Changes in 2011 for OSU Extension
Lead Summary
By
-
By David Dugan
Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources
Ohio Valley Extension Education Research Area
As we near the end of 2010, I am sure many will look back on this year with memories of agriculture with many things to talk about. Most of the planting was either done earlier than normal or later than normal. We had a dry April that permitted many acres to be planted early, and then it rained nearly all of May. So, if it wasn’t planted in April, it probably did not get planted until the end of May or maybe even June. For those who make hay, it was late, too. Very little, if any, dry hay was baled when it should have been according to the maturity of the crop, so in most cases we lost at least one cutting of alfalfa at the beginning and the quality of nearly all of the hay. However, the pasture situation looked good.
Then came July and no more rain. The dry weather stretched all the way into October before any significant rain fell. By then, pastures had dried up, water for livestock was not available in some areas without a water hose, and much of the late planted grain crops had suffered significant losses. The tobacco crop, which can do pretty well during dry weather, had grown to be a pretty decent looking crop at harvest. However, without moisture during the curing season (August – November) the crop simply dries out instead of curing. This makes for a poor quality crop at the market.
This year is not the first time tobacco producers have seen this happen, but 2010 was the first year it has happened since the 2004 Buyout that ended the quota system and price support. It was a real bad experience for some tobacco producers who had completed all of the work and expenses for the crop and was told at the receiving station that the quality was too bad to buy. Some producers took the entire crop home while some was taken to an auction and sold at a significant lower price than expected. This was the case the first week. It remains the case in some situations, but the market has improved.
The first week I heard unconfirmed reports that as much as 80% of the crop was being turned away, while recently as much as 75% of the crop is being accepted.
For the grain farmers, the yield on the late crop suffered, but the price at harvest was higher than normal and it has continued to climb. The soybean price at Cargill in Cincinnati on this last Monday of 2010 is $13.71 per bushel and corn is right at $6 per bushel. For livestock producers that elevated grain prices are looked at as an increase in feed costs.
Fortunately, the price for livestock has also been higher than normal for this time of the year, but it is unheard of for the cattle prices to be going up while grain prices are doing the same. For livestock producers, the low quality hay that I talked about earlier increases the need for supplemental feed in the form of grain, so the profit for the livestock is impacted by high feed costs. Coming off of a dry fall that impacted pasture and caused some hay to be fed early, we get one of the snowiest Decembers on the books. We have had snow cover for over half of the days in December. Yes, cows will muzzle down in the snow to get the stockpiled grass, but not unless you make them. When hay is made available they will come to it before grazing in the snow covered grass. For those who have made hay available, the cows are consuming it at alarming rates. See, 2010 has a lot of things to talk about when we look back on the year, and I haven’t even touched on the OSU Extension Office yet.
Changes for area counties
Starting at the beginning of 2011, the OSU Extension Offices for Adams, Brown and Highland counties will all be open, but things will be different. As we close out 2010 some of the responsibilities will change. With the continued struggles, regardless if we are talking Federal, State or Local, budgets are tight and reductions are a must. In the three counties we will have a 4-H Educator in each county, but there will only be one Family Consumer Sciences Educator and one Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator to serve the three counties. The three counties will be sharing Kathy Jelley and me.
At this time, some of the details are still being worked on, but I will be spending time in each of the 3 counties plus I will still have things to do at the State and area level. Programming will be combined when it makes sense to do so to attempt to make things available to clientele, however some things will have to change. Some things may not be offered as close to your home as it has been in the past, or as often. Please understand there will be growing pains with these changes, just as there normally is when changes take place. Each county OSU Extension Office will continue to be at the same location and have the same phone number, so we can be contacted the same way as before in most cases. Unfortunately there will be times when an office may be closed due to fewer staff, and out of office farm visits, out of office programs, sickness and vacations, or just a simple trip to pick up lunch, go to the bank, or the post office. Hopefully these will be rare occasions, but please understand there may be times that it can’t be avoided.
One of the easiest ways to contact me will most likely be by e-mail. My e-mail address is "mailto:dugan.46@osu.edu" dugan.46@osu.edu and I can access it from any of the three counties, or you can simply call your local office and leave me a message. You can also access the OSU Extension web pages "http://adams.osu.edu" http://adams.osu.edu or "http://brown.osu.edu" http://brown.osu.edu or "http://highland.osu.edu" http://highland.osu.edu).
For information about upcoming programs and announcements, you can watch for updates in The Highland County Press or listen to local radio stations. I do a few radio spots where I announce updates for programs. These are the current stations, dates and times: 99.5 FM on Tuesdays at 6:00 a.m. and after the noon news; 105.5 FM on Friday mornings at 6:50 a.m.; 103.1 FM on Friday at 12:30 p.m. and on the third Friday on 1240 AM at 12:10 p.m.
So goodbye to 2010, and get ready for 2011, it may be as interesting as 2010.
Things to Remember
Farmer’s Tax Guides are available free at OSU Extension Offices while supplies last.
The 2010 Ohio Corn, Soybean, and Forage Performance Trials, printed by Ohio’s Country Journal, are available now at the OSU Extension Offices.
