Top Headlines

Ohio State University’s renowned Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park, which opened its doors 20 years ago, is now in the process of opening them wider.

The 52-acre Columbus facility is undergoing $75,000 in renovations to its main teaching and research building as part of a broader effort to increase the park’s access, use and impact.

Programs in the park focus on how wetlands function, how to create and restore them, and how they benefit the environment and people. Water from the adjacent Olentangy River fills two main experimental wetlands at the site, which are each about the size of two football fields. Ohio State officials call it the only facility like it on a university campus.

“The Schiermeier is uniquely positioned to more broadly address problems related to water supply and quality in Ohio and beyond,” said Ron Hendrick, director of Ohio State’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, of which the park is a part.… Continue reading

Janice Wolfinger of Morristown, Ohio is one of the nine finalists selected by the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance’s (USFRA) “Faces of Farming and Ranching” national spokesperson search. Janice and her husband Jake are active members of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association and Ohio Farm Bureau, which encouraged her entry.

More than 100 farmers and ranchers from across the country responded to the call to find real “faces” to share their stories on a national stage and further the dialogue about how food is produced in America today. Entries spanned the corners of the country and included various types of food grown and raised, but all shared one common theme: farmers and ranchers sharing their passion for producing food and continuously improving what they do.

Janice and Jake run cows in eastern Ohio and own and operate a feedyard in Nebraska, which they purchased and started renovating several years ago. The Wolfingers were raised in the agricultural community, growing up on beef and grain farms in Ohio and now are continuing the tradition with their two daughters.… Continue reading

The fourth annual Ohio Grain Farmers Symposium (OGFS) will be held on Thursday, December 13 at the Roberts Centre and Holiday Inn in Wilmington. Grain farmers throughout the state will have the opportunity to hear about the latest agricultural issues impacting their operations.

Online registration is now open. Visit www.ohiograinfarmerssymposium.org to sign up today or call the Ohio Soybean Association (OSA) at 888-769-6446.

Topics discussed during the general session will include a legislative update, overview of the current Renewable Fuel Standard and a presentation from a nationally known climatologist regarding past, present and future weather trends.  Attendees will also have the opportunity to choose from a variety of breakout sessions.

On-site registration opens at 7:30 a.m. and the early bird marketing report will begin at 9:00 a.m.  A full OGFS agenda will be announced soon and will be available online at www.ohiograinfarmerssymposium.org.

The OGFS is held in conjunction with the annual meetings of the Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association (OCWGA) and OSA, which will take place immediately following the close of the symposium.… Continue reading

The American Farm Bureau Federation this week urged the House of Representatives to pass legislation granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations with Russia. The House is scheduled to vote on Russia PNTR this week.

Russia formally joined the World Trade Organization in August. But, PNTR for Russia must be enacted by Congress in order to guarantee U.S. access to the market-opening and legal aspects that are part of the Russia-WTO agreement.

“Russia PNTR is a critical step toward ensuring the U.S. benefits from Russia’s accession to the WTO and remains competitive in that market,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “U.S. farmers will have more certain and predictable market access as a result of Russia’s commitment not to raise tariffs on any products above the negotiated rates and to apply international food safety standards in a uniform and transparent manner.”

Russia has a strong capacity for growth in food imports from the United States.… Continue reading

The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) is one of the recipients of the 2012 Experiment Station Section Award of Excellence in Multistate Research for its work to rapidly address the threat of soybean rust to U.S. agricultural production.

The annual award is given by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) in recognition of successful, well-coordinated, high-impact, multi-institution research efforts. It was presented Nov. 11 at APLU’s annual awards program in Denver.

OARDC scientists earned the award along with colleagues from more than 30 U.S. and Canadian land-grant universities, federal agencies and industry associations involved in the project, officially called NCERA (North Central Extension and Research Activity)-208 “Response to Emerging Soybean Rust Threat.”

“This award recognizes the fact that our multistate research network enables the land-grant colleges of agriculture to rapidly mobilize to meet and address research needs on emerging threats, as well as to coordinate research activities on priority regional and national topics,” said OARDC Director Steve Slack, who is also administrative adviser of the winning project.… Continue reading

Friday, Nov. 30 is the deadline to submit applications for the third Jersey Youth Academy, presented by the American Jersey Cattle Association.

Youth who will be juniors or seniors in high school in the fall of 2013 and current college students who will have at least one year remaining to complete their degree are eligible to apply. Applicants must be U.S. residents. A total of 36 individuals will be selected for the program scheduled for July 14 through 19, 2013 in Columbus.

