Crops

It’s tempting to skip soil testing when budgets are tight but, according to Reid Abbott, an agronomist with AgroLiquid, soil tests are one of the highest-return investments a grower can make heading into the fall. In this Featured Audio, find out why fall soil testing is such an important investment for growers heading into the 2027 growing season.

A soy-based firefighting foam developed with support from soybean checkoff investments is gaining attention as a biodegradable, PFAS-free alternative for fire departments. Ohio Ag Net’s own Dusty Sonnenberg talks with Chuck Stiver of Cross Plain Solutions and Next Gen Bio Solutions to explain how SoyFoam provides firefighters with a safer option while remaining compatible with existing firefighting equipment and practices. He also discusses how the product creates an additional market for soybeans and highlights a rebate program available through the Ohio Soybean Council.

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The Ohio Department of Agriculture recently announce the approval for local sponsors to purchase agricultural easements on 58 family farms representing 5,165 acres in 36 counties.

Local sponsoring organizations, which include land trusts, counties, townships, and local soil and water conservation districts, receive funding from the Clean Ohio Fund to manage the Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (LAEPP). The easements ensure farms remain permanently in agricultural production. The program supports long-term growth of one of the state’s largest industries, food and agriculture.

To be eligible for the program, farms must be larger than 40 acres or next to a preserved farm, actively engaged in farming, participate in the Current Agricultural Use Value program, demonstrate good stewardship of the land, have support from local government and not be in close proximity to development. Landowners may use the proceeds of the easement in any way they wish, but many choose to reinvest the dollars in their farm operation.… Continue reading

By Dusty Sonnenberg

A fourth generation Missouri corn, soybean and cattle farmer, who is now in a top leadership position at the USDA, spent time in Ohio this week listening to farmers’ concerns and sharing how his organization is trying to make positive changes to help producers across the country.

Richard Fordyce currently serves as USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC). This position includes oversight of the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Risk Management Authority (RMA), and the FPAC Business Center. All these mission areas work toward the efficient delivery of conservation, farm loans, crop insurance, disaster assistance, and other key USDA programs.

During the first Trump administration, Fordyce served as the Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency.

While in Ohio, Fordyce had the opportunity to visit farmers on their operations.

“This trip is about going and talking to farmers and finding out what is going on, and if there something we can do to be more helpful,” Fordyce said.… Continue reading

As farmers look ahead to the 2027 growing season, managing input costs will be an important part of building a profitable plan. In this featured audio, Ohio Ag Net’s Joe Everett visits with Beck’s Hybrids agronomist Mike Hannewald about prioritizing fertility investments, starting with lime and focusing on critical phosphorus and potassium levels. Hannewald also discusses where farmers may have flexibility to reduce or delay maintenance applications while emphasizing the importance of using soil-test data, agronomic information and individual farm economics to guide those decisions. He encourages farmers to run the numbers and make informed fertility decisions.

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By Dusty Sonnenberg, CCA, Field Leader, a project of the Ohio Soybean Council and Soybean Check-off

October is SCN Action Month. Monday, October 5^th was National Nematode Day, and during the entire month of October attention is directed toward the number one yield robber of soybeans nationwide. It is a problem that costs soybean growers millions of dollars annually. BASF has detected Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) in more than 80% of the soil samples they have collected. Justin Moritz is with BASF and has been studying SCN for many years.

“It is fall, and I always love this time of year because it is when we get our report card and see how we actually did throughout the year with all the decisions we made, what the weather impacts were, all those sorts of things,” said Moritz. “Growers get the opportunity to both see how they did from a yield potential or a final outcome in a yield scenario, as well as having the opportunity to start planning for next year.”… Continue reading

Agricultural spray drones continue to gain momentum across Ohio, and a newly formed statewide association aims to unite operators through advocacy, education, and the sharing of best management practices. Dr. John Fulton of The Ohio State University discusses the group’s goals, including representing the industry on policy issues and helping operators navigate this rapidly evolving technology. He also shares how spray drones are creating new opportunities for farmers and custom applicators by improving the ability to make timely applications when field conditions, weather, or labor challenges arise.

