By Dusty Sonnenberg, CCA, Ohio Field Leader, a project of the Ohio Soybean Council and soybean check-off
Carbon Credits are a potential revenue source for farmers across the country. In Ohio, it was recently announced that the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund is offering farmers $40 per acre to sign up for their carbon credit agreements if they live in the Upper Scioto River Watershed. “The idea of carbon markets has been around for a long time,” said Peggy Hall, Associate Professor and Field Specialist in Ag Resource Law at The Ohio State University. “About 15 years ago there was a lot of talk about the carbon market and carbon credits, and then it fizzled out. Now the discussion is back again with the concept of the carbon credit. Those agreements establish a market for carbon capture or carbon reduction. The practices that farmers engage in that can reduce greenhouse gasses or sequester carbon can be converted to a carbon credit that can be sold on the open market.”
Potato leafhopper (PLH) adults arrived in Ohio during the last week of June and first week of July. Since then, the eggs have hatched and we are now seeing late stage nymphs and adults infesting alfalfa fields. A few fields are showing the typical “hopperburn”, which is a triangular yellowing from the center of the leaf to the leaf margin. The more mature the crop of alfalfa is since the last cutting, the more the hopperburn symptoms will be showing. Hopperburn will also become more pronounced in areas of the state that are short on rain or are predicted to become drier because the alfalfa will not be able to outgrow the feeding activity of PLH. Scouting now and making appropriate management decisions based on the scouting can help avoid serious damage to the crop.… Continue reading
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing $67 million in competitive loans through the new Heirs’ Property Relending Program (HPRP), which aims to help agricultural producers and landowners resolve heirs’ land ownership and succession issues. Intermediary lenders — cooperatives, credit unions, and nonprofit organizations — can apply for loans up to $5 million at 1% interest once the Farm Service Agency (FSA) opens the two-month signup window in late August.
After FSA selects lenders, heirs can apply directly to those lenders for loans and assistance. Heirs’ property issues have long been a barrier for many producers and landowners to access USDA programs and services, and this relending program provides access to capital to help producers find a resolution to these issues.
“While those affected are in all geographic and cultural areas, many black farmers and other groups who have experienced historic discrimination have inherited heirs’ property,” Vilsack said. “USDA is committed to revising policies to be more equitable and examining barriers faced by heirs’ property owners is part of that effort.… Continue reading
Dale, Dusty and Kolt recap the Ohio State Fair. Dusty talks to Abecka Ruggles of Huron County who exhibited the Reserve Champion pen of meat chickens at the fair. Matt sends back a report with Hainsley Hatfield of Muskingum County talking about her experience in the Grand Drive event. All of that and more thanks to Agrigold!
Dry weather throughout the week benefited crops in some areas of the State but caused moisture stress in other areas, according to Cheryl Turner, State Statistician, USDA NASS, Ohio Field Office. Topsoil moisture conditions were rated 75 percent adequate to surplus, down 11 percentage points from the previous week. Temperatures for the week ending August 8 were 1.6 degrees below historical normals, while the entire State averaged 0.40 inches of precipitation. There were 6.2 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending August 8.
Farmers sprayed crops and mowed wheat stubble. Winter wheat harvest was complete. Alfalfa hay second cut progress was 97 percent complete while third cut was 55 percent complete. Oat harvest was 94 percent complete. Corn silking progress was rated 93 percent complete and corn dough was rated 51 percent complete. Corn condition was rated 80 percent good to excellent. Soybeans blooming was rated 90 percent complete while 72 percent of soybeans were setting pods.… Continue reading
Bart Johnson is back with this video from 2020 explaining how to submit your results for the virtual component of the Ohio Crop Tour!… Continue reading
We are plenty on the dry side. We maybe have gotten between a half and three-quarters of an inch in the last 2 weeks. We got a half a tenth the other night that relieved a little of the heat stress. I’m looking here in the next day or two to get the rains coming back again. We are just into the good sweet corn stage on the corn. Any rain we would get would help with kernel fill and pump some test weight into the corn.
