Farmers Club meets Dec. 7
By
John Grimes-
Thanksgiving weekend means that the holiday season is literally in full swing. Hopefully, you were able to spend Thanksgiving Day with family and friends. The Christmas shopping season is now under way. Many people enjoy the crowds and thrill of “Black Friday” as it is the “official” kickoff to the shopping season. I, for one, do not include myself in that group.
This past week has been an enjoyable one for many folks in the area. In particular, farmers are approaching the end of the harvest season that has been satisfying and frustrating at the same time. Corn and soybean yields have been outstanding, but it has taken quite a long time to get the crop harvested. It has been an enjoyable week for Ohio State football fans as they celebrated yet another win over Michigan.
First Farmers Club meeting
The first Farmers Club meeting of the season is scheduled for Dec. 7 starting at 10 a.m. As usual, the meeting will be held at the Hillsboro Ponderosa Banquet Center located at 545 S. High Street in Hillsboro. These monthly educational meetings are traditionally held during the winter months and are free and open to the public.
Highland County farm and agricultural landowners are invited to attend this informational meeting to review the Current Agricultural Use Value soil type increases. Highland County Auditor Bill Fawley will be the speaker and will be presenting information concerning how the rates are set for each soil type.
The state of Ohio sets the land values in the CAUV program based on soil types rather than the market value of other real estate, which is set by the county auditor. Counties receive soil values from the State every three years when either a Reappraisal or Triennial Update is to be completed. The CAUV rates received by Highland County are considerably higher for taxes to be paid in 2010. Everyone is welcome to attend this meeting. I hope to see you there.
County Fair Steer Weigh-In
Those families with 4-H or FFA members wanting to exhibit market steers at the 2010 Highland County Fair need to mark down Saturday, Dec. 5 on their calendars. Today is the day that market steers will be weighed, tagged, and nose printed for next year’s county fair. The event will take place at the Union Stock Yards in Hillsboro from 7-9 a.m. This is the only day that steers can be processed for the 2010 fair. Call the Extension Office at (937) 393-1918 for more information.
Thoughts on compaction
from the fall harvest
Many Ohio corn and soybean growers are harvesting record crops. However, they may be facing compaction issues because of saturated soils at harvest. “Many farmers will be unable to get back in their fields after harvest,” said Randall Reeder, an Ohio State University Extension agricultural engineer. “Many fields have ruts and severe compaction issues.”
So what can farmers do to break up that soil and smooth out rough fields? According to Reeder, options are limited. “Farmers may be facing two types of compacted fields. One type is where there is an isolated compacted area. I suggest they do whatever is necessary to get that area ready for planting and leave the rest of the field alone,” said Reeder.
Reeder offers the following options to aid growers in preparing for spring planting:
• Do nothing about deep compaction, especially if it turns out to be a wet spring. “You don’t want to make a bad situation worse by performing deep tillage on wet soils because it destroys the soil structure,” said Reeder. “If a farmer can get a no-till planter or drill across rutted ground reasonably well it may be better to take a slight yield hit in 2010 and then try to correct the deep compaction problem after harvest.”
• Perform light shallow tillage, but only if the soil is dry. “If ruts or tracks are more than 2 or 3 inches deep, a light tillage pass can smooth out the soil and create a surface ideal for planting,” said Reeder. “Fill in ruts enough to eliminate standing water.”
• Use this fall as a valuable learning opportunity. Consider the benefits of continuous no-till, especially with controlled traffic. Strip-till, either fall or spring, may be best for corn planting.
Research has shown that compaction affects crop yields. Years of Ohio State research on Hoytville silty clay loam showed that through compaction, 10 percent to 15 percent of the potential crop yield was being left in the field. Recent research shows that continuous no-till soil resists compaction from heavy loads better than soil that is subsoiled every three years, resulting in higher yields.
Department of Agriculture
offers tips on firewood
As colder temperatures quickly approach and more people use firewood to help heat their homes, the Ohio Department of Agriculture officials ask Ohioans to be aware of some basic tips to help when purchasing wood. If firewood is advertised and sold as “seasoned,” it must have a moisture content of less than 50 percent. Unseasoned wood will only produce two-thirds of the heat of seasoned wood.
