No change in our pattern this morning. We still see 3 systems moving through Ohio over the coming 10 days. The map below shows cumulative rain potential through those 3 systems. We do expect today to be better than yesterday, as we should have better potential for sunshine. High pressure is moving off to the east, and south winds will allow clouds to break up.
A front moves into the area tomorrow and brings some minor rains with it. The arrival is tomorrow afternoon and action goes up to midnight tomorrow night. We are keeping our rain totals at a few hundredths to .4” over 70% of the state. The rains look light and gentle.
A slight pause brings dry weather for Thursday, but clouds likely hold on thanks to colder air pushing in. Our next system is moving a little faster, and may start to bring rains as soon as Friday late afternoon.… Continue reading
An active pattern settles in over the next 10 days and will allow no more than 2 to 3 days of dry weather in-between weather systems. The map below shows cumulative rain totals from the next 3 systems over the coming 10 days. We outline these below.
We have high pressure off to the west this morning, and are still dealing with some lingering rains in far eastern parts of the state. Those will move out and that high will slowly track into NW Ohio into this afternoon. This high will bring cooler air today, even with sunshine, but on the backside tomorrow, south winds should allow for some minor moderation. However, our thoughts from last week of temps potentially getting above normal are long gone, and a move back to normal will be about all we can do. Either way, sun the next two days will feel better than the dreary close to the weekend, or even the start to the day today in the east.… Continue reading
Two and a half more fully dry days over the region today and tomorrow as sunshine remains the dominant player. Clouds will likely start to increase tomorrow evening, although a full thickening of clouds will hold off until we get to Sunday morning. Temps will be cool, but should start to really build up tomorrow ahead of our next frontal boundary arrival on Sunday.
Rains arrive Sunday mid-afternoon and will continue off and on through the overnight Sunday night. We expect showers to give a few hundredths to up to .4” over about 70% of the state.
Dry weather is back for Monday afternoon and Tuesday. Sunshine should be dominant for the period, particularly on Tuesday, with south winds start developing Tuesday ahead of our next potential wave coming in Wednesday. Those south winds will moderate temps for at least midweek, and we think even most of the balance of the week.… Continue reading
We will work through a little bit of a lull today, but we are nowhere near being done with rain from this system yet. Action today looks to be limited to far southern Ohio, where we can see a few hundredths to a tenth or so. Most of the state will just see clouds, mild air and not much else through the day. Winds may try to work higher in the afternoon.
Rains are back with more frequency and intensity tomorrow. We continue to look for scattered showers through the day bringing .1”-.5” but are raising coverage to closer to 70% of the state. Rains continue for Sunday, scattered through the first part of the day. But, then late in the afternoon and evening, we have our strong cold front, the final wave of action, starting to move into NW parts of the state. The front continues its march south and east through the overnight Sunday night and through Monday midday.… Continue reading
While the past couple of days have been cloudier and colder than we would have liked, the pattern has been pretty stable. Now, we are moving into a much more active and unsettled pattern over the remainder of this week, the weekend and the early start to next week. We cannot keep precipitation out of the forecast any of the next 6 days, but it will not be raining constantly. Temperatures stay cold today, but will bounce nicely to normal and above normal levels tomorrow through Sunday. Next week, it’s back to the cold air again. Variability and volatility is the key to the forecast this morning.
We have an upper level disturbance pushing across southern Indiana this morning and we will see some of that moisture move into our state as well. With cold air in place this morning as the upper low moves in, we have to keep some chances of scattered snow showers in the back of our minds, at least over SW parts of the state.… Continue reading
Avoid costly problems in the spring by proper winterizing of your sprayer now
It is very likely that you will not be using your sprayer again until next spring. If you want to avoid potential problems and save yourself from frustration and major headaches, you will be wise to give your sprayer a little bit of TLC (Tender Loving Care) these days. Yes this is still a busy time of the year for some of you, but don’t delay winterizing your sprayer too long if you already have not done so. You don’t want a pump that is cracked and/or not working at its full capacity because you did not properly winterize it before the temperature falls below freezing. Here are some important things you need to do with your sprayer this time of the year.
Rinsing
It is very likely that you did the right thing when you used the sprayer the last time: you rinsed the whole system (tank, hoses, filters, nozzles) thoroughly.… Continue reading
Chris Jeffries from Washington Court House recently announced the formation of a new company, Seed Genetics—DIRECT, LLC.
“Seed Genetics—DIRECT, LLC will be a direct sales company offering a pricing structure that will be fair to all customers, not just the larger farmer. Seed Genetics—DIRECT will eliminate the middle man and deal directly with growers,” Jeffries said. “We will eliminate costly marketing programs that benefit a few, but are paid for by all. Our pricing will allow growers to pick and choose which programs work best in their management system and of course, we will only sell the highest quality and best performing seed genetics.”
