Country Life

By Brianna Gwirtz, OCJ field reporter

Perhaps one of the most significant and overlooked species of farmed livestock in Ohio is the honeybee. Much like any other livestock species, honeybees require food, water, protection from the elements, parasite management and general health care. At the same time, these vital “livestock” are essential to the production of many fruit and vegetable crops in Ohio.

Ohio has a long history in the beekeeping industry. Two notable members of beekeeping history called Ohio their home. Amos Root, inventor of a beehive that allowed apiarists to harvest honey without destroying the hive, was from Medina. His business still exists there today. L.L. Langstroth, who lived in Oxford and Dayton for periods of his life, invented the Langstroth hive, a vertical hive that remains extremely popular.

Today career apiarists have been replaced by hobbyists and sideliners as the art of beekeeping has been more commercialized. Ron Zickefoose , owner of Grandpa’s Farm, a 100-colony apiary in Creston has been beekeeping for over 20 years.… Continue reading

By Chris Zoller, Ohio State University Extension Educator, ANR, Tuscarawas County

The word “resilience” is used often in the agricultural press. What does this mean? Merriam-Webster defines resilience as: The capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress.
An ability to recover from or adjust to misfortune or change.

We often see resilience used in agriculture when discussing climate and weather. There is documented evidence of weather changes that have impacted agriculture, and farmers have done their best to adapt to these changes. Examples include building soil health, managed grazing, the use of cover crops, water management strategies, technology adoption, and more.

Resilience can also be used when discussing the economics of agriculture and the resulting effects. It is no surprise to anyone in agriculture that people are strained, are experiencing stress, and are trying to adjust to new and different ways of operating.… Continue reading

By Aaron Wilson, Greg LaBarge, CPAg/CCA, Elizabeth Hawkins, Sam Custer, Ohio State University Extension

With the calendar now turning to mid-May and much warmer weather expected ahead, this will be the last edition of this year’s soil temperature series in the C.O.R.N. Newsletter. Thanks especially to Elizabeth Hawkins and Sam Custer for persistently supplying daily soil temperatures records from their locations this spring.

Figure 1 shows that two- and four-inch soil temperatures cooled once again after spending the first part of May recovering from April’s chill. Air temperatures were 8 to 12 degrees F below average for the week which sent soil temperatures in the wrong direction. Generally, average soil temperatures are starting this week in the mid to upper 40s across northern Ohio (Northwestern, North Central, and Wooster) and in the mid-50s across the south (Piketon and Western). With a significant warm-up anticipated this weekend, with high temperatures into the 70s across the state, soil temperatures should respond nicely.… Continue reading

Another fair in Ohio’s 94-fair county and independent fair lineup has pulled the plug on it’s 2020 event.

West Bend News reported that the Paulding County Fair board, county commissioners, and health department made a mutual decision to not hold the 2020 fair in a virtual meeting Monday. Paulding is the first fair on the 2020 fair season schedule. It was scheduled to begin June 15.

“It was decided by all parties that for the safety and well-being of the Paulding County residents, the 2020 Paulding County Fair cannot happen this year,” the report said.

The fair board is exploring the possibility of holding a virtual add-on-style livestock auction to support their youth exhibitors. The report did note that the board has packers coordinated for all market animals, should the youth decide to utilize that market. The board hopes to host a fun day in the fall for 4-H and FFA youth exhibitors.… Continue reading

Improved crop performance, high-quality inputs, and cost-cutting are the key drivers behind Meristem Crop Performance Group, LLC, a new start-up officially launched in Columbus by crop input channel veterans Mitch Eviston and Rob McClelland, principals of the new company.

After a year of pilot-testing on more than a half-million acres with hundreds of Corn Belt growers, Meristem Crop Performance is ramping up to provide their unique high-quality, no-frills approach to select American farmers.

“Top farm businesses clearly understand the need to reduce costs if they are to successfully compete in today’s global grain trade,” said Eviston, Meristem founder and former senior vice president of WinField. “We’ve set up Meristem to be the lean provider of high-quality crop input additives to help these global players cut costs and increase yields.”