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With Ohio farmers in the middle of harvest and facing sharply higher diesel costs, the Ohio Soybean Association (OSA) is calling on Gov. Mike DeWine to build upon important steps taken last week on the gas tax to provide additional temporary fuel-cost relief for the state’s farmers.

The association is urging Gov. DeWine to direct a temporary pause in enforcement of penalties associated with dyed diesel fuel for agricultural operations during the critical harvest season.

While farmers depend on diesel to power combines and tractors, they also rely on diesel to haul grain to market. Allowing dyed diesel to temporarily be used on-road will give farmers the flexibility of tapping into on-farm fuel supplies that may have been purchased at prices much lower than historic highs recently reached in the diesel market. With fuel representing a significant operating expense, rapidly rising diesel prices are adding another layer of financial pressure at a time when producers are already confronting elevated costs across their operations.… Continue reading

By Jon Scheve

The latest USDA numbers gave the grain markets plenty to digest as harvest continues across the Corn Belt. Soybean stocks came in tighter than traders expected, wheat offered few surprises and corn took the biggest hit after USDA lowered feed demand.

Beans

On a positive note, after the USDA stocks report, there seem to be fewer beans remaining at the end of the marketing year than traders estimated. This should keep a floor under bean prices longer term. However, early yield reports in some areas of the eastern belt are as high as 20% above “normal,” with few growers east of the Mississippi River reporting below-normal yields. Rain has kept many farmers in the western belt from starting harvest, and we won’t know until the middle of this week whether the heavy rains have caused any quality issues.

If bean yields remain above normal, this could cap upside potential until more is known about South America’s weather in late December and early January.… Continue reading

By Dusty Sonnenberg, CCA, Field Leader, a project of the Ohio Soybean Council and Soybean Checkoff

On the latest edition of Roots to Results (a project of the Ohio Soybean Council), Taylor Dill, director of research for the Ohio Soybean Council, was joined by Laura Lindsey, OSU Extension state soybean specialist; Seth Naeve, University of Minnesota soybean agronomist; and Horacio Lopez-Nicora, OSU Extension soybean pathologist and nematologist. The four researchers discussed the recent reports of discolored soybeans being noticed as harvest ramps up across the state and what some of the potential causes may be.

Dill: We are about 2% into harvest in Ohio, and we have been hearing great yield reports. However, we have been hearing a lot about discoloration in our soybeans. What are the main causes of discoloration on soybean seeds?

Lopez-Nicora: Seed discoloration can have several causes. From the pathology standpoint, fungi like Cercospora or Diaporthe can cause discoloration.… Continue reading

As harvest approaches across the Buckeye State, cold and wet late-season weather has set the stage for disease challenges that Ohio corn growers haven’t had to deal with at this level in recent years. Among the primary concerns moving into fields this autumn is vomitoxin, an ear mold issue that threatens grain quality and market acceptance.

“Vomitoxin starts with an ear mold, specifically Gibberella, which is our main culprit here in Ohio,” said Jason Greve, senior agronomist with Advanced Agrilytics. “It is more predominant typically in the Eastern Corn Belt. That ear mold specifically starts on the tip of that ear and can express heavy levels of DON, or vomitoxin, where we can see some market quality issues when we take that grain to market.”

With conditions ripe across much of the region, farmers and agronomists are having little trouble finding the beginning signs of vomitoxin in corn fields nearly ready for harvest.… Continue reading

Ohio farmers continue to make gradual harvest progress as corn and soybean maturity advances across the state. Crop conditions remain strong overall, though harvest activity for both crops is still trailing the five-year average pace. USDA reports there were 4.8 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending Oct. 4.

Mature corn for the state is sitting at 53%, above last week’s 48% but below the 70% average. Corn harvested is sitting at 6%, below the 12% average. Ohio corn condition was rated 65% good to excellent, with 52% good and 13% excellent.

Soybeans dropping leaves have reached 65%, ahead of last week’s 59% but behind the 88% five-year average. Soybeans that have been harvested are at 10% below the 22% average. Ohio soybean condition was rated 69% good to excellent, with 56% good and 13% excellent.

Winter wheat planted is at 2%, behind the five-year average of 24%.

