Christmas weekend was pretty nice! We didn’t get much time in the barn Sunday night, but we did get “most” everyone there; maybe we’ll do “afternoon cocoa” next year … We did spend Christmas day with all the grandkids. We ate, watched the gifts being opened, relaxed, and kicked back. Nice!! And, then, it’s been “back to work”!
Yes, my primary focus right now is on West Ohio Agronomy Day – in case you hadn’t figured that out! I’ve verified a couple more sponsors since the last time I mentioned it: Precision Agri-Services and Precision Agri-Services, Planter and Technology, both from Minster. Thanks, Bill and Tim: I knew I could count on you!
And, yes, Tim and Justin will be at West Ohio Agronomy Day to talk about technology: I’ve got two sessions set up – One for those of us who don’t have any of that GPS/automatic steering/RTK stuff, we “late adopters;” and another in the afternoon for all of you who want to know “what’s coming next”!!
A couple of other non-pesticide/fertilizer-recertification-specific topics during the day include sessions on “Five Property Laws Farmers Need to Know” and “When Pesticides Drift: Who’s Liable?” by OSU Extension Specialist in Ag and Resource Law Peggy Hall. Brian Riethman from Farm Credit Mid-America will also host a session on “Financial Management in Tough Times.”
Of course, we’ll have our recertification sessions for fertilizer applicators; core and categories 1, 2, and 6 for private pesticide applicators; and core and category 2C for commercial pesticide applicators. Mark Loux, OSU Weed Specialist will be with us to discuss problem weeds such as Marestail, Waterhemp, Palmer Amaranth, and he’ll also bring us up-to-date on the new Dicamba products. And, Fred Whitford from Purdue will be back to talk about “Simple Application Techniques and Tactics that Work to Protect Crops and the Environment.” So, see, there’s a LOT of Information! Certified Crop Advisors get credits, too!
So, if you haven’t signed up yet, please do so soon! West Ohio Agronomy Day: Monday, Jan. 8, at St. Michael’s Hall in Fort Loramie; 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. A day full of food, fun, fellowship, and lots of information! Contact our office at 937-498-7239 or go to our website at Shelby.osu.edu and look under “West Ohio Agronomy Day” for more information!
Jeff is holding an Ag Outlook meeting on Jan. 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Eagles in downtown Wapak (25 E. Auglaize St.). Speakers will include Barry Ward and Chris Bruynis with OSU Extension and Chris Hager from Sunrise Co-op. They will discuss the Ag economy, budgets, land values, grain prices, and how to market grain. There is no cost to attend, but pre-registration is required by Jan. 5. Contact the Auglaize County Extension office at 419-739-6580. Lunch will be provided.
As you are planning ahead and thinking about your corn varieties for next year, there is a newly updated resource to help with that selection process. The “Handy Bt Trait Table” outlines corn trade names, trait packages, insect control and herbicides, refuge requirements, and also indicates possible insect resistance issues. It’s a nice resource to help keep that dizzying array of corn traits straight!
This table was written by an entomologist at Michigan State with contributions from our own Kelley Tillman from OSU and Texas A&M personnel. At the moment, it is located at the Texas A&M website: https://www.texasinsects.org. Scroll down the page and under “Agricultural Insects,” click on “Handy Bt Trait Table for US Corn” link. This site talks a bit more about the work that’s been done and has a link to the table itself.