Eviston said nearly 200 such growers have already experienced the Meristem advantage.

“We are building the most efficient, direct-to-farm system which allows us to provide high-quality products that can save farmers up to 30% compared to conventional suppliers,” he said.… Continue reading

By Matt Reese

After contesting a late-February decision that the Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR) was invalid, the city of Toledo abandoned its appeal on May 5.

“The United States District Court found that LEBOR violated Drewes Farms’ constitutional rights and that it was not a close call for the Court. The District Court also found that LEBOR ‘flagrantly’ violated Ohio law,” said Tom Fusonie, with the law offices of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP. “After aggressively defending LEBOR and appealing the decision invalidating LEBOR, Toledo has now abandoned its appeal. On behalf of our client, Drewes Farms, we are pleased that Toledo has dropped its appeal that would only have caused more legal fees to be incurred. The District Court’s Order protecting Drewes Farms’ constitutional rights and defending the rule of law stands.”

On Feb. 27, 2019, Wood County farmer Mark Drewes filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality and legal status of the Lake Erie Bill of Rights.… Continue reading

By Cheryl Buck, Ohio State University Extension communication manager

Ohio State University Extension will continue operating via its teleworking plan for all employees and will keep physical OSU Extension offices closed to the public until further notice.

This remains in accordance with The Ohio State University’s decision that all university employees, with the exception of essential facilities workers, are to continue teleworking and remain off campus, physical distancing and taking all other precautions to stay safe.

Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton recently extended Ohio’s Stay Safe Ohio order through May 29. While some businesses and organizations in the state are starting to reopen as of early May, the guidelines for reopening offices via the governor’s office require personnel to work from home when possible.

OSU Extension has invested in technology that allows personnel to work from their homes. Programs intended to be held face-to-face have been adjusted to a virtual format, and personnel can still be contacted by phone or email.… Continue reading

By Kolt Buchenroth, Ohio Ag Net

Howard Call, executive director of the Ohio Fair Managers Association (OFMA) testified before the Ohio Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee May 6, presenting a plan to hold Ohio’s 94 county and independent fairs. According to Call, OFMA also presented the plan to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s staff on May 1. The plan lays out how fairs will be able to operate while abiding by social distancing and all other health department guidelines.

“That’s going to be a big job,” Call said. “It’s going to take some effort and some oversight to get people to do that.”

County fair season in Ohio is quickly approaching, with the Paulding County Fair set to start June 13.

“I am very concerned for that county, for its residents, and for those youth and participants,” Call said. “We are just trying to get them to hold on.”

On May 6, Harrison County announced an “abbreviated fair.”… Continue reading

By Aaron Wilson, atmospheric scientist with Ohio State University Extension

Temperatures in April were about 2 to 5 degrees F below the long-term mean and included three major freeze events that brought some horticultural damage across southern counties and scattered minor reports of burned tips on alfalfa and wheat.

Precipitation varied significantly across the state. Unlike much of the spring of 2019, lighter amounts fell across northwest Ohio compared to southeast Ohio. Only about 1 inch of rain fell in southern Fulton/northwest Henry Counties for the month, with more than six inches in parts of Adams, Monroe, and Belmont Counties. These totals are about 1 to 2 inches below the long-term mean in the northwest, with most counties southeast of I-71 showing surpluses of 1 to 4 inches for the month.

This past weekend, many areas throughout Ohio hit 80 degrees F for the first time this season, but those conditions are gone and not likely to return for a while.… Continue reading

By Steve Culman, John Fulton, Jason Hartschuh, CCA, Elizabeth Hawkins, Eric Richer, CCA, Ohio State University Extension

Improving soil health (SH) can provide a variety of benefits including improved water infiltration, increased water holding capacity, and increased nutrient availability. However, it can be challenging to quantify these benefits in the field.