The application is posted on the Academy web site at http://academy.usjersey.com. Applications must be received in the office no later than 4:30 p.m. Eastern time on Nov. 30.

Selection will be based on an evaluation of merit, motivation and preparation for the program as reflected in the written application and goal statement.

Established in 2008, Jersey Youth Academy achieves three broad objectives: first, for the participants to learn why and how the Jersey breed has grown and prospered, and what the future holds for the Jersey business; second, for them to meet leaders from the Jersey community and from across the support industry, and to gain their unique insights about the dairy business with a specific focus on the Jersey cow; and third, to learn about the range of career opportunities that involve the Jersey breed and Jersey products, and begin the journey that will take them to success working in the Jersey dairy business.… Continue reading

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) joined more than 30 groups representing the agriculture industry in sending letters to the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate urging them to provide farmers and ranchers with permanent and meaningful relief from the estate tax. Current estate tax relief is set to expire at the end of 2012 with exemption levels dropping to $1 million per individual and the tax rate increasing to 55%.

“If Congress allows current estate tax relief to expire it will have a devastating impact on the cattle industry. America’s farmers and ranchers are small business owners who cannot afford to foot the bill for government inaction,” said NCBA President J.D. Alexander. “The fate of American agriculture and our economic recovery rests on there being certainty in the tax code and continued relief from the burdensome death tax.”

Reducing the tax burden on cattlemen and women has always been a top priority for NCBA and the beef cattle community.… Continue reading

OHIO CROP WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

WEEK ENDING SUNDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2012

The average temperature for the State was 42.8 degrees, 0.9 degrees below normal for the week ending Sunday, November 11, 2012. Precipitation averaged 0.08 inches, 0.69 inches below normal. There were 25 modified growing degree days, 4 days above normal. Reporters rated 5.1 days suitable for fieldwork during the seven-day period ending Friday, November 9, 2012. Topsoil moisture was rated 2 percent very short, 11 percent short, 70 percent adequate, and 17 percent surplus.

FIELD ACTIVITIES AND CROP PROGRESS

After heavy rains from the previous week, the weather cleared up and allowed producers to get into their fields. Most activities included fall tillage, hauling grain, hauling manure, applying fertilizer, cleaning, and storing equipment for winter. A few producers were still trying to find forage for livestock by chopping corn fodder, grass, or even late-planted green soybeans.
As of Sunday November 11th, 83 percent of the corn was harvested for grain, ahead of last year by 37 percent and the five-year average by 10 percent.… Continue reading

The Pork Checkoff’s event trailer traveled to the East Coast last week to assist in feeding victims of Hurricane Sandy, the largest Atlantic hurricane on record to hit the northeast coast.

Although 24 states have been impacted by the storm, the hurricane hit New York and New Jersey especially hard, flooding numerous streets, tunnels and subway lines, as well as cutting off electricity to parts of the city and its suburbs. In response, pork producers from several states rolled up their sleeves to help feed those impacted by the storm.

“The event trailer, a mobile kitchen equipped with grills and cooking supplies, traveled to New Jersey to offer assistance serving pork products to those in need,” said Conley Nelson president of the National Pork Board. “This is just another way pork producers demonstrate that they care for people and their communities.”

Contributing to a better quality of life in producers’ communities is one of the six ethical principles of the We Careinitiative, a joint effort of the Pork Checkoff, through the National Pork Board, and the National Pork Producers Council.… Continue reading

Ever wonder whether it’s worth it to apply a fungicide? How about the most cost-effective seeding rate? The national soy checkoff has put that information in the palm of your hand.

A new app developed by the United Soybean Board (USB) includes two calculators that help farmers plan for their next crop. One helps users determine whether the yield benefits of various input combinations justify the costs. The other uses the main maturity rates for a farmer’s region, the cost of soybean seed and an estimated price of the soybeans at the time of sale to determine an optimal seeding rate based on a percentage of return.

The app also includes documents and videos that describe the research behind each tool.

“This is a really easy way for farmers to get an idea about seeding rates for soybeans based on both the cost of the seed and the price of the harvested grain,” said Seth Naeve, lead investigator and associate professor of agronomy and plant genetics, University of Minnesota.… Continue reading

Help us get 250 additional Digital Dale subscribers and you’ll have the chance to win an iPad. Sign up to receive our e-newsletter Digital Dale, or if you already get it, share your source for the latest ag news effecting Ohio with those interested in what happens in Ohio’s agriculture (co-workers, fellow farmers, reps, etc).

