2023 eFields Booklet Now Available!

The 2023 eFields Book is now available in local Extension Offices. The eFields booklet is a free publication that highlights on-farm research from around the state. The topics in this year’s copy are Corn, Soybean, Small Grain, Forages, Water Quality, Tech, and Other. Each of these sections highlights research conducted during the 2023 growing season. This booklet hosts a lot of exciting information that can assist agriculturists in their management decisions. Stop into the Extension Office to pick up your copy today!

The companion copy of this book for livestock is eBarns. The 2022 copy of this report is available at this link. This publication also covers on-farm research from across the state in the areas of Forages, Dairy, Beef, Small Ruminant, Manure Nutrients, Swine, and Poultry.

Farmer/Farmland Owner Tax Webinar

 

Are you a farmer or farmland owner wanting to learn more about the recent tax law issues? If so, join us for this webinar on Friday, December 15th, 2023 from 10am to noon. This webinar is a part of our Farm Office Live Series and serves as our Farm Office Live! Webinar for December. To register for this webinar go to: https://go.osu.edu/register4fol

This webinar will focus on issues related to farmer and farmland owner income tax returns as well as the latest news on CAUV and property taxes in Ohio and the big changes to the Ohio Commercial Activity Tax (CAT). This two-hour program will be presented in a live webinar format via Zoom by OSU Extension Educators Barry Ward, David Marrison and Jeff Lewis along with Purdue faculty member Dr. Michael Langemeier. Individuals who operate farms, own property, or are involved with renting farmland should participate.

Topics to be discussed during this webinar include (subject to change based on tax law change):

  • Economic Outlook
  • Depreciation Update
  • Employee vs. Independent Contractor
  • Corporate Transparency Act/Beneficial Owners Information Reporting
  • 1099-K Changes
  • Charitable Remainder Trusts
  • Basis Allocation Land Acquisition – Allocating Basis to Residual Fertility for Future Deductions
  • Defining Farm Income to Avoid Paying Estimated Tax
  • Keeping an Eye Forward on Estate/Gift Tax Limitation
  • Reminder – Keeping an Eye on Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Provisions Sunsetting After 2025 Tax Year
  • Ohio Tax Update (CAUV/Property Tax Update, CAT Changes, Beginning Farmer Tax Credit, Ohio Tax Law Interpretation – Ohio Supreme Court Issues New Ruling)
  • Indiana Tax Update

To register: https://go.osu.edu/register4fol

For more information, contact Barry Ward at ward.8@osu.edu or Jeff Lewis at lewis.1459@osu.edu

Williams County Crop Update – October 16, 2023

All information is representative of the Williams County Area. Based on the Bryan Zip Code, over last week and this weekend, the accumulated rainfall hovered around 1.2 inches. Temperatures have not dipped below freezing yet, the average date for the first has passed, so freezing temperatures should be expected at any point.

Corn harvest is just getting started, and not a lot of acres have been harvested yet. The acres that have been harvested have been coming off with high moisture, 18-25%. There has been vomitoxin reported; however, the levels are below concern. Soybeans are around 60% harvested. At the beginning of harvest, the soybeans were coming in dry around 12-13% moisture; however, with the recent rainfall and cloud cover, soybeans are coming in on the wetter side with 15-17% moisture. The current average has hovered around 60 bushels per acre, with the range being 50-70 bushels per acre. Wheat is beginning to be planted and fields are also being tilled as the crops come off the field.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is currently monitoring Box Tree Moth (BTM) (Cydalima perspectalis, family Crambidae). It is currently being found in southwest Ohio. It is the first time this nonnative boxwood defoliator has been found in Ohio. For more information, visit the ODA website or the article published on Buckeye Yard & Garden online (Boxwood Tree Moth Article).

Pesticide Applicator Licensing Information

Who needs a Private Pesticide license?

A Private Pesticide Applicator license is required for individuals who desire to use a RESTRICTED USE pesticide on their crops or plants.  No license is required for the use of GENERAL USE pesticides. All holders of a Private Pesticide Applicator license must carry the CORE category, as well as any other categories that are relevant.

Category 1: Grain and Cereal Crops
Category 2: Forage Crops and Livestock
Category 3: Fruit and Vegetable Crops
Category 4: Nursery and Forest Crops
Category 5: Greenhouse Crops
Category 6: Fumigation
Category 7: Specialty Uses

How do I get a Private Pesticide Applicator license?

1. Review study materials for the CORE category and any other categories you will need

2. Sign up for an exam on the Ohio Department of Agriculture site by selecting the date and location where you would like to test.