In 2020, the eFields program is kicking off an effort to help better understand how management practices influence soil health and ultimately water quality. OSU Extension has worked to identify a few soil tests that can provide helpful indicators of improved soil health. Though several health tests exist, we focused on tests that are simple, economical, and repeatable. We are looking for farmers interested in soil health and who want to participate in a statewide field survey collecting soil health data from fields under various management practices, specifically conventional tillage, no-till, organic nutrient management, and cover cropping. The results from this effort will be used to guide recommendations for improving soil health on Ohio farms.… Continue reading

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will open signup this summer for CLEAR30, a new pilot program that offers farmers and landowners an opportunity to enroll in a 30-year Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contract. This pilot is available to farmers and landowners with expiring water-quality practice CRP contracts in the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay regions. The program signup period is July 6 to Aug. 21, 2020.

“This pilot allows us to work with farmers and landowners to maintain conservation practices for 30 years, underscoring farmers’ commitments to sound long term conservation stewardship on agricultural land,” said State Executive Director Leonard Hubert. “Through CLEAR30, we can decrease erosion, improve water quality and increase wildlife habitat on a much longer-term basis. We want to share this opportunity early, before the sign up period, so farmers and landowners have more time to consider if CLEAR30 or another program is right for their operation.”… Continue reading

Via Facebook, the Marion County Senior Fair Board announced a difficult decision to cancel the upcoming 2020 Marion County Fair  due to COVID-19 health concerns. The 170th Marion County Fair was planned for June 29 through July 4, 2020. There are plans to still showcase 4-H and FFA youth in single-day events tentatively scheduled for July 18 through July 25.

“The decision to not hold this year’s fair in normal capacity was not taken lightly as it impacts the livelihood of many individuals and businesses in our community as well as the fair industry. However, we believe we made the right decision at this time in order to protect the health and safety of our community,” said Keith Seckel, Marion County Senior Fair Board president in the Facebook post. “The silver lining of this unprecedented situation is that we are invested in doing what we can to recognize the heart of the Marion County Fair—the Junior Fair Exhibitor.”… Continue reading

Four Ohioans who have committed their lives to working in, promoting and advocating for Ohio’s farm community will be honored Friday, Aug. 7, by the Ohio Agricultural Council (OAC), when they are inducted into the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame.

The Ohio Agricultural Council (OAC) will induct Joe Cornely of Westerville, Tony Forshey of Hebron, Larry R. Gearhardt of Covington and Wendell Waters of West Lafayette, into the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame. The 55th annual event normally attracts more than 600 guests to honor the four professionals for their lifetime of service and dedication to Ohio’s agriculture community.

“In an uncertain time, it’s more important than ever to recognize the outstanding individuals in the agriculture industry,” said Mike Bumgarner, president of the Ohio Agricultural Council and president and CEO of United Producers, Inc. “Our 2020 inductees have established enduring improvements to the industry, developing guidelines, procedures and organizations that have changed the landscape of Ohio agriculture; while also dedicating time to mentoring future generations of agriculturists.”… Continue reading

By David Marrison, Ben Brown, Barry Ward, Peggy Hall, Dianne Shoemaker, Ohio State University Extension

The coronavirus pandemic has certainly altered all our lives. The impact is being felt by families, businesses, governmental agencies, and civic organizations. To help families and businesses alike, various levels of government have passed legislation to help lessen the economic blow of COVID-19. This article provides a brief overview of some of the assistance available. These include tax deadline provisions, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation rebates, unemployment compensation, and Wind and Hurricane Indemnity Program, Plus (WHIP+)

Tax deadline extensions

On March 21, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service extended the federal tax filing deadline for 2019 taxes from April 15 until July 15, 2020. The IRS encourages any taxpayer who is owed a refund to file as quickly as possible.… Continue reading

The Clean Fuels Deployment Act of 2020 was introduced by Reps. Abby Finkenauer, D-Iowa, Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, Angie Craig, D-Minn., and Don Bacon, R-Neb., to incentivize the deployment of fueling infrastructure for ethanol blends greater than 10% and biodiesel blends greater than 20%.

