Crops

A popular Purdue Extension pocket reference guide for corn and soybean producers has been updated and is now available.

The 2013 Corn and Soybean Field Guide is an in-field reference to help farmers quickly identify and manage crop problems, such as weeds, diseases and insects.

The 324-page guide has information useful from planting to harvest and features color photographs and reference tables to help farmers make fertilizer and pesticide application decisions. Other topics include crop development, nutrient deficiencies, planting decisions, soil fertility and herbicide injuries.

Growers can use the guide to help them apply appropriate amounts of fertilizers for soil nutrient deficiencies or pesticides for pest management, which could save them money, said Corey Gerber, director of Purdue’s Crop Diagnostic Training and Research Center.

Updates from last year’s guide include improved photographs and new information about soybean vein necrosis virus, which was first confirmed in Indiana in 2012.

Guides are available individually or in bulk from Purdue Extension’s The Education Store at http://www.the-education-store.com… Continue reading

Everyday researchers at DuPont Pioneer are applying the science of the lab and the land to maximize the productivity and sustainability of the world’s farmland and these research investments are paying off. Particularly in the Northeast U.S., Pioneer is bringing new corn and soybean products to market that benefit growers in this geography.

“We are excited to introduce these new hybrids and varieties to growers in our region that bring even higher yield potential and stronger agronomic traits than current products,” said Randy Minton, business director, DuPont Pioneer Northeast Business Unit.  “I am proud of our team of expert researchers and local agronomists who spent countless hours in the field evaluating these products during the final year of research testing, by far the toughest challenge these hybrids and varieties face before coming to market.”

Thirty new high performing corn hybrids ranging from 80-120 CRM will be in fields across the Northeast during the 2013 growing season.… Continue reading

This 2013 Ohio Maple Days are set for Jan. 24 in Morrow County, Jan. 25 for Wayne and Holmes counties, and Jan. 26 in Geauga County.

The programs, which are the same at each location, offer educational sessions on maple production. They’re timed to help producers get ready for the coming season. Both hobby and commercial producers are welcome.

The sponsor is Ohio State University Extension, which is the statewide outreach arm of Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

The program’s locations:

* Jan. 24, Morrow County, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Lutheran Memorial Camp, 2790 State Route 61, Fulton.

* Jan. 25, Wayne and Holmes counties, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Mennonite Christian Assembly Church, 10664 Fryburg Road, near Fredericksburg.

* Jan. 26, Geauga County, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Joe J.S. Miller’s Window Shop, 15020 Shedd Road, Burton.

Speakers are:

* Kathy Hopkins, Extension maple syrup specialist from the University of Maine, who will share valuable information on quality control and selling quality products.… Continue reading

By Casey Chumrau, U.S. Wheat Associates Market Analyst

In its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) released Dec. 13, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) surprised many analysts by lowering the 2012/13 U.S. wheat export forecast from 29.9 million metric tons (MMT) to 28.6 MMT, equal to 2011/12 exports. Based on the current level of total U.S. wheat sales, it is understandable why USDA would make such a move. However, there are many factors that suggest the United States could further increase the pace of sales in the second half of the marketing year.

As of Dec. 13, total known outstanding sales and accumulated exports were 17.7 MMT, 7 percent lower than last year’s year-to-date total. However, commercial sales at the end of June were 21% off last year’s pace. A very strong August and a solid end to the calendar year helped lagging sales narrow the gap with the prior year’s mark.… Continue reading

By Dave Nanada, Seed Consultants, Inc.

There are four basic elements which are needed by all plants; Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen. The amount of hydrogen in the soil affects pH and the availability of other elements. The best pH range for most nutrients to be available is from 6.0 to 7.0. Nutrient deficiencies can be observed at both high and low pH values. So hydrogen plays a key role in the development of plants. Let’s look at all of these elements briefly:

• CARBON – All living beings contain carbon. Plants get carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air. With the help of water and sunlight, they produce starches and sugars by photosynthesis. Animals and humans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; eat the products of photosynthesis as food and convert carbon into carbon dioxide during respiration and release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.