The beans actually look really good. If you get much out of our area they don’t look so well. We must have gotten just the right amount of moisture because they look really good. I was out in the beans yesterday and I didn’t really see any disease and not a lot of insect pressure. I am actually seeing pods forming from all the way at the bottom to the tip top of the beans.… Continue reading
Livestock farmers have an opportunity to be a part of the H2O Ohio program on manure incorporation. This program pays farmers for three years to apply manure to a cover crop or a growing crop in the summer or early fall. The program is designed to encourage farmers to tie up nitrogen or phosphorus in manure to decrease the risk of manure or nutrient runoff into surface water. Keeping nutrients and manure on the land and out the water helps to keep our water clean to drink (after treatment), and is good for recreational activities like swimming and fishing.
For farmers to get state funding, the local soil and water conservation district (SWCD) needs to approve a mandatory nutrient management plan for each farm. When manure is applied, the local SWCD needs to be notified within 24 to 48 hours. Every farm needs to follow the recommended setback distances and apply manure based on Ohio NRCS 590 standards.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill in late July that would allocate millions of dollars in funding to improve the navigability of the Upper Mississippi River System, a vital national artery for the shipment of corn and other crops.
“Corn growers depend on the Mississippi River to deliver corn to key markets. When barges are delayed because of problems on the river, farmers are economically affected,” said Brooke Appleton, vice president of public policy for the National Corn Growers Association. “That’s why we have worked closely with members of Congress to get funding for this project passed.” The House bill, which includes appropriations funding on other issues, provides $8.66 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Mission. From those funds, $22.5 million will go toward construction funding for the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP). NESP funding will be used to construct new locks on the river and help address efficiency issues with existing locks and dams.… Continue reading
At the three northwest Ohio farms involved in the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network, there is always something new and innovative happening to give all farmers in Ohio insights on agricultural practices that help reduce and prevent nutrient runoff. While most of the projects take place in the field, one of the latest improvements happened online with the unveiling of a new website.
“Over the first five years, we did a really good job of getting nonfarmers on the demo farms to showcase our research and convey some of the ways farmers are using best management practices for water quality and nutrient management,” said Jordan Hoewischer, director of water quality and research with Ohio Farm Bureau. “When we signed a new five-year agreement with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to continue work on our demo farms, we took that opportunity to put a major focus on farmer engagement and getting them to find out about some of the new practices they need to consider.”… Continue reading
In late July, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation’s joint complaint that California’s Proposition 12 is a violation of the U.S. Commerce Clause.
Set to begin on Jan. 1, 2022, Proposition 12 imposes animal housing standards that reach outside of California’s borders to farms across the United States and beyond. NPPC is disappointed in the court’s decision, and maintains its position on Proposition 12: it is a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Commerce Clause.
NPPC is evaluating the decision and next steps. The state was required to finalize implementation regulations by September 2019, and only issued the proposed regulations in May. In recent comments to the state’s proposed regulations, NPPC urged the state to delay the Proposition 12 implementation by at least two years from the date when the regulations are finalized.… Continue reading
By Jim Hoorman, Hoorman Soil Health Services, and John Kemp
Farmers are often looking for a quick way to measure plant health. Soil and tissue tests are commonly used, but the results may take several days or even weeks in some cases. This can be too late on a growing crop. A quick and easy method to evaluate plant health is to measure a plant’s sap pH which gives instant feedback.
Jim Hoorman, Hoorman Soil Health Services
A plant’s sap pH represents the percentage of hydrogen ions in a solution or the liquid (sap) from the plant cell. The pH ranges from 1 which is highly acid to 14 which highly alkaline. Since pH is a logarithm, a one pH unit change equals a tenfold change in the hydrogen ion concentration. If the pH is increased or decreased by two units, the hydrogen ion concentration changes by a hundredfold! A slight shift in plant sap pH can lead to disaster for the farmer.
Ohio Ag Equipment, a division of Ohio Machinery Co., is announcing an extensive rebranding effort in response to increased company growth. At the heart of this rebranding, Ohio
Ag Equipment is introducing a refreshed logo design, a new and improved website, as well as a new tagline, “Better Equipped.”
