There is a program at the OSU Mansfield Campus on Friday, Aug. 17, on Common and Uncommon Woodland Pests. This program will run 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Ovalwood Hall on University Drive.

The goal for many woodland owners is to keep their woodland healthy. That can be difficult if one is unfamiliar with what is common to see in a woods and what is unusual. This class will cover what some of those common insect and disease issues are and what, if anything, you should do about them. In addition, discussion will also be held on some of the uncommon insects and diseases that we all hope you rarely see in your woodland. This program is $35 and includes lunch and materials. For more information and to register, go to go.osu.edu/commonpests.

There will be a Pumpkin Field Day on Thursday, Aug. 23, 6 to 8 p.m., at the Western Agricultural Research Station, near South Charleston (south of Springfield on state Route 41). You can contact Jim Jasinski at [email protected] for registration costs and detailed information.

A Precision Data Management program will be held in Champaign County on Wednesday, Aug. 29, at Integrated Ag Services on Woodstock Road, Milford Center from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The day will start with an overview of on-farm research and will continue with data management, data stewardship fundamentals, and troubleshooting, along with much more. Speakers include Drs. John Fulton and Elizabeth Hawkins with OSU, Dave Scheiderer with Integrated Ag Services, and a panel of farmers who will discuss how they use and manage data collected from their fields.

Contact Amanda Douridas at [email protected] or 937-484-1526 for registration details or go to the event website at go.osu.edu/CVcb.

Also on Wednesday, Aug. 29, at OARDC in Wooster there will be a No-Till Field Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This day features a visit to and sessions around the historic Triplett-Van Doren no-till plots located on the OARDC Snyder farm. These plots were established in 1962 and have included on-going no-till research ever since.

The field day begins at Fisher Auditorium on the OARDC campus with registration at 8 a.m. The program officially begins at 9 a.m. with a panel of presenters addressing the topic of the “Early Days of No-Till; Where are we Today?” Panel members include Glover Triplett, one of the originators of no-till research at OSU and a co-founder of the historic no-till plots; along with Bill Richards, no-till farmer and former USDA-NRCS Chief; Don Myers, retired OSU Extension Agronomist; Bill Haddad, New Day Ag Consulting; and Dave Brandt, no-till farmer and cover crop expert.

Following the panel discussion, the rest of the morning takes place out at the Triplett-Van Doren no-till research plots, with Glover Triplett and Warren Dick providing an overview of the plot research. There will also be presentations on soil carbon and nitrogen measurement, soil physical properties, and grain yields.

Following lunch, three concurrent sessions will feature a variety of topics: Cover Crop Management, Why Move from Transitional No-Till to True No-Till, and Making No-Till Corn Succeed; the Use of Cover Crops in a soybean production system to Prevent Erosion and Build Healthy Soils, Cost-Share Programs for cover crops, and the Use of Cover Crops for Forages; Soil Health.

The $50 early registration fee is due by Aug. 22. A special student registration fee of $25 is only valid through this early deadline date. Day of the event/on-site registration is $65. You can find more information and a registration connection at https://ohionotillcouncil.com/; click on the “2018 No-Till Field Day” heading.

It’s been a busy couple weeks: Back to work half-time; county fairs; re-orienting after being out. The brain is starting to work again!