Ohio Ag Net | Ohio's Country Journal Ohio Ag Net | Ohio's Country Journal 
Ohio’s Country Journal and Ohio Ag Net caught up with our Between the Rows farmers before the Independence Day holiday to see how crops were progressing.
Derek Niese – Putnam County
Things have been staying busy. Wheat harvest is underway, although we’ve only managed to combine a little bit so far as we wait for grain moisture to come down. Our wheat is still around 18% moisture, but plenty of neighbors have already been running combines, so hopefully we’ll be able to make more progress today and tomorrow.
Once wheat harvest wraps up, we’ll bale a few straw bales for some steers, but most of the straw will go back on the field. We typically like to double-crop soybeans after wheat, but this year timing will determine what happens. We’re planning to apply hog manure to this field. If we don’t get the double crop in, we’ll likely seed a cover crop and call it a day.
We’ve been busy fertigating tomatoes, post-spraying soybeans, and keeping up with our fruit operation. The raspberry season is beginning to wind down, while blackberries are just starting to ripen and should be ready soon.
Overall, the corn and soybeans look really good. Everything is green and healthy. There are a few more weeds out there than I’d like to see, but with all the rain and heat we’ve had, everything is growing right now. We’re getting close to seeing tassels on some of our early corn, but we haven’t quite reached that stage yet.
Greg Ramsey – Ross County
Wheat harvest is complete, and overall, I can’t really complain. Harvest itself went fairly smoothly, quality was outstanding, and while yields could have been a little better, we were certainly better off than some farms in the area.
There was quite a bit of frost damage across parts of the county this spring, but it seemed somewhat random. Some farms were hit while others escaped damage altogether. It may have come down to variety differences and crop maturity, because in some cases it looked like a day or two made all the difference. In the end, our wheat yields were average to slightly above average, so we’re thankful for that.
Now our focus has shifted to hauling some remaining grain, finishing up post-spraying soybeans, and preparing for the next season. As soybeans begin to canopy, we’re trying to get weeds under control and wrap up those applications. We’re also starting to think ahead to fall by getting equipment and grain bins ready.
I spotted our first corn tassels on Sunday, so fields are beginning to move into that next growth stage. We’ll soon be making decisions about fungicide applications on corn, which we almost always apply. We continue to evaluate fungicide use on soybeans as well, using on-farm trials to determine what works best on our operation.
So far, it’s been a better year, and we’re certainly thankful for that.
Matt Hartong – Summit County
Things are looking pretty good. We recently wrapped up second-cutting alfalfa hay, so it is nice to have that completed. Right now, we’re in a bit of a waiting game as we watch for wheat to finish drying down.
The hot weather earlier this week helped move the crop along, and we’re hoping to begin wheat harvest soon. Once harvest starts, our focus will quickly shift to baling straw. Small square baling is one of the biggest jobs we tackle each year and certainly one of the most labor-intensive. It takes a lot of people to get the job done, especially with the summer heat.
Despite the recent heat, crops continue to look really, really good. I think the corn enjoys these warm temperatures. Thanks to all the moisture we received this spring, there is still plenty of moisture in the soil, and crops have held up well. If conditions stay as they are, I think we’ll be fine through the rest of the week, although we’ll likely start looking for some rain next week.
The soybeans were a little slow emerging this spring. We think dry conditions at planting delayed emergence somewhat, but they eventually came through and are looking good now. Overall, we are pleased with where the crop stands as we move into July.
Melissa Clark – Miami County
The crops have really taken off over the last 10 days. Both the corn and soybeans have responded well, and overall things are looking pretty good across our area.
The soybeans had been showing some yellowing earlier in the season, but they seem to have grown out of that and are now in a much better place. We are currently post-spraying soybeans, and some of those early-planted fields are already beginning to canopy. It is encouraging to see how much progress they have made in a relatively short amount of time.
Corn has also shown tremendous growth. Much of our corn is now five to six feet tall, and I have started seeing some early-planted fields in the area tasseling. As I’ve been driving around and checking fields, I’ve been amazed at how quickly some of the corn has grown. You can still tell where water stood earlier in the season, but for the most part, crops across the area look uniform and healthy.
The weather has turned hot and dry, which has allowed wheat harvest to get underway for many farmers in the area. We don’t raise wheat ourselves, but neighbors are making good progress thanks to the dry conditions.
On our farm, we’ll continue with our spray program, harvest hay over the next couple of weeks, and spend time scouting fields as the growing season continues.
