Based on conditions as of September 1, Ohio’s average corn yield is forecast at 173 bushels per acre, down 3 bushels from the August 1 forecast and 1 bushel below last year’s state yield of 174 bushels per acre. Total production is forecast at 585 million bushels, up 7 percent from 2009. Growers expect to harvest 3.38 million acres for grain in 2010, 240,000 acres more than in 2009.
Soybean yield is forecast at 48 bushels per acre, up 2 bushels from the August 1 forecast but down 1 bushel from the 2009 state average. Total soybean production for Ohio is forecast at 224.6 million bushels, up 1 percent from the previous year. Harvested acreage is forecast at 4.68 million acres, up 150,000 from 2009.
National Report Corn Production Down 2 Percent from August and Forecast Soybean Production Up 1 Percent
Corn production is forecast at a record 13.2 billion bushels, down 2 percent from the August forecast, but up from the previous record of 13.1 billion bushels set in 2009.… Continue reading
Ohio’s corn crop may be ready for harvest sooner than anticipated.
Peter Thomison, an Ohio State University Extension agronomist, said that a warmer-than-average summer has hastened the development of the crop. Add the dry spell parts of the state are experiencing and the crop has dried down to levels ready for harvesting.
“The crop is at moisture levels right now that we would have been dying for last year. Much of the corn is already in the low 20s,” said Thomison. “Growers should consider preparing for harvest now. We typically don’t like to drop below 20 percent moisture because of the risk of yield losses.”
According to the Ohio Agricultural Statistics Service, 24 percent of the crop is mature, 17 percent higher than the five-year average and 21 percent higher than this time last year.
Thomison said that some growers are already harvesting their crop, but others may wait for the crop to dry down further.… Continue reading
The Certified Crop Adviser program at Ohio State University’s Farm Science Review is one way crop consultants can receive their yearly complement of continuing education credits.
The CCA College will be held on Sept. 23 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and will cover a wide variety of topics related to conservation programs, corn hybrids, fungicide applications, and nitrogen fertilizer management. Farm Science Review will take place Sept. 21-23 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio.
Registration is $80 and includes breakfast, lunch, program materials, an entry ticket to Farm Science Review and a parking pass. Registration deadline is Sep. 10. Registration is limited and there will be no registration the day of the event.
Harold Watters, an Ohio State University Extension educator, said that the CCA College is specifically tailored to CCAs not only in Ohio, but also across the Midwest.
“Things in agriculture are constantly changing. What new information was introduced five years ago may no longer be valid,” said Watters.… Continue reading
Like many states, Ohio is banking on green energy technology to put residents back to work. Yet, a new Ohio State University analysis examining the economic development impacts of green policies suggests that the state’s current efforts are unlikely to generate large numbers of new jobs.
However, on a more positive front, the analysis also indicates that related proposals such as cap-and-trade are unlikely to be the massive “job killers” that opponents fear.
The analysis is laid out in a policy brief titled, “Green Policies, Climate Changes, and New Jobs: Separating Fact from Fiction.” In the document, Ohio State agricultural economist Mark Partridge and his colleagues Amanda Weinstein and J. Clay Francis discuss why environmental policies, such as green energy subsidies and cap-and-trade, do little to affect job growth.
“The overriding weakness for alternative energy to create jobs, even in the short run, is that virtually all green energy technologies are capital intensive, meaning that they require few workers to get started or maintain,” said Partridge, the Swank Chair in Rural-Urban Policy and a professor in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics.… Continue reading
USDA announces loan program and Organic Program Handbook
USDA has made two recent announcements regarding tools to help U.S. farms.
The launch of a Conservation Loan (CL) program that will provide farm owners and farm-related business operators access to credit to implement conservation techniques that will conserve natural resources.
“This will give farmers who want to implement conservation measures on their lands a chance to do so by providing assistance with their up-front costs,” said Vilsack. “In return, these producers will help to reduce soil erosion, improve water quality and promote sustainable and organic agricultural practices.”
CL funds can be used to implement conservation practices approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), such as the installation of conservation structures; establishment of forest cover; installation of water conservation measures; establishment or improvement of permanent pastures; implementation of manure management; and the adaptation of other emerging or existing conservation practices, techniques or technologies.… Continue reading
Wind energy could supply about 20% of the nation’s electricity, according to the federal research lab, Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory, which in turn could lessen dependency on fuels and reduce emissions in the air. Although much of the wind resources in the U.S. are still largely untapped, the American Wind Energy Association estimates that wind is the fastest growing energy source in the world – expanding at a rate of 25-30% every year.
