Stratton engine while discussing the different components and systems. We will also give tips on how to manage, maintain, & store your equipment so that you will be able to get the most out of your power equipment purchase.

When:  Monday, April 11 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Location: Henry County Extension Office,104 E. Washington Street, Hahn Center, Suite 302 Napoleon, OH 43545

Registration Details: RSVP by April 4th, 2022. registration fee is $50 by April 4th and $65 if late. RSVP is mandatory, no walk-ins. Handouts, tools & publications are included, and light snack is available during the event.

Registration Link: https://go.osu.edu/henryanr2022

Contact: Alan Leininger at 419-592-0806 or leininger.17@osu.edu

2021 eFields Reports Available at the Williams County Extension Office

Take advantage of a rainy week and stop by the Williams County Extension office to pick up your copy of the 2021 eFields Report. This year’s report highlights over 200 on-farm, field scale trials conducted across Ohio. Research topics included nutrient management, precision crop management, cover crops, technology, and forages.

An e-version of the report is also available at go.osu.edu/eFields. Contact ANR Educator Steph Karhoff at karhoff.41@osu.edu or 419-636-5608 if you are interested in participating in on-farm research. The Williams County Extension Office is open Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Ohio Farm Custom Rate Survey 2022 Responses – Last Call

By: Barry Ward, Leader, Production Business Management, OSU Extension, Agriculture & Natural Resources

The Ohio Farm Custom Rates Survey 2022 data collection has launched. The online survey for 2022 is available at: https://go.osu.edu/ohiofarmcustomratesurvey2022

If you perform custom farm work or pay for these services, we kindly ask you to complete the Ohio Farm Custom Rate Survey for 2022.

A large number of Ohio farmers hire machinery operations and other farm related work to be completed by others. This is often due to lack of proper equipment, lack of time or lack of expertise for a particular operation.  Many farm business owners do not own equipment for every possible job that they may encounter in the course of operating a farm and may, instead of purchasing the equipment needed, seek out someone with the proper tools necessary to complete the job. This farm work completed by others is often referred to as “custom farm work” or more simply “custom work”. A “custom rate” is the amount agreed upon by both parties to be paid by the custom work customer to the custom work provider. Continue reading Ohio Farm Custom Rate Survey 2022 Responses – Last Call →

Topdressing Wheat with Liquid Swine Manure

By:  Glen Arnold

Wheat fields are firming up across Ohio and topdressing with nitrogen fertilizer will soon start. Given the current fertilizer prices more livestock producers may be considering applying liquid swine manure as a top-dress for wheat. Continue reading Topdressing Wheat with Liquid Swine Manure →

OSU Extension Williams County to Monitor Corn Pests and Pathogens

Western Bean Cutworm Trap

OSU Extension Williams County will be monitoring for Western Bean Cutworm (WBC) moths again during the 2022 growing season.

Moths are trapped by placing pheromone traps (see picture) at the edge of corn fields throughout the county, and checked on a weekly basis beginning late June and proceeding through August.

The WBC monitoring program is a state-led initiative to better understand insect populations, and develop management recommendations for growers. Each week, WBC numbers will be published in the C.O.R.N. newsletter. Williams County WBC numbers will also be published on this blog on a weekly basis. (Farm name and location is NOT shared with WBC numbers).

New this year, OSU Extension Williams County will also be collaborating with State Specialist Dr. Pierce Paul to monitor spore movement of the fungal pathogen that causes Tar spot in corn. Traps will be placed at the edge of corn fields and then analyzed by the corn pathology lab in Wooster to count the number of spores present. This will help answer the question of how this pathogen spreads and will improve Tar spot management strategies. Fields that have been affected by Tar spot in the past are preferred.

If you are interested in hosting a WBC bucket trap or Tar spot spore trap in one of your corn fields in 2022, please call ANR Educator Stephanie Karhoff at 419-636-5608 by April 1 with field location.

Don’t Forget – Pesticide and Fertilizer Recertification Meeting on March 21

Do you have a Private Pesticide Applicator’s License and/or Fertilizer Certification expiring in 2022? If so, register for our re-certification session on March 21 at the Veterans Memorial Building.

Fertilizer recertification (Category 15) will be from 5 – 6 pm and pesticide recertification (CORE & Categories 1-6) from 6 – 9 pm. Pre-registration is required at go.osu.edu/williamspat or 419-636-5608. Registration cost is $10 for fertilizer recertification and $35 for pesticide recertification and includes educational materials and refreshments. This is separate from the ODA $30 license renewal fee. Can’t attend? Check out https://pested.osu.edu/Recert/maumeevalley for more recertification opportunities. Continue reading Don’t Forget – Pesticide and Fertilizer Recertification Meeting on March 21 →

Missed Conservation Tillage Conference? Register for Video Package Today – CCA Credits Included!

Keynote Speaker Steve Groff, Photo credit: Randall Reeder.

Exclusive access to 2022 Conservation Tillage Conference presentation recordings will be available starting March 21 for a month. If you missed Conservation Tillage Conference, you can watch ALL concurrent sessions and Steve Groff’s keynote speech, plus short messages from our exhibitors and major sponsors. For the benefit of Crop Consultants, a QR code will be included with each presentation. Register today to access the Conservation Tillage Conference presentations.  Registration cost is $100. The full program and CCA credits are available at ctc.osu.edu.  (On the home page, click on the red box)

You will receive an email with a link to the “package” of presentations once the videos are posted. Presentations will be grouped by concurrent session, as they are listed in the program.

Alternative Spring Burndown/Postemergence Strategies When Herbicides are in Short Supply

By:  Mark Loux

Note:  This is a repeat (mostly) of an article that ran in C.O.R.N. last November.  It represents the combined thinking of weed scientists from Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania

There is a lot of speculation about herbicide shortages for the 2022 growing season, and some products are apparently getting more expensive and/or scarce now.  This will affect herbicide buying and weed management decisions for the 2022 season.  The two main active ingredients that we’re hearing about right now are glyphosate (Roundup, others) and glufosinate (Liberty, others), for which prices have increased substantially.  There will likely be limited supplies of other pesticide active ingredients as well, but in the short term, a shortage of these two active ingredients poses some major challenges for corn and soybean production. The purpose of this article is to discuss ways to minimize the impact of herbicide shortages, primarily glyphosate, on corn and soybean production. As you search for alternatives to these two herbicides and others, the weed control guides and technical guides produced by University Extension and industry are an important tool for planning weed management programs and herbicide purchases. Links to the university publications are at the end of this article.  Feel free to contact us also when trying to sort through options (loux.1@osu.edu). Continue reading Alternative Spring Burndown/Postemergence Strategies When Herbicides are in Short Supply →