Send them to this page to get signed up to receive it. The only thing needed is an email address. If we receive 250 additional subscribers to the newsletter before December 14th everyone who opens it that day will be eligible to win an iPad3.

*Winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is drawn.

Official Rules

 … Continue reading

By Dave Nanda, Director of Genetics and Technology 
Seed Consultants, Inc.

As you know, many farms in Ohio were drastically affected by extreme heat and drought during this year. In many cases the yields were less than half as compared to normal.

You applied fertilizers based on normal expected yields. The USDA October estimates for Indiana and Ohio were 100 and 123 bushels of corn per acre respectively. Most growers applied fertilizers based on 180 to 200 bushels expected yields. A corn crop of 180 bushels would have used about 160 pounds of nitrogen, 75 pounds of potash and 140 pounds of phosphate.

Unless you used a cover crop to capture the remnant N, much of it will be lost by leaching or evaporation during the winter and spring months. However, potash and phosphate are more stable. If you harvested only 50% of your expected yields, half of potash and phosphate should still be there.… Continue reading

Purdue University researchers are zeroing in on genes that help honeybees defend against varroa mites, one of the largest factors in bee population declines.

Varroa mites are parasites that attack honeybees and infect them with viruses that cause death. The mites can infest and kill entire bee colonies.

But certain honeybees have developed defensive behaviors that allow them to kill the varroa mites or disrupt mite reproduction. Greg Hunt, a professor of behavioral genetics, and Jennifer Tsuruda, a Purdue postdoctoral researcher, are searching for the genes that provide those defenses and believe they’ve narrowed the options considerably.

“Bees are fighting back. They’re getting rid of the mites themselves,” said Hunt, whose findings were published in two papers in PLOS ONE. “We can select for these traits now, but it’s tedious. If we can identify the genes that influence these traits, we could develop better methods to screen for these genes and speed the process.”… Continue reading

The retail cost of menu items for a classic Thanksgiving dinner including turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the basic trimmings increased less than 1% this year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

AFBF’s 27th annual informal price survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table indicates the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $49.48, a 28-cent price increase from last year’s average of $49.20.

“At just under $5 per person, the cost of this year’s meal remains a bargain,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman, a rice and cattle producer from Texas. “Our diverse farm and ranch families are honored to produce the food from our nation’s land for family Thanksgiving celebrations. During this holiday season, I am encouraging farmers and ranchers to reach out to consumers in-person or through social media, to answer questions about the food that they grow or the livestock and poultry they raise.”… Continue reading

Select Sires Inc. has announced plans to offer two summer internships at its headquarters facility in Plain City, Ohio, during the summer of 2013. Positions are available within the sales and marketing and communications departments, with applications due by January 1, 2013.

“Both practical work experience within the industry and networking are extremely important in helping college students prepare for full-time employment upon graduation,” says David Thorbahn, Select Sires president and C.E.O. “That’s why Select Sires offers hands-on internship opportunities each year. These internships help introduce students to the industry side of agriculture, while they contribute to the day-to-day operation of the Select Sires federation.”

College students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in dairy science, animal science, agricultural economics, agricultural communications or related agricultural fields may apply for these internships. Applicants must be familiar with cattle pedigree information. Previous dairy judging team experience is an advantage. While important for all internships, strong writing and computer skills are a requirement for students working in corporate communications.… Continue reading

Junior Ayrshire Show

Senior & Grand Champion: Mill Valley Rosels Ginger, first place aged cow, exhibited by Trevor Greiwe, Sidney

Reserve Senior & Reserve Grand Champion: Mill Valley Rosette’s Ronda,  second place aged cow, exhibited by Trevor Greiwe, Sidney

Junior Brown Swiss Show (Judge: Eric Topp, Botkins)

Senior & Grand Champion: Aldens Prunki Precipitation, senior two-year-old, exhibited by Daniel Alden, Danville

Junior State Herd: Ohio, first place

Junior Guernsey Show

Reserve Junior Champion: Hearts Desire Jackpot Sweet, fall calf, exhibited by Marshall Overholt, Big Prairie

Junior State Herd: Ohio, third place

Junior Holstein Show

Junior Champion: Starmark Jordan Princess, winter calf, exhibited by Brandon Sugg, Wooster

Junior Jersey Show (Judge: Chris Lahmers, Marysville)