Closer to northwest Ohio, wind energy remains a popular point of discussion. Homes, cabins, boats and farms are utilizing systems to produce electrical power for on-site use. Of course, there are numerous factors to consider before generating such power: different characteristics of wind turbines, net metering agreements, sizing the right turbine, permits needed, and even available grants to fund a turbine.
Glen Ginesi, president of Engineered Process Systems (EPS), will present “Understanding Distrbuted Wind Systems” on Thurs., Sept.… Continue reading
CLARIFIDE, a new genomic test for comprehensive evaluation of dairy females, is now available from Pfizer Animal Genetics, a business unit of Pfizer Animal Health.
CLARIFIDE is a 3,000-marker (3K) DNA panel that was developed through collaboration between USDA-ARS and Illumina. CLARIFIDE delivers Genomic Predicted Transmitting Ability (GPTA) values for 30 production, health and type traits, and nine composite indexes. These predictions provide insights into animals’ future genetic potential early in an animal’s life.
“CLARIFIDE provides a cost-effective way for commercial dairy producers to take advantage of the many benefits of genomic testing,” says Nigel Evans, vice president of Pfizer Animal Genetics. “Genomics has been available in the dairy industry for the past few years, but has only been practical for a small number of elite animals. CLARIFIDE now puts genomic testing into the hands of commercial dairymen.”
With CLARIFIDE, commercial dairy producers can optimize selection, mating and management of Holstein, Jersey and Brown Swiss females.… Continue reading
Allowing developing countries to increase import tariffs based on price and supply triggers under proposed World Trade Organization rules would actually harm those countries, according to a Purdue University economic analysis.
A major factor in the breakdown of the Doha Development Agenda, which aimed to set new rules for agricultural trade under the WTO, was disagreement over whether a special safeguard mechanism should be included to allow developing countries to increase tariffs if imports surged or world prices dropped past certain trigger points. Developing countries lobbied for those safeguards, believing the measures would protect producers from cheap commodities flooding their markets.
But Thomas Hertel, a Purdue distinguished professor of agricultural economics and executive director of the Global Trade Analysis Project, said those safeguards actually would increase price volatility with developing countries faring the worst.
“Rather than stabilizing domestic producers’ incomes, it could destabilize them. It would also raise food prices faced by the poor,” said Hertel, who ran an economic analysis on the effects of the proposed safeguards.… Continue reading
On Aug. 31, Mercy For Animals (MFA), the same group that released the footage from the Conklin Dairy in Plain City earlier this year, released hidden video taken from Buckeye Veal
Farm in Apple Creek. The animal rights group claimed the video showed “cruel” behavior and hoped it would prompt action by the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board.
“As the appointed body to create minimal standards for Ohio’s agricultural
community, it is your responsibility to ensure that farmed animals in Ohio are not forced to suffer egregious cruelty; however, the Board has yet to implement a single standard,” said MFA in a letter sent to members of the OLCSB the day the Buckeye Veal footage was released. “MFA urges you to immediately implement standards phasing out crated veal production.”
MFA called on the OLCSB to honor an agreement reached in June by leaders of Ohio’s farm community, humane organizations and Governor Ted Strickland that would, among other
things, phase out the confinement of calves in veal crates by 2017.… Continue reading
If harvest has not already started, it is rapidly approaching on farms around the state. the dry conditions, early planting and heat through the summer really pushed the crops to early maturity. Here is what the farmers from between the Rows had to say:
Kevin Miller Williams County “It was really dry up until yesterday when we got between .75 and 1.25-inches of rain in certain places. It will help the late beans that were planted in late June. The earlier beans, I believe, will be OK too.” Corn is maturing ahead of schedule and harvest is coming soon. “Of course, silage has been harvested. I will probably try shelling some corn next week. I hand shelled some the first of this week and it was at 22% moisture. I never have shelled corn this early.” Yield could be highly variable based on the conditions this growing season. “I believe the yield is going to vary quite a bit in the field, but I think some fields will average 200 bushels.… Continue reading
Consumer perspectives of pork and pork production are the central focus of the National Pork Board’s proposed 2011 budget that will be debated next week in Des Moines. More than 50 pork producers will gather from across the country to help guide the investment of Pork Checkoff dollars into consumer information, research, and producer education programs. The programs are designed to help pork producers provide consumers with safe, affordable, quality pork products.
The board’s planning and budgeting process began earlier this summer when producer-led committees identified action steps for achieving the board’s new five-year strategic plan. These objectives fall under one of three major goals:
• Refresh and reposition pork’s image to increase domestic and international consumer demand.
• Protect the rights and ability of U.S. farmers to produce pork in a socially-responsible and cost-competitive manner.
• Pursue strategies to enable U.S. pork producers to remain highly competitive, long term, on a global basis.… Continue reading
Infrared spectroscopy can detect E. coli faster than current testing methods and can cut days off investigations of outbreaks, according to a study at Purdue University.