• Hydrogen – As we all know, life cannot exist without water.… Continue reading

Specialty fruit and vegetable crop producers looking to gain a better understanding of how to use high tunnels to boost on-farm profits have the opportunity to attend a joint Ohio State University Extension and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) workshop, Feb. 8.

The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the OSU South Centers at Piketon, 1864 Shyville Road. Registration, due Jan. 15, is $20.

Workshop speakers are OSU Extension horticulturist Brad Bergefurd and Gary Gao, an OSU Extension specialist and associate professor of small fruit crops, both of whom are based at OSU South Centers at Piketon. Abbe Copple, district conservationist at Pike County NRCS, will also present information.

Topics will include site and crop selection; tunnel construction and management; pest and environmental control; high tunnel economics; high tunnel raspberry production; micro-irrigation setup and management; and U.S. Department of Agriculture Environmental Quality Incentives Program opportunities.… Continue reading

If you live in Ohio and bought a poinsettia for the holidays, or are a grower who produces the plants in the Buckeye state, chances are Ohio State University agricultural scientists, educators or alumni had a hand in making them look beautiful and healthy.

The university’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) is involved in all areas that support poinsettia production – working with producers to address their needs and evaluate new varieties, conducting research that tackles pest management problems unique to this popular plant, and training students on growing techniques and proper care.

Such support is crucial for the success of Ohio’s greenhouse industry, which is a major national player in poinsettia production and boasts some of the largest growers of the crop nationwide. The Buckeye state typically ranks 5th or 6th in the country in production of herbaceous ornamentals (a category dominated by poinsettias), and is 6th overall in production of flower crops.… Continue reading

By Harold Watters, Ohio State University Extension

I had the opportunity this year to observe and discuss the growing of corn in three separate locations across the globe.

1. Here in Ohio, where I work for OSU Extension,
2. In Ukraine where I had the opportunity to visit in March and again in August
3. And in Nevada where I visited in early December.

Corn is an adaptable crop and is grown on almost every continent in the world. Its origins are here in the “new world” — corn was not observed by Europeans until after the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus. Reports I have read say he saw the crop in the West Indies. I am not sure if this was on his first voyage, but certainly the time period is around 1500. At any rate, it was a long time ago.

In Ohio, growers report varied yield results in 2012, mostly varied by planting date, and by when or if rain fell.… Continue reading

The National Corn Growers Association just released the 2012 National Corn Yield Contest results and there are a couple of national winners from Ohio.

Jim Herring, from Herring Farms in Harpster finished second the AA Non-Irrigated category with 292.9655 bushels from DEKALB DKC59-64. Ridge View Farm, from Clyde, finished third in the AA Strip-till Non-Irrigated category with 284.3954 with DEKALB DKC57-50.

The National Corn Yield Contest is in its 48th year and remains NCGA’s most popular program for members. With 8,262 entries, the 2012 NCGA National Corn Yield Contest neared the participation record set last year of 8,425 entries. Notably, 2012 still marks a dramatic trend toward higher entry rates, far surpassing the previous entry record set in 2010 of 7,125 entries.

After Herring, Triple “M” Farms from Findlay finished next with 286 bushels with Pioneer P1018AM1. Herring’s brother, Phil, had 283 bushels with DEKALB (DKC63-84). In Ohio’s No-Till/Strip-Till category, Stewart Farms with 253 bushels (DKC62-97) and Kathy Snyder from Delta with 240 bushels with Pioneer P1012AM1 finished behind the top yield of Ridge View Farms.… Continue reading

By Matt Reese

Allen Dean was recently recognized as the No-Till Farmer of the Year by the Ohio No-Till Council for his dedication to the lack of tillage on his Williams County soybean and wheat farm.

Dean’s parents did not farm, but he learned to love working on the land at a young age and spent many hours helping on area farms. Dean bought his first farm in the mid-1970s and then started expanding his acreage. With limited labor and funds, Dean soon saw the appeal of no-till farming.

“I started with conventional tillage, but all of that equipment was expensive,” he said. “I knew I could never afford all of that equipment, so I planted my first no-till corn field back behind the woods where no one could see it. That was 34 years ago on a 23-acre field. I was young and a lot of people were saying how this could never work, but within four years we were full blown into no-till with corn and beans.… Continue reading

OSU Extension agronomics team to offer Certified Crop Adviser exam prep

People planning to take the Certified Crop Adviser exam can gain testing insight through a two-day CCA exam preparation session taught by members of Ohio State University Extension’s Agronomic Crops Team. The sessions are Jan. 16 and 17.