3. After you have successfully passed all exams, the ODA will send you an invoice for $30.  If there are exams you did not pass, you may retake the exam.  Only the exams not passed need to be retaken.

4. Once you return the invoice and payment, ODA will send you your Pesticide License


How do I renew my Private Pesticide Applicator license?

Renewals of the Private Pesticide Applicator license must take place every 3 years, prior to expiration on March 31.  To recertify, a total of 3 credit-hours of approved training must be documented, or you will have to retest.  Of this 3 hours, at least 1 hour must be in CORE, and at least 0.5 hours must be in each category that is on your license.  The balance of the 3 hours can be in any category.

3 hours = 1 hour CORE + 0.5 hours (each category) + [remaining hours in any category]

A list of trainings around Ohio can be found here.

How can I check the status of my obtained recertification credits?

The ODA will send a renewal notice several months before your license is set to expire.  This notice will include a record of any accumulated credits since your last license renewal.  You can also get information about accumulated credits by using the ODA webpage and clicking “Recert Information” on the left side.  You will need your License ID and last name.  You can also call the ODA at 614-728-6987.


Who needs a Commercial Pesticide Applicator license?

A Commercial Pesticide Applicator license is required for use of any pesticide (both GENERAL USE and RESTRICTED USE) in the following settings:

  • Custom agriculture applicator
  • Lawncare of landscape company
  • Highway/utility/railroad maintenance
  • Township/city/village owned areas (including parks)
  • Schools/colleges/universities/daycares
  • Apartment complexes (if 4 or more units)
  • Restaurants/food service business
  • Golf courses
  • Hospitals/medical centers

How do I get a Commercial Pesticide Applicator license?

1. Complete the application form and send to ODA with a $35 fee.

2. ODA will send you a set of study materials.  Review these materials and consider attending a New Applicator School.

3. Sign up for an exam on the Ohio Department of Agriculture site by selecting the date and location where you would like to test.

4. After you have successfully passed all exams, the ODA will send you a Commercial Pesticide Applicator license.  If there are exams you did not pass, you may retake the exam.  Only the exams not passed need to be retaken.


How do I renew my Commercial Pesticide Applicator license?

In order to maintain a Commercial Pesticide Applicator license, a $35 fee must be paid annually.

In addition, a Commercial Pesticide Applicator must be re-certified every 3 years, prior to expiration on March 31.  To recertify, a total of 5 credit-hours of approved training must be documented.  Of this 5 hours, at least 1 hour must be in CORE, and at least 0.5 hours must be in each category that is on your license.  The balance of the 5 hours can be in any category.

5 hours = 1 hour CORE + 0.5 hours (each category) + [remaining hours in any category]

Please note that Private Pesticide Re-certification credits do not apply toward the Commercial Pesticide Applicator re-certification requirement.

Information about upcoming recertification opportunities can be found here.


How can I check the status of my obtained recertification credits?

You can find information about accumulated credits by using the ODA webpage.  You will need your License ID and last name.  You can also call the ODA at 614-728-6987.


For additional information about a Pesticide Business license, Pesticide Dealer license, Wood-Destroying Insect Inspection category, or to become a Trained Serviceperson, please visit the Ohio State Pest Ed Department website.

Backgrounding Cattle in 2023

– Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist, OSU Extension (originally published in Farm and Dairy)

Know that not all cattle are

designed to be backgrounded.

With stocker cattle prices near or at record highs, there has never been a better time to evaluate pastures and grazing systems to optimize livestock value in a grazing system. Let’s discuss some management practices for backgrounding stocker calves on the grass in 2023.

Calf Quality

Looking to the future, there is a lot of opportunity in the cattle market for 2023. However, there are concerns about calf prices as producers start to buy stockers to graze this spring and summer.

Not all cattle are designed to be backgrounded. High-growth, high-performing calves are often best suited for delivery straight to the feedlot. The ideal calves for backgrounding are lean, green grazing machines that may not be ready for finishing and will benefit from the added frame and compensatory gain upon arrival to the feedlot in the fall.

In the marketplace, stocker buyers should match their management skills to the type of cattle they can afford and manage. There continues to be a premium for weaned and vaccinated calves and steers compared to bulls. For those producers that back the trailer up to the back 40 and turn cattle out with minimal management for the next six months, buying calves that are of lower risk is often the best bet.

Backgrounding #2 type cattle often has some economic upside in adding value to calves that might not be ready to perform in a feedlot setting. These cattle need more attention and care during the first two to four weeks of ownership to ensure they get on the right path concerning animal health and nutrition. There is a science to putting together groups of these types of calves. Aim for uniformity in flesh, ability, and frame.