Pesticide Re-certification dates for Adams, Brown, and Highland Counties are as follows: January 18 at North Adams High School in Seaman starting at 12:30 p.m.; February 9 at Eastern Brown High School starting at 5:30 p.m.; and February 22 at Whiteoak High School starting at noon. You must pre-register at least 5 days prior to the class date. Meal and handouts are included in the $35 fee that can be paid at any of the three county extension offices in person, or by mail. There will be an additional charge after the deadline. There will be a couple of dates for Pesticide License Testing announced soon.[[In-content Ad]]
Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources
Ohio Valley Extension Education Research Area
As we near the end of 2010, I am sure many will look back on this year with memories of agriculture with many things to talk about. Most of the planting was either done earlier than normal or later than normal. We had a dry April that permitted many acres to be planted early, and then it rained nearly all of May. So, if it wasn’t planted in April, it probably did not get planted until the end of May or maybe even June. For those who make hay, it was late, too. Very little, if any, dry hay was baled when it should have been according to the maturity of the crop, so in most cases we lost at least one cutting of alfalfa at the beginning and the quality of nearly all of the hay. However, the pasture situation looked good.
Then came July and no more rain. The dry weather stretched all the way into October before any significant rain fell. By then, pastures had dried up, water for livestock was not available in some areas without a water hose, and much of the late planted grain crops had suffered significant losses. The tobacco crop, which can do pretty well during dry weather, had grown to be a pretty decent looking crop at harvest. However, without moisture during the curing season (August – November) the crop simply dries out instead of curing. This makes for a poor quality crop at the market.
This year is not the first time tobacco producers have seen this happen, but 2010 was the first year it has happened since the 2004 Buyout that ended the quota system and price support. It was a real bad experience for some tobacco producers who had completed all of the work and expenses for the crop and was told at the receiving station that the quality was too bad to buy. Some producers took the entire crop home while some was taken to an auction and sold at a significant lower price than expected. This was the case the first week. It remains the case in some situations, but the market has improved.
The first week I heard unconfirmed reports that as much as 80% of the crop was being turned away, while recently as much as 75% of the crop is being accepted.
For the grain farmers, the yield on the late crop suffered, but the price at harvest was higher than normal and it has continued to climb. The soybean price at Cargill in Cincinnati on this last Monday of 2010 is $13.71 per bushel and corn is right at $6 per bushel. For livestock producers that elevated grain prices are looked at as an increase in feed costs.
Fortunately, the price for livestock has also been higher than normal for this time of the year, but it is unheard of for the cattle prices to be going up while grain prices are doing the same. For livestock producers, the low quality hay that I talked about earlier increases the need for supplemental feed in the form of grain, so the profit for the livestock is impacted by high feed costs. Coming off of a dry fall that impacted pasture and caused some hay to be fed early, we get one of the snowiest Decembers on the books. We have had snow cover for over half of the days in December. Yes, cows will muzzle down in the snow to get the stockpiled grass, but not unless you make them. When hay is made available they will come to it before grazing in the snow covered grass. For those who have made hay available, the cows are consuming it at alarming rates. See, 2010 has a lot of things to talk about when we look back on the year, and I haven’t even touched on the OSU Extension Office yet.
Changes for area counties
Starting at the beginning of 2011, the OSU Extension Offices for Adams, Brown and Highland counties will all be open, but things will be different. As we close out 2010 some of the responsibilities will change. With the continued struggles, regardless if we are talking Federal, State or Local, budgets are tight and reductions are a must. In the three counties we will have a 4-H Educator in each county, but there will only be one Family Consumer Sciences Educator and one Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator to serve the three counties. The three counties will be sharing Kathy Jelley and me.
At this time, some of the details are still being worked on, but I will be spending time in each of the 3 counties plus I will still have things to do at the State and area level. Programming will be combined when it makes sense to do so to attempt to make things available to clientele, however some things will have to change. Some things may not be offered as close to your home as it has been in the past, or as often. Please understand there will be growing pains with these changes, just as there normally is when changes take place. Each county OSU Extension Office will continue to be at the same location and have the same phone number, so we can be contacted the same way as before in most cases. Unfortunately there will be times when an office may be closed due to fewer staff, and out of office farm visits, out of office programs, sickness and vacations, or just a simple trip to pick up lunch, go to the bank, or the post office. Hopefully these will be rare occasions, but please understand there may be times that it can’t be avoided.
One of the easiest ways to contact me will most likely be by e-mail. My e-mail address is "mailto:dugan.46@osu.edu" dugan.46@osu.edu and I can access it from any of the three counties, or you can simply call your local office and leave me a message. You can also access the OSU Extension web pages "http://adams.osu.edu" http://adams.osu.edu or "http://brown.osu.edu" http://brown.osu.edu or "http://highland.osu.edu" http://highland.osu.edu).
For information about upcoming programs and announcements, you can watch for updates in The Highland County Press or listen to local radio stations. I do a few radio spots where I announce updates for programs. These are the current stations, dates and times: 99.5 FM on Tuesdays at 6:00 a.m. and after the noon news; 105.5 FM on Friday mornings at 6:50 a.m.; 103.1 FM on Friday at 12:30 p.m. and on the third Friday on 1240 AM at 12:10 p.m.
So goodbye to 2010, and get ready for 2011, it may be as interesting as 2010.
Things to Remember
Farmer’s Tax Guides are available free at OSU Extension Offices while supplies last.
The 2010 Ohio Corn, Soybean, and Forage Performance Trials, printed by Ohio’s Country Journal, are available now at the OSU Extension Offices.
Pesticide Re-certification dates for Adams, Brown, and Highland Counties are as follows: January 18 at North Adams High School in Seaman starting at 12:30 p.m.; February 9 at Eastern Brown High School starting at 5:30 p.m.; and February 22 at Whiteoak High School starting at noon. You must pre-register at least 5 days prior to the class date. Meal and handouts are included in the $35 fee that can be paid at any of the three county extension offices in person, or by mail. There will be an additional charge after the deadline. There will be a couple of dates for Pesticide License Testing announced soon.[[In-content Ad]]