Ohio Machinery Co. entered the ag industry in 2003, doing business as Ohio Cat, and established its agriculture equipment division in 2008. Over the past 18 years, Ohio Ag Equipment has continued to grow within the ag industry and establish itself as a trusted and knowledgeable equipment dealer in Ohio. The rebranding illustrates this evolution.
“We have grown our business and footprint in Ohio over the last several years. Our brand relaunch represents the natural evolution of that transformation,” said Mike Mampieri, Ohio Ag Equipment’s General Manager. “Today, Ohio Ag Equipment offers seven full-service, ag-dedicated locations across Ohio. It’s imperative for our brand to reflect and promote our company as it is today and the tremendous value we offer.… Continue reading
Corn futures continue to trend sideways, as the market waits for the Aug. 12 USDA yield estimate. This week saw the first fields of the 2021 corn harvest begin in several southern states.
As a result of harvest beginning in the South basis values will come under pressure. Old crop corn basis levels have been dropping over the last few weeks, but many basis bids throughout the U.S. still hover around +60 to +70. During the middle of harvest most of these same locations will likely be bidding -40 to -30. This means there will likely be a $1 per bushel decrease in basis values between now and the end of September regardless of what futures prices do. While this drop is likely slow for the next week or two it will begin to drop rapidly as the harvest pushes northward.
This past week the Gulf barge market, which is the most widely traded basis in the country, had bids and offers as wide as 60 cents.… Continue reading
Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association and the National Corn Growers Association members have until Aug. 18 to sign up for the 2021 Corn Yield Contest. To enter visit www.ncga.com. Entering the National Corn Yield Contest automatically enters participants in the Ohio Corn Yield Contest.
In the Ohio Yield Contest, prizes include Trophy Recognition to first and second place in each of Ohio’s 9 grower districts. In addition, the overall state winner gets 1-year free lease on Unverferth Seed Tender and the overall state runner-up gets Bayer fungicide. Both top spots are also eligible for NCGA category prizes.
As we move into August, we would normally be seeing much higher consensus about expected U.S. corn and soybean yields. Nothing could be further from the truth for this unusual growing season in the U.S. For weeks many have called this a growing season of the “haves versus the have nots.” Consistent rains in June and early July in the eastern Corn Belt states of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio have many producers expecting above average corn and soybean yields. Several of those rains were broad in coverage.
Conversely, the northern Corn Belt states of Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota would be called the “have nots,” with poor yields, as they have consistently during June and July experienced numerous hot and dry periods of a week or more. Rains then followed, broad in scope and geographic coverage for several states, but severely lacking in significant amounts of rain of one inch or more.… Continue reading
Did you know that Giant Panda Cubs can be as small as a stick of butter? A panda mother is approximately 900 times bigger than her newborn cub, which can weigh less than 5 ounces. This is like an 8-pound human baby having a mother that weighed 7,200 pounds — this size difference may explain why so many panda cubs die from accidentally being crushed by their mothers. However, not everything is doom and gloom for the Giant Panda. Chinese officials have officially downgraded pandas from “endangered” to “vulnerable.” Although the International Union for Conservation of Nature re-labelled, the Panda as “vulnerable” in 2016, China wanted to make sure that the population of its national treasure continued to grow before downgrading the panda’s classification.
Although it seems as though pandas are thriving thanks to conservation efforts in China, not all animal species in China are so lucky.… Continue reading
In this special Ohio State Fair edition of the Ohio Ag Net Podcast powered by AgriGold, fresh off the Breeding Grand Drive, Matt has caught up with Emma Preston and Olivia Rinesmith, the outgoing and incoming Lamb & Wool Ambassadors. He also catches up with Dyllan Knoll of Huron County, who exhibits dairy cows at the fair. Dusty sends back a report from VanTilburg Farms in this month’s edition of the Ohio Field Leader Podcast. All of that plus “100% chance of banter” in this episode of the podcast!… Continue reading
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