Soil moisture has increased as heavy rainfall has covered most of the state, making topsoil moisture rated at 61% adequate and 30% surplus, while subsoil moisture was also 77% adequate and 15% surplus.… Continue reading

Derek Niese – Putnam County

There are quite a few operations cutting beans around me, and a handful of guys are already running corn. From what I’m hearing, yields sound pretty respectable so far. We haven’t run any corn or beans yet because we’re still trying to finish up with tomato harvest. We’ve got about a week left to go there. For us, we could probably start cutting beans by the end of this week, just going by how the leaves are falling and how they’re turning.

As harvest approaches, I’ve been checking a lot of our corn fields, and I did not see any mold or anything growing on the ends of the ears. I’ve seen pictures from supposedly around my area that looked pretty ugly, including some ears where the kernels were sprouting, but I have not seen that in any of our fields. We did apply fungicide, although kernels sprouting would have nothing to do with that application.… Continue reading

In today’s agriculture economy, farmers may be thinking about different strategies to get the most out of every dollar. For some of those choices, that may lead to not getting the most out of every acre. Jeremy Sharp, U.S. Corn Herbicide Product Lead for Syngenta explains.

By Brianna Smith

In a safe at the Walton family farm rests a piece of paper that tells a story few families can tell.

Darby Walton, the eighth generation on the family’s farm, carefully unfolded the cream colored paper, revealing a deed to land for Lemar Walton, signed by President John Quincy Adams in 1826. The land that Darby, his wife, Caroline, and their young son, Reid, now call home was deeded to his ancestors 200 years ago. Another deed, dated 1830, bears the signature of President Andrew Jackson.

This year, the Walton family is celebrating two milestones. The family farm marks 200 years, while the family’s auctioneering business, Walton Realty & Auction Co., celebrates 75 years in business. Together, the anniversaries tell the story of a family whose roots in agriculture stretch from the days of horse-drawn wagons to today’s precision farming equipment.

The family’s story began after Walton ancestors left Pennsylvania, settled briefly near Chillicothe, and eventually claimed land in what is now Wyandot County.… Continue reading

On National Nematode Day 2026, Dusty is joined by Dr. Horacio Lopez-Nicora, OSU Extension Soybean Pathologist and Nematologist, along with Dr. Taylor Dill, Director of Research for the Ohio Soybean Council, to discuss the issues of SDS, SCN, and how they are connected. They also talk about the importance of pulling soil samples after harvest to check your SCN numbers.

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By Greg LaBarge

A soil test is one of the most profitable investments a grower can make when developing a nutrient management strategy. While standard fertility testing remains the foundation of sound agronomic decision-making, some operations are increasing the return on soil sampling by including additional analyses beyond traditional nutrient recommendations. Soil health tests and soybean cyst nematode (SCN) testing are examples of specialized analyses that can help growers make more informed decisions and improve crop performance.

In many cases, adding these tests requires little additional effort. Depending on the laboratory being used, growers may simply select additional analyses on the submission form. Often, the soil collected for routine nutrient analysis exceeds the amount needed for laboratory nutrient analysis. Rather than discarding the excess soil, it can be placed into another sample bag for additional tests. If there is insufficient volume to divide the sample, collecting a few extra cores during sampling can easily provide enough material.… Continue reading

By Luke Schulte, Field Agronomist, Beck’s Hybrids

This year has brought many weather extremes, including record rainfall in August. As the saying goes, “rain makes grain.” However, days on end of rain, cloudy conditions, and humidity in mid-August have also raised another concern: vomitoxin (VOM) potential.

For many, July remained fairly hot and dry, and by Aug. 1 the risk of vomitoxin appeared low. However, the persistent high-moisture conditions from Aug. 10-21 have led to the development of gibberella ear mold, which often manifests as vomitoxin-infested grain.

The good news is I anticipate many will also see very good yields, particularly on the well-drained acres planted early. These acres have had the opportunity to alter their DNA (stress memory) based on a multitude of stresses: dry early, cool and wet May, dry again, and wet late. When plants experience a specific stress a second time (e.g., wet), after enduring it earlier, they can alter genes to handle the repeated stress better.… Continue reading