Junior Champion: DKG Motion Nancy, spring yearling, exhibited by Trevor Greiwe, Sidney

Junior State Herd: Ohio, first place

Junior Red and White Show

Junior Showmanship: Kiersten Sugg, Wooster, first place

Junior Milking Shorthorn Show

Junior Showmanship: Sam Rhoades, Greenville, first place

Intermediate Showmanship: Hannah Rhoades, Greenville, first place, Sarah Rhoades, Greenville, second place

Junior Champion: Buckeye Knoll Plamazing, winter calf, exhibited by Sarah Rhoades, Greenville

Open Ayrshire Show

Reserve Junior Champion: Mill Valley Supreme Lorraine, winter calf, exhibited by Mill Valley Farms, Sidney

Reserve Senior Champion: Mill Valley Rosels Ginger, first place aged cow, exhibited by Trevor Greiwe, Sidney

Exhibitors Herd: Mill Valley Farms, Sidney, first place

Premier Breeder: Mill Valley Farms, Sidney

Open Brown Swiss Show

State Herd: Ohio, second place

Open Holstein Show

Junior Champion: Express SMD Braxton Devin, winter yearling, exhibited by Stan-Mar-Dale/Express, Urbana

Open Jersey Show

Reserve Junior Champion: DKG Motion Nancy, spring yearling, exhibited by Donna Greiwe, Sidney

Intermediate & Grand Champion: Cascadia Iatola Puzzle, senior three year old, exhibited by Gene Iager, Pleasant Plain

State Herd: Ohio, second

Open Milking Shorthorn

Intermediate Champion: Spring Meadows Spark Hatti, senior two year old, exhibited by Spring Meadows Farm, Urbana

Junior Champion: Blue Spruce Megad McKenzie, fall yearling, exhibited by Jason Robinson and Blue Spruce Farm, New Holland

See the complete dairy results… Continue reading

By Greg LaBarge, Ohio State University Extension

Phosphorous and potassium exist naturally in the soil as a part of rock, clay and other minerals that make up soils. Levels of phosphorous in the soil can be between 100 to 3,000 pounds of total P per acre. Potassium exists in higher quantities of 10,000 to 50,000 pounds of total K per acre. These levels are substantial but plant available P and K are the important measures in crop production. Due to the buffering of the soil solution quantities of nutrient from these sources along with the associated fixation and release with fertilizer addition or crop removal does not affect soil test level on a 1:1 basis.

The buildup formulas for P and K fertilization found in the Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations for Corn, Soybeans, Wheat, and Alfalfa give us some indication of the amount of fertilizer needed to change soil test levels 1 part per million (ppm) for both P and K.… Continue reading

The worst drought to hit the United States since the 1950s is prompting the National Pork Board to consider adding some marketing muscle to its 2013 budget before giving it final approval next week.

“The drought has changed the landscape for pork producers,” said National Pork Board President Conley Nelson, an Algona, Iowa, farmer and pork production executive. “Record-high corn and soybean prices have driven hog-production costs to record levels, resulting in significant financial losses. As a result, many farmers have marketed some of their animals earlier than they would have otherwise and kept fewer young female pigs for breeding.

“That means there is more pork on the market now than normal and that by spring there will be less pork on the market than usual. The National Pork Board is in a position to help its farmers now and in the spring with some additional promotional support, and that is what the board will address next week.”… Continue reading

Ohio Farm Bureau “Friends” fared well in the election. Out of the 137 total Congressional, General Assembly, and Ohio Supreme Court seats up for election this year, Ohio Farm Bureau’s Agriculture for Good Government Political Action Committee (OFBF-AGGPAC) designated 127 candidates as Friends of Agriculture or Friends of Farm Bureau. In addition, 121 of the “Friends” (95%) won their races for election or re-election.

The high success rate of Farm Bureau endorsed candidates is a point of pride for the organization, said OFBF’s Executive Vice President, Jack Fisher. Fisher added that Farm Bureau will work closely with all of the state’s elected officials to develop policies that benefit the state’s economy and communities.

“Our members understand the importance of political involvement. They work hard to find the best candidates Ohio has to offer, and then support them in their campaigns. It’s a great feeling for our members when voters agree with our opinions,” Fisher said.… Continue reading

American Farm Bureau Executive Director Mark Maslyn sees little change in farm policy after Tuesday’s status quo election – but hopes for some movement on issues key for agriculture. Ty Higgins has more.

AFBF Post Election… Continue reading