Weed identification workshop planned

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“Weed Identification and Management in the Home Garden and Landscape” will be this Thursday, April 26, northeast of Botkins at 11607 Ashburn Road; 6 to 9 p.m. Jeff Stachler will show you how to identify weeds and manage them in the landscape, followed by a walk around to put that knowledge to work. Be sure to register by tomorrow/June 24 and take a chair! Call Jeff at 419-739-6580.

Woodland Pollinators will be the topic of a workshop being held at the OSU Mansfield Campus on Friday, May 18. The class begins indoors at 9 a.m. with sessions on bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, and forest management. After lunch, you’ll want walking shoes to be ready for a stroll through the woods to explore woodland pollinators and habitat features. The workshop is scheduled to be over by 3 p.m.

The cost for this class is $35, with a May 11 registration deadline. You can find more information and online registration at https://woodlandstewards.osu.edu/events/woodland-pollinators.

The Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) is a voluntary risk management program authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. The MPP-Dairy offers protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all milk price and the average feed cost (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount.

Based on feedback from dairy producers, Congress made some changes in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018: Calculations of the margin period is now monthly rather than bi-monthly; Increased the covered production on the Tier I premium schedule from 4 million pounds to 5 million pounds; Lowered premium rates for Tier 1; and Established an exemption from paying the $100 administrative fee for producers meeting specific criteria.

The registration and re-enrollment period for coverage year 2018 began April 9th and continues through June 1st. Dairy operations must make a new coverage election for 2018, even if you enrolled during the previous 2018 signup period. Coverage elections made for 2018 will be retroactive to January 1st of this year. Visit your local FSA office to enroll. You can evaluate your coverage election options using the MPP-Dairy decision tool at http://dairymarkets.org.

Anne Dorrance, one of our OSU Plant Pathologists had a good article in last week’s CORN Newsletter (https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/). Like she said, “Seed is Precious:” You spent a lot of money for the best germplasm your seed company had to offer. If you have to replant, you’re going to end up getting the 3rd or 4th best, and possibly a variety that is not really suited to our Ohio pathogens.

We have a lot of poorly drained soils and a lot of diversity in the watermolds, Pythium and Phytophthora, that can infect both corn and soybeans. When soils are saturated, these watermolds form swimming spores that are attracted to the young seeds and seedlings.

Anne finished her article with another thought: “Finally, don’t look at the calendar.” Several research teams at the University have moved to phenology, which correlates flowering and growing degree days as the basis for when crops should be monitored for pests; she said it might be a good idea to look into this for planting guidelines. too. You can find phenology information at https://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/gdd/. (I checked on Thursday and it indicated Sidney was at 118 Growing Degree Days. There are also links to soil temperatures and rainfall amounts at each of the research stations around Ohio.) Bottom Line: The less time it takes for the seed to germinate and grow vigorously means that watermolds can have less of an impact.

I don’t know when planting will start, but I’m pretty sure I’m gonna miss any tractor-driving this spring. I got a new knee this morning, so I’ll be out of commission for a while. With its being my left knee, that pretty much cancels out any use of the clutch … but, I should still be able to mow yard!

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By Deborah Reinhart Brown

Ag update

The writer can be reached at the OSU Extension office (937-498-7239) or by email at [email protected].

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