The course is designed to help participants understand the principles necessary to become a certified crop adviser and to assist in preparation for the state and international CCA exams, said Harold Watters, an OSU Extension agronomy field specialist and coordinator of the university’s Agronomic Crops Team.

While the exam preparation class wasn’t created to be a “crash course” covering all information on the CCA exam, the training session will offer participants information on performance objectives and provide direction for independent study, he said.

“Crop advisers are the folks who provide advice to producers on nutrient management, crop management, pest management, and managing soil and water issues,” Watters said.… Continue reading

Various performance and environmental attributes have made U.S. soy popular among product manufacturers, which has helped rapidly increase industrial demand for soy. In the last year alone, the United Soybean Board (USB) partnered with manufacturers to commercialize 45 new soy-based products.

“We’re looking for innovative work that will lead to a great new use for soybeans,” said USB Director Russ Carpenter, a soybean farmer from Trumansburg, N.Y. “We collaborate with industry on research projects and form partnerships that add value for everybody, both the manufacturers and soybean farmers.”

USB provides funding to manufacturers of industrial and consumer products to research, develop and commercialize new products that contain soy. Partnerships like these have helped bring hundreds of new soy products to the marketplace and increase industrial use of U.S. soy oil by 482% in the last 10 years. And USB continues to look for new opportunities to create more partnerships that support both innovation and demand for U.S.… Continue reading

By Matt Reese

Like a kid on Christmas morning, Allen Dean can hardly wait to dig into his soil test results from the fields on his Williams County soybean and wheat farm. He excitedly looks to see how his soil nutrient holding has improved each year —something that has been happening consistently since he combined no-till and cover crops nine years ago.

“We’re applying less and less fertilizer and our soil test levels keep going up,” Dean said. “The cover crops are mineralizing a lot of nutrients and it is exciting to see that.”

Though no-till has been a standard practice on the farm for many years, the use of cover crops has been a more recent addition. Dean started looking into cover crops, including hairy vetch and oats, in the early 1980s as a way to improve his soils.

“We weren’t getting the results we wanted so we stopped planting them until we started looking at cover crops again nine years ago,” Dean said.… Continue reading

By Doug Tenney, Leist Mercantile

Uncertainty and volatility continue to be in the forefront for producers. While these two factors are not new items, they continue to dominate traders’ minds. During 2012, we saw numerous days with very wide trading ranges. It was quite common to see wider ranges than in the past. This reality was not unexpected. Keep in mind that with the sheer volume of trades by some of the high frequency traders, prices can move in a dramatic fashion in just a few minutes.

A number of the high frequency traders have news headlines programmed into order execution for commodities. News headlines are continually scanned for key words. Some have even dipped deep into the archives for many years in an attempt to glean bits of information on the management styles and practices of chief executive officers or CEOs of large corporations in the U.S. and around the world.… Continue reading

By Greg LaBarge, Ohio State University Extension

4R Nutrient Stewardship is an industry driven concept of looking at soil nutrient application. The program utilizes a science-based approach to nutrient use in crop production. The program has three goals that match to our goals in Ohio agriculture:

• Increase crop production & improve profitability

• Minimize nutrient loss & maintain soil fertility

• Ensure sustainable agriculture for generations to come.

Due to its common sense approach to define best management on the farm, this concept was quickly adapted in relation water quality concerns in Ohio’s waters, when the Directors of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Ohio Department of Agriculture met with the agricultural and environmental groups in the fall of 2011. From a farm standpoint, it considers economics of nutrient use, returns through harvested yield and incorporates practices to keep nutrients on the field for future crop production rather than leaving the field in water runoff.… Continue reading

By Ty Higgins. Ohio Ag Net

For soybean growers across the country, 2012 was a unique year. A drought plagued most of the Midwest and commodity prices soared. As growers begin to prepare for the next growing season, they must consider adjusting agronomic practices to increase their bottom line. In 2012, the use of seed treatments had quite a positive impact on both emergence and stand for the soybean crop.