Lisa Mauer, an associate professor of food science, detected E. coli in ground beef in one hour using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, much less than the 48 hours required for conventional plating technology, which requires culturing cells in a laboratory. Mauer said spectroscopy could be done in the same laboratories, just in much less time.
The spectroscopy method also differentiates between strains of E. coli 0157:H7, meaning outbreaks could be tracked more effectively and quickly. Current tests are multistep and take almost one week to get results.
“Even with all the other bacteria present in ground beef, we could still detect E. coli and recognize different strains,” said Mauer, whose findings were reported in the August issue of the Journal of Food Science.
Mauer demonstrated two methods for separating bacteria from ground beef for testing.… Continue reading
The Michigan State Fair had been a state tradition for 160 years and held at Eight Mile and Woodward, within Detroit city limits, since 1905. But the fair had been running deficits and needed $360,000 from the state in 2008 to cover losses. Fewer than 220,000 people passed through last year. At its peak in 1966, the fair drew 1 million.… Continue reading
With many farmers reporting five-bean pods in their Asgrow brand Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield fields last season, excitement has been building to see who would be the first to find a five-bean pod this season, and the wait is over! Bill Gartner of Lawrenceville, Ill., has become the first farmer to discover several five-bean pods in 2010. Gartner planted about 425 acres of this advanced soybean technology, hoping to join the exclusive Team 5-Bean. Once a rarity, five-bean pods have now become a reality with the Asgrow brand Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield that gives farmers the opportunity to produce more soybeans per pod and more bushels per acre. “Our Asgrow Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans were planted in mid-April so they have really taken off with the weather we have had,” said Gartner. “They are in full pod, and I have been seeing about 20 pods per plant already.”… Continue reading
On his way home from work every evening, Herbert Ockerman makes it a habit to stop at three outlets of Half-Price Books to purchase textbooks, literature or “anything that would fit into a school or university library.”
He boxes them up with other books he collects, including donations from retiring faculty members, and stores them in his garage, basement and living room. When he has enough for a shipment, he has a shipping container delivered to his neighborhood in northern Columbus and enlists the help of friends, family, students and other volunteers to fill it up. Then it’s ready to send overseas, primarily to universities where former international students are now faculty members or administrators. Ockerman, professor of animal sciences with Ohio State University’sCollege of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, has done this since 1984, coordinating more than 1,500 shipments to thousands of educational institutions in more than 350 locations around the world.… Continue reading
Syngenta Seeds, Inc. has launched a new agronomy blog that gives growers local insights from nine Syngenta agronomists representing nine regions across the country. Posts will cover a broad range of corn producing states.
In addition, unlike many other existing grower blogs, encourages comments to posts that enable growers, farm managers, crop consultants and others involved in the industry to engage in an ongoing dialogue with each other and Syngenta agronomists.
“Syngenta prides itself on the relationships that we, as agronomists, have created with growers all across the country,” said Chris Cook, head of agronomy for Syngenta Seeds. “We hope this new blog will help strengthen and improve those relationships.”
American growers are increasingly going online to look for information to help them grow their operation. Syngenta Seeds is meeting this demand by bringing the expertise of the agronomy team, that has traditionally only been available in the field, and making it available online.… Continue reading
By: Dave Felumlee, President Ohio Cattlemen’s Association
To all Ohio Cattlemen’s Association members and stakeholders,
After many phone calls, e-mails and discussions, I writing this to elaborate on the reasons why I believe the correct decision was made to reach an agreement with HSUS. There were many, many factors that contributed to this decision and it was made with much thought, and even some pain of conflict with my own emotions. I feel very fortunate that the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association was at the table to express our concerns and thoughts throughout the process.
From the beginning, the commodity groups and Farm Bureau agreed that it was in everyone’s best interest to work together and be unified as one voice. This began in the issue 2 campaign, and has remained this way even today. This is Ohio agriculture’s fight! Each individual at the table had an equal vote and an equal voice.… Continue reading
By: Dave Felumlee, President Ohio Cattlemen’s Association
To all Ohio Cattlemen’s Association members and stakeholders,
After many phone calls, e-mails and discussions, I writing this to elaborate on the reasons why I believe the correct decision was made to reach an agreement with HSUS. There were many, many factors that contributed to this decision and it was made with much thought, and even some pain of conflict with my own emotions. I feel very fortunate that the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association was at the table to express our concerns and thoughts throughout the process.
From the beginning, the commodity groups and Farm Bureau agreed that it was in everyone’s best interest to work together and be unified as one voice. This began in the issue 2 campaign, and has remained this way even today. This is Ohio agriculture’s fight! Each individual at the table had an equal vote and an equal voice.… Continue reading
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