“The National Corn Growers Association appreciates the leadership of Reps. Finkenauer, Craig, Marshall and Bacon to help grow the market for higher blends of ethanol,” said Kevin Ross, NCGA president. “Expanding infrastructure for higher blends will help to increase future demand for farmers and ensure biofuels will continue to be included in federal efforts to provide consumers with cleaner, affordable fuels.”

The bill authorizes $500 million over five years to help retailers offer higher ethanol blends, expand the geographic area selling ethanol blends, support biodiesel fuel markets, and accelerate the deployment of fueling infrastructure. The legislation will work alongside the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to accelerate growth and open new economic opportunities for American farmers and biofuel producers.… Continue reading

By Matt Reese

On April 27, Governor Mike DeWine announced a gradual plan for reopening Ohio’s economy after six weeks of a mandatory stay-at-home order that expires on May 1.

The Responsible Restart Ohio plan has three phases:

• On May 1, medical procedures that do not require an overnight stay can proceed
• On May 4, manufacturing, distribution, and construction businesses may reopen, provided they can meet mandatory safety requirements for customers and employees
• On May 4, general office environments may reopen, provided they can meet mandatory safety requirements for customers and employees
• On May 12, consumer, retail and services, may reopen, provided they can meet mandatory safety requirements for customers and employees.

Agricultural businesses, of course, never closed, said Chris Henney, chief executive officer with the Ohio AgriBusiness Association.

“A lot has changed but a lot hasn’t. Our agribusinesses include feed mills, grain elevators and ag retail facilities and they all continue to operate.… Continue reading

By Matt Reese

On April 27, during these unconventional times, family, local friends and the agricultural community gathered beneath a blue, Perry County sky to honor and celebrate the life of Dan Fox in an unconventional way.

The parking lot was well beyond capacity at Sheridan Middle School as a funeral procession that stretched to the horizon, including many types of tractors and farm equipment, drove a somber loop around the school and then parked in an adjacent field to honor Fox, co-founder of Seed Consultants, Inc. Fox passed away suddenly on April 21 from an apparent heart attack. Fox was 58 years old. He was a 1981 graduate of Sheridan High School and a graduate of Wilmington College who dedicated his professional career to the seed industry.

“He was an outstanding mentor, friend, and father to his kids. He loved his family more than anything in the world,” said Stuart Yensel, with Seed Consultants.… Continue reading

Thanks to the efforts of Ohio Farm Bureau volunteers and staff, the organization had an increase in its “active” membership for the 2020 campaign. Active members are farmers or other Ohioans whose jobs or livelihoods are directly impacted by the agricultural industry. As active members, they are eligible to vote on Farm Bureau policies and hold elective office in the organization.

“This has no doubt been one of the most challenging membership campaigns we have ever had and to be able to continue to grow the membership of this organization despite the unforeseen circumstances of a global pandemic is remarkable,” said Paul Lyons, Ohio Farm Bureau’s vice president of membership. “Without the strong leadership of our county membership coordinators and the commitment of their dedicated teams of volunteers, gaining active membership would have been a much tougher task.”

Over half of the state’s county Farm Bureaus received the Milestone Award for achieving a gain in farmer and agribusiness members, and 18 volunteers won the Murray Lincoln Award for signing up at least 50 new members to Ohio Farm Bureau.… Continue reading

By Dan Armitage, host of Buckeye Sportsman, Ohio’s longest running outdoor radio show

As is being experienced by many Ohio families, with a wife and a college-sophomore son working/studying from home and being underfoot with me these days, life is a bit different. During an average workday I’m used to sharing the house with no more than a part-time cat, and enjoy the solitude. In fact, I’ve realized that as a bit of a recluse I’ve have been practicing social distancing for years, so the isolation we are asked to practice during these anything-but-average times is less of a strain on me than, say, a librarian or a college student, who thrive on much more social interaction.

I won’t go into detail on how we are managing things in the Armitage household, beyond having hidden all the sharp objects. What I will share is that, like most of you interested enough to read a column about the outdoors, let alone likely enjoying a rural lifestyle, we family members agree that we are fortunate.… Continue reading