“It looks like it is going to be the second or third driest growing season on record,” said Palle Pederson, Soybean Seedcare Technology Manager for Syngenta. “You know that when plants are under stress, especially in dry conditions, it is so critical to get uniform emergence to outperform the weeds and also to get good protection on the root system. Healthy roots in many cases means higher yields.”

Starting the season strong is critical to increasing yield potential and protecting the seedling from early-season stress is crucial for a successful season.… Continue reading

In just its second year, the U.S. Grains Council’s Corn Harvest Quality Report is scoring important points for U.S. producers with appreciative foreign buyers. Released on Dec. 7, the Harvest Report is available online and has already been presented to potential buyers and other interested parties in more than 10 major markets around the world, with more briefings on tap.

“The reaction has been very positive,” said Maryland farmer and Council Corn Sector Director Chip Councell. “In every one of our meetings, the turnout was higher than we had anticipated. Participants were relieved to hear that U.S. corn quality tests very high, despite the drought. U.S. exports will still face price and availability issues this year, but strong marks on quality are important and will help U.S. sales in a challenging marketing year.”

Councell joined the Council’s directors in Japan, Taiwan and Korea to present the U.S. farmer perspective, especially regarding the drought impact and future planting intentions.… Continue reading

A new agricultural electronic insect trapping device has the potential to automatically monitor insect pest populations and reduce the amount of insecticides emitted into the environment.

The Z-Trap is an insect trapping device that automatically detects the number of target insects captured by the trap and sends the data wirelessly to the grower’s mobile phone or computer. The Z-Trap is a Purdue University discovery being commercialized in the Purdue Research Park by Spensa Technologies Inc.

“Tracking insect populations is a fundamental part of any pest management program and being able to track those numbers in real time electronically through a smartphone or a computer helps growers choose how to use insecticides more judiciously,” said Johnny Park, president and CEO of Spensa and a Purdue research assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering. “This device enables growers to electronically monitor insect populations, reduces the amount of chemicals emitted in agricultural fields, lowers labor costs and reduces the amount of insecticides purchased by growers.”… Continue reading

The Ohio Soybean Association (OSA) announced the winners of the state’s third annual Soybean Yield and Quality Contest for the 2012 growing season at today’s Ohio Grain Farmers Symposium.

“OSA congratulates all the Ohio Soybean Yield and Quality Contest winners,” said Jerry Bambauer, OSA president and soybean farmer from Auglaize County. “We saw great results this year and we look forward to next year’s contest”.

This year’s Overall State Yield Champion was Phil Herring from Harpster, Ohio. Herring recorded a yield of 94.03 bushels per acre with the Asgrow 3431 variety.

The four yield category winners were:

Conventional tillage

Andrew Baltes from North Jackson had 87.97 bushels with Asgrow 3130

Kit Fogle from Larue had 81.43 bushels with Asgrow 3431

Andrew Baltes Jr. from North Jackson had 79.86 bushels with Nu Tech 7310

No-till

Phil Herring from Harpster had 94.03 bushels with Asgrow 3431

Jeff Walton from Nevada had 85.09 bushels with Shur Grow 2910
Non-GMO soybeans – Conventional tillage

Wes Krabill from West Liberty had 37.2 bushels with Shur Grow 355

In the soybean quality contest, growers competed for oil and protein content levels.… Continue reading

By Matt Reese

As 2012 comes to a close, grain marketers find themselves in a similar position as the same time last year with a crop on the short side and strong prices. Thus, Ohio State University Extension economist Matt Roberts had a familiar message for crop producers at the 2012 Ohio Grain Farmers Symposium compared to the event last year: there is a significant risk of falling prices in the upcoming growing season. Roberts is quick to point out, though, that those who did not listen to his advice last year were much better off than those who did.

The drought made the difference in what was yet another below trend line yield year in 2012. The USDA has forecasted that corn production this year will drop to its lowest point since 2006 as a result of historic nationwide drought.

Roberts’ presentation covered how the drought has impacted yields and what that means for growers in 2013. … Continue reading