Always a proponent of research and testing, Seed Genetics—DIRECT, LLC will team with Agricultural Research & Testing from Williamsburg, Ind. as their testing partner. In 2017, Ag Research & Testing’s corn and soybean plots span from Galesburg, Ill. to Tiffin, Ohio and from Concord, Mich. to Danville, Ky.… Continue reading
Manure Science Review on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017 at the Stoller Brothers & Sons farm in Paulding County. Learn how to use manure nutrients to improve crop yields and protect water quality, get the latest on regulations and staying safe, plus more. See field demonstrations on applying manure, subsurface tile drainage, and more. For program and registration details, https://ocamm.osu.edu/sites/ocamm/files/imce/Events/MSR_2017_FLYER.pdf.
Southwest Ohio Corn Growers and Fayette County Agronomy Field Day – Fayette Co. August 15, 2017, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. The event is free to attend at the Fayette County Farm, 2770 State Route 38 NE, Washington Court House, OH 43160. Contact: Ken Ford at 937 378-6716 or ford.70@osu.edu. For more information see the website: fayette.osu.edu. Several speakers will be heard throughout the day including: keynote Speaker Sonny Perdue Secretary of Agriculture (yet to be confirmed), a follow-up for 2018 Farm Bill Listening Session, corn ear rot diagnostic demonstration, using on-farm research to make adaptive nitrogen decisions, cover crops for pollinators, and many other activities will be available throughout the day.
It has been an interesting spring. Have questions? We may have the answers; we certainly want to have the discussion. Come to one or all three of our field days in July. Put these dates on your calendar and plan to attend.
OSU Weed Day, South Charleston: July 12
Western ARS Agronomy Field Day, South Charleston: July 19
Northwest Ag Research Station Field Day, Custar: July 27
The OSU Weed Science Field Day will be held on July 12 at OARDC Western Ag Research Station in South Charleston. As in previous years, it’s a mostly self-directed event and a chance to look at all of our research. The day runs from 9 to noon, followed by lunch for those who preregister. Feel free to bring anyone you like and to tell others, but please send an email to Bruce Ackley to preregister at ackley.19@osu.edu telling him how many are coming so we can plan.… Continue reading
In May, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer formally notified Congress of the Trump Administration’s plans to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico.
The White House officially notified the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees, which have jurisdiction over trade, that the administration will update the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The notification begins a 90-day period in which Trump trade officials must consult with Congress on the objectives of the trade talks. At least 30 days prior to negotiations starting, the administration must make public a “detailed and comprehensive summary of the specific objectives” for a new agreement.
NAFTA has been generally considered a very successful trade agreement for U.S. agriculture. Since NAFTA went into effect Jan. 1, 1994, U.S. trade north and south of the borders has more than tripled, growing more rapidly than U.S. trade with the rest of the world.… Continue reading
One of the requirements for the registration of XtendiMAx, Engenia, and FeXapan is the investigation of any non-performance (ineffective control) by the respective companies, which then has to be reported to the U.S. EPA. The goal of this reporting is apparently to try to track the development of resistance as soon as it occurs in a few fields, which would then allow time to modify practices so that the rate of resistance in other fields is slowed. We encourage growers and consultants to take the time to scout for non-performance, within 14 days after application according to information from labels. Problems with control can be reported to the three companies via online sites or toll-free numbers as follows, or directly to company representatives.
Thus far, U.S. agriculture has fairly mixed reviews about President Donald Trump. Despite massive support from rural America in his election, the president has been generating significant concern with crucial agricultural policies, most notably with regard to international trade.
Trade, of course, is absolutely essential for the economic sustainability of virtually every major U.S. agricultural commodity. The President’s very aggressive stance in opposition to beneficial trade deals for agriculture including the Trans Pacific Partnership (which President Trump withdrew from) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (which President Trump threatened to withdraw from) were making U.S. agriculturalists increasingly uneasy, if not outright angry.
The Trump Administration directly addressed this and other growing agricultural concerns in a Cincinnati press conference with newly confirmed U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.
Listen to the full audio from the press conference here.
“In order to advance agricultural trade, USDA intends to create an Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs and realign the Foreign Agricultural Service to report to the new Undersecretary,” Perdue said.… Continue reading
Old corn ending stocks were 2.259 billion bushels, old soybean ending stocks were 435 million bushels, with old wheat ending stocks at 1.159 billion bushels. New crop corn ending stocks were 2.110 billion bushels, new crop soybean ending stocks were 480 million bushels, while new crop wheat ending stocks were 914 million bushels. The trade was somewhat surprised to see new crop soybean ending stocks at just 480 million bushels.
Overall, the trade is bearish new crop soybeans due to record production in Brazil along with 2017 US soybean acres at a record high. Evidently, two records make a bear in the traders’ mindset.
Prior to the noon report corn was up 1 cent, soybeans were up 5 cents, with wheat down 2 cents. Shortly after the report corn was up 4 cents, soybeans up 5 cents, while wheat wasup 1 cent. Soybeans did reach 15 cents higher for the day within the first two minutes only to move off those highs.… Continue reading
Weather forecasts are favorable for planting the next two weeks, so the market is expecting the 2017 corn will be planted easily. This news combined with positive long-term forecasts means the market is pulling back some, suggesting the possibility of another record corn crop.
Funds reduced their length in bean futures and increased shorts in corn and wheat. If the weather forecasts change, funds may change positions providing upside potential. With 75 days left in the corn weather market, I will be surprised if there isn’t at least one weather scare before July.