Supplemental Nutrition

What about feeding grain in a backgrounding program? If cost-effective and aids in calf management, limiting feeding some grain can be a tool in the toolbox. Remember, every pound added to that animal is as valuable as ever. However, those added pounds should be lean gain rather than added fat cover. When evaluating supplement options, soyhull pellets or by-products could be a consideration.

Animal Health

The best backgrounding programs have some vaccination protocol, a solid mineral program, and a plan for fly control if needed. It is of utmost importance to control and mitigate respiratory disease and pinkeye, given current cattle prices. Work with your veterinarian to develop a Veterinary Client Patient Relationship (VCPR). That relationship is key to minimizing the impact of disease, especially in the wake of over-the-counter antimicrobials going under veterinary oversight in June. It doesn’t take many to fall behind or dead calves to erase the profit potential of a load in a backgrounding system.

Vitamin M[anagement]

Backgrounding stocker cattle can be a profitable enterprise if the impact of various factors can be neutralized or capitalized on. When determining stocking rate, knowing the carrying capacity of each pasture over time can help make cattle buying decisions. Rotational or management-intensive grazing can increase the carrying capacity and productivity of the forage in proper infrastructure is in place. Soil fertility is also part of a successful backgrounding program. Given the current economics of beef production, 2023 is a year to work on being more efficient in our production systems, as every pound of beef produced on a farm is of greater value than in years past. Happy Grazing.

Farm Survey

Farmers, ranchers, and their partners raising children wanted! Researchers are looking for primary caregivers of children under 18 to participate in an online survey about how they are juggling children and work. Full- and part-time farmers and ranchers are welcome to participate and may choose to enter a raffle to win one of fifty $50 checks.

For questions or to request a paper survey, contact Florence Becot at 715-389-9379 or becot.florence@marshfieldresearch.org To fill out the online survey, visit this link: https://redcap.link/Survey1_FarmersRaisingChildren 

H2Ohio

Updates and Reminders from the Soil & Water Conservation District:

If you CURRENTLY have a 2021/2022/2023 H2Ohio Program Contract, the following are Important Details:

  • The following items need to be turned in to the Williams SWCD office by JANUARY 31, 2023, if they apply to you:
    • 2022 Crop Year Paperwork for manure, cover crop practices, and wheat for 2023 needs to be turned in by January 31, 2023
    • Subsurface placement fertilizer bills and fields that are applied to with maps
    • VRT AS Applied Maps if any fall application
    • Manure fields applied to AND As Applied Records for those fields (Manure Tool)
    • Cover crop seed tags, field maps, and date planted
  • VRT & Subsurface Payments have been made for 2022 if the producer has turned in the correct paperwork.
  • If you have not been paid for 2022 VNMP Implementation or other practices like 2022 VRT Phosphorus Application and/or Subsurface Phosphorus Placement, please contact Steve as soon as possible.

Contact Steve Slattman, Williams Soil & Water Conservation District, H2Ohio District Technician, at (419) 636-9395, with your questions.

Farm Service Agency Loans Available for Beginning Farmers

By:  Chris Zoller

Building and managing a successful farm is a significant financial investment and can be especially challenging for those just beginning, especially those unable to obtain financing through commercial lenders.  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) makes and guarantees loans to beginning farmers.

Each year money is allocated to FSA for farm ownership and farm operating loans for beginning farmers.  These loan programs are important as beginning farmers have historically experienced more difficulty obtaining financial assistance. Continue reading

Optimize vs. Maximize in 2022

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

In Extension work, I learned early on as a county educator that the seasons of the year are not your typical spring, summer, fall, and winter. Instead, we tend to observe, as do many farmers around the state, a yearly calendar that looks more like planting/calving, hay season, harvest and meeting season.

Being hired during COVID, my first official meeting season in this role is on the downhill slide. From Wauseon to McConnelsville and Wooster to West Union, with several stops in between I have taught several programs and had many conversations with cattle producers across the state. At the forefront of many of those conversations have been economics, supply chain issues, and the markets. Continue reading

Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rents Survey 2021-22

Agricultural professionals with a knowledge of Ohio’s cropland values and rental rates are invited to complete the 2021-22 Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rents Survey by April 30, 2022. This may include rural appraisers, agricultural lenders, professional farm managers, ag business professionals, farmers, landowners, and Farm Service Agency personnel. Your thoughts and responses are greatly appreciated.

Complete the survey online at https://go.osu.edu/ohiocroplandvaluescashrents2122 or you may complete the survey by downloading it using the link below, scanning, and e-mailing the completed survey back to ward.8@osu.edu. Continue reading