If the firewood is advertised and sold as a certain type of wood, the load must contain at least 90 percent of that species. Non-packaged firewood must be sold by the cord or by fractions of a cord. One cord, when properly stacked, should be 8 feet long by 4 feet high and 4 feet wide (128 cubic feet).[[In-content Ad]]
This past week has been an enjoyable one for many folks in the area. In particular, farmers are approaching the end of the harvest season that has been satisfying and frustrating at the same time. Corn and soybean yields have been outstanding, but it has taken quite a long time to get the crop harvested. It has been an enjoyable week for Ohio State football fans as they celebrated yet another win over Michigan.
First Farmers Club meeting
The first Farmers Club meeting of the season is scheduled for Dec. 7 starting at 10 a.m. As usual, the meeting will be held at the Hillsboro Ponderosa Banquet Center located at 545 S. High Street in Hillsboro. These monthly educational meetings are traditionally held during the winter months and are free and open to the public.
Highland County farm and agricultural landowners are invited to attend this informational meeting to review the Current Agricultural Use Value soil type increases. Highland County Auditor Bill Fawley will be the speaker and will be presenting information concerning how the rates are set for each soil type.
The state of Ohio sets the land values in the CAUV program based on soil types rather than the market value of other real estate, which is set by the county auditor. Counties receive soil values from the State every three years when either a Reappraisal or Triennial Update is to be completed. The CAUV rates received by Highland County are considerably higher for taxes to be paid in 2010. Everyone is welcome to attend this meeting. I hope to see you there.
County Fair Steer Weigh-In
Those families with 4-H or FFA members wanting to exhibit market steers at the 2010 Highland County Fair need to mark down Saturday, Dec. 5 on their calendars. Today is the day that market steers will be weighed, tagged, and nose printed for next year’s county fair. The event will take place at the Union Stock Yards in Hillsboro from 7-9 a.m. This is the only day that steers can be processed for the 2010 fair. Call the Extension Office at (937) 393-1918 for more information.
Thoughts on compaction
from the fall harvest
Many Ohio corn and soybean growers are harvesting record crops. However, they may be facing compaction issues because of saturated soils at harvest. “Many farmers will be unable to get back in their fields after harvest,” said Randall Reeder, an Ohio State University Extension agricultural engineer. “Many fields have ruts and severe compaction issues.”
So what can farmers do to break up that soil and smooth out rough fields? According to Reeder, options are limited. “Farmers may be facing two types of compacted fields. One type is where there is an isolated compacted area. I suggest they do whatever is necessary to get that area ready for planting and leave the rest of the field alone,” said Reeder.
Reeder offers the following options to aid growers in preparing for spring planting:
• Do nothing about deep compaction, especially if it turns out to be a wet spring. “You don’t want to make a bad situation worse by performing deep tillage on wet soils because it destroys the soil structure,” said Reeder. “If a farmer can get a no-till planter or drill across rutted ground reasonably well it may be better to take a slight yield hit in 2010 and then try to correct the deep compaction problem after harvest.”
• Perform light shallow tillage, but only if the soil is dry. “If ruts or tracks are more than 2 or 3 inches deep, a light tillage pass can smooth out the soil and create a surface ideal for planting,” said Reeder. “Fill in ruts enough to eliminate standing water.”
• Use this fall as a valuable learning opportunity. Consider the benefits of continuous no-till, especially with controlled traffic. Strip-till, either fall or spring, may be best for corn planting.
Research has shown that compaction affects crop yields. Years of Ohio State research on Hoytville silty clay loam showed that through compaction, 10 percent to 15 percent of the potential crop yield was being left in the field. Recent research shows that continuous no-till soil resists compaction from heavy loads better than soil that is subsoiled every three years, resulting in higher yields.
Department of Agriculture
offers tips on firewood
As colder temperatures quickly approach and more people use firewood to help heat their homes, the Ohio Department of Agriculture officials ask Ohioans to be aware of some basic tips to help when purchasing wood. If firewood is advertised and sold as “seasoned,” it must have a moisture content of less than 50 percent. Unseasoned wood will only produce two-thirds of the heat of seasoned wood.
If the firewood is advertised and sold as a certain type of wood, the load must contain at least 90 percent of that species. Non-packaged firewood must be sold by the cord or by fractions of a cord. One cord, when properly stacked, should be 8 feet long by 4 feet high and 4 feet wide (128 cubic feet).[[In-content Ad]]