Market action
Two weeks ago I moved some of my ’17 beans from Nov futures back to Aug futures. I thought there was a strong chance I could catch the inverse, then have it turn back to a profitable carry eventually. The market is shifting to what I expected would happen. Therefore, I’m moving another 20% of my ’17 crop with a similar trade.… Continue reading
The economics of the situation looking forward for commodity agriculture will require careful planning and management to maximize yields and profitability while minimizing risks and costs per bushel.
“We have to make a plan to think about how to move forward including a clear business plan that includes goals, timelines, and ‘what ifs,’” said Neil Bentley, director of marketing for BASF. “Break even is in sight. We need to think about how we make smart decisions and make sure you have a stewardship plan in place so you can be successful.”
Key inputs need to be managed with great care to balance return on investment, environmental stewardship and product longevity. BASF has developed strategies for field-to-field planning to protect plant health.
“With plant health, the key thing we are trying to understand is how to put the right plant health application on the right acre,” said Megan Andriankaja, project manager for BASF.… Continue reading
Early this year Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced that it would be shutting down with the final installment of the “Greatest Show on Earth” this May. This is at least partially a result of one final trick from the wildly popular Barnum & Bailey performing elephants — they disappeared.
Tickets sales for the circus really slumped after the touring elephants were retired in mid-2016 to the point that, when paired with high operating costs, the business became unsustainable. Of course, animal rights activist organizations, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), were behind the push to pull elephants from the circus.
The event attracts roughly 10 million visitors a year who will now have to seek new venues to get their fix of exotic animals and human oddities galore. There is no doubt that the circus that ran for nearly 150 years will be missed by many, but as the legendary Barnum & Bailey fades from our memories in the name of “progress,” will the thought of performing elephants one day be as foreign as phones with cords that hang on the wall and 8-track players?… Continue reading
AccuWeather reports a return of cold air into the northeastern United States will trigger a significant lake-effect snow event over the next several days.
A storm moving through the Northeast prior to the end of the week will help drag cold air southward from Canada in its wake.
The colder air will spill in on a brisk northwesterly wind.
This chilly Canadian air moving over the unfrozen Great Lakes will combine to create plenty of lake-effect snow downwind of the lakes.
“Lake-effect snow occurs when cold air much colder than the surface waters of the Great Lakes blows over the warmer lake waters,” said Kyle Elliott, AccuWeather Meteorologist .
As long as winds persist from the west or northwest, so will the lake-effect snow machine; in this case it looks to be through the end of the weekend.
“A narrow but high-intensity lake-effect snow band can develop and dump feet of snow in locations where it persists for hours, or even days, on end,” Elliott said.… Continue reading
Corn pushed to the top of the trading range last week. However, with 2.3 billion corn bushels carryout (compared to 1.8 billion last year), farmers are anxious to sell, so prices pulled back by Friday. It will likely take a significant drop in corn acres next year and a weather event to see $4 by summer. Expect sideways trading for the next 80 days and it could be a tight range of $3.45 to $3.60 on the March futures.
Beans
Prices continue to inch lower week by week. Currently, there appears to be enough beans in the U.S. to meet demand. In South America, Brazil is on track to produce a record crop while pockets of Argentina are too wet. This may mean 100 million bushels will be lost in Argentina, but Brazil’s record crop may make up for it.
Still many speculators are betting what happened last year will happen again.… Continue reading
The 2017 West Ohio Agronomy Day will be held on Monday, January 9th at St. Michael’s Hall in Fort Loramie. A light breakfast will be available starting at 8 a.m. with a marketing update from Sunrise Cooperative at 8:30 a.m. At 9 a.m. the Private Pesticide Applicator Recertification (Core and Categories 1, 2, and 6) and the two-hour Fertilizer Applicator Certification Training for those who already hold a Pesticide Applicator’s License (commercial or private) will begin. In addition, Certified Crop Adviser CEUs have been approved and Commercial Pesticide Applicator Credits are available in 2A and 2C.
Once again, Purdue’s Dr. Fred Whitford will be there, this time to talk about “Safety is in Your Hands.” Attendees will also participate in a “Corn and Soybean Insect Update” by Dr. Kelley Tilmon, OSU Entomologist; “Finding Value in your Data” by Dr. Elizabeth Hawkins, OSU Agronomy Specialist; and a “Weed Management Update” and “Weed Management 201” by Dr.… Continue reading
The 2017 Ohio Maple Days are set for Jan. 19 in Morrow County, Jan. 20 in Wayne County — the location is a stone’s throw from Holmes County, too — and Jan. 21 in Geauga County.
The events offer educational sessions on maple syrup production. They’ll cover topics such as pricing, food safety, tap timing and quality control. The topics and speakers will be the same at all three locations.
Both hobby and commercial producers are welcome.
Ohio’s maple syrup season typically starts sometime in February. The timing depends on the weather.
Prep for the coming season
The events are meant to help producers get ready for the coming season, said Gary Graham, state maple specialist with Ohio State University Extension and one of the events’ speakers.
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