Safety first on rural roads
By
John Grimes-
It’s hard to believe we have reached the end of October and we have such a small percentage of the corn and soybean crop that has been harvested. While every year is unique, 2009 is certainly going to linger in the memory banks of most farmers.
Rural roadway driving
The majority of roadway crashes involving slow-moving vehicles are rear-end collisions so give motorists adequate warning to slow down. Sunday, Nov. 1 marked the end of Daylight Saving Time and the beginning of months of colder temperatures and fewer daylight hours.
For those who drive slow-moving vehicles or equipment on the roads, it is also a good time to check the condition of your SMV emblem.
The combination of decreased visibility and poor weather are a dangerous mix, so taking steps to increase visibility on the roads should be a priority.
Remember:
• Use an SMV labeled as approved by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers.
• The SMV sign is required by law on all self-propelled or tractor-towed agricultural equipment.
• Properly mounted, the emblem should be centered two to six feet off the ground pointing up, perpendicular to the direction of travel. Keep the sign clean for maximum visibility. Replace damaged and faded signs. Faded emblems are not visible for at least 500 feet and are a violation of the law.
Tree stand safety
With an archery deer season that runs from Sept. 27-Feb. 1, many of the hunters hoping to repeat last year’s harvest of close to 233,000 deer will be taking aim from tree stands. Now is a good time to review a few safety reminders for hunters planning to use a tree stand.
• When hunting from a tree stand only use one that has been tested and approved by the Treestand Manufacturers Association.
• Choose a healthy and straight tree. Verify that manufactured steps are in solid wood with thin bark
• Always use a full body harness; 33 percent of hunters who use tree stands will fall at some point in their lives.
• Single belt restraint systems are no longer approved because of the deadly circulation conditions that are created by them and because self rescue is so much more difficult.
• Attach the climber and the tree stand together. Practice the use of the tree stand and full body harness at ground level before ascending the tree.
• Tree stands should not be any higher than 15 feet from the ground.
• When buying a stand, make sure to send in the product registration information to learn about any future product recalls.
To learn more about tree stand safety, visit the Treestand Manufacturers Association and take a free online course at http://www.tmastands.com/.
According to the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, approximately 10 hunters are killed nationally every year in falls from tree stands with even more than that severely injured. Taking a few precautions can help make sure that a successful hunt is the only excitement that happens when using a treestand.
Get grain tested for mycotoxin
As corn harvest continues to lag behind schedule, concerns about mycotoxin contamination of grain continue to increase. Some growers are already asking whether they should abandon their field because of potential mycotoxin problems.
As we indicated in one of our recent newsletter articles, conditions have been favorable for ear rot development and mycotoxin accumulation, and we have received reports of these problems occurring in some areas. However, the problem is not widespread across the state.
Favorable weather and harvest conditions for mold development mean that the risk of having the problem increases, but does not guarantee that the problem will occur at high levels in every field. In addition, even if ear mold develops, it may not affect the entire field and may not lead to mycotoxin contamination.
Favorable weather conditions must be accompanied by a susceptible hybrid and the right pathogen for ear mold (or any other disease) to develop and grain contamination with mycotoxin to occur.
Remember, not all ear molds lead to mycotoxin contamination and some hybrids are more resistant to the ear rots than other.
This link provides more information on ear molds and mycotoxin contamination http://corn.osu.edu/story.php?setissueID=326&storyID=1941.
Before making a decision, walk fields and examine multiple ears for ear rot.
If you find ear rot and have problems determining if it is one that leads to mycotoxin contamination, contact your county extension educator or send samples here to our lab for identification (1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, Ohio 44691).
If you find ear rot and know for a fact that it is one that could lead to mycotoxin problems, try to determine how widespread it is in your field. Examine between 50 and 100 ears at multiple locations, spread out across the field – the more the better.
One ear with ear rot out of every 100 ears is not a widespread problem. However, if about 10-15 percent or more of the ears (5-7 out of 50 ears or 10-15 out of 100) have more than 25 percent moldy kernels, a sample of the grain harvested from that field should be sent to a lab for mycotoxin testing before feeding to animals.
John Grimes is the Ohio State University Extension Educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Highland County.[[In-content Ad]]
Rural roadway driving
The majority of roadway crashes involving slow-moving vehicles are rear-end collisions so give motorists adequate warning to slow down. Sunday, Nov. 1 marked the end of Daylight Saving Time and the beginning of months of colder temperatures and fewer daylight hours.
For those who drive slow-moving vehicles or equipment on the roads, it is also a good time to check the condition of your SMV emblem.
The combination of decreased visibility and poor weather are a dangerous mix, so taking steps to increase visibility on the roads should be a priority.
Remember:
• Use an SMV labeled as approved by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers.
• The SMV sign is required by law on all self-propelled or tractor-towed agricultural equipment.
• Properly mounted, the emblem should be centered two to six feet off the ground pointing up, perpendicular to the direction of travel. Keep the sign clean for maximum visibility. Replace damaged and faded signs. Faded emblems are not visible for at least 500 feet and are a violation of the law.
Tree stand safety
With an archery deer season that runs from Sept. 27-Feb. 1, many of the hunters hoping to repeat last year’s harvest of close to 233,000 deer will be taking aim from tree stands. Now is a good time to review a few safety reminders for hunters planning to use a tree stand.
• When hunting from a tree stand only use one that has been tested and approved by the Treestand Manufacturers Association.
• Choose a healthy and straight tree. Verify that manufactured steps are in solid wood with thin bark
• Always use a full body harness; 33 percent of hunters who use tree stands will fall at some point in their lives.
• Single belt restraint systems are no longer approved because of the deadly circulation conditions that are created by them and because self rescue is so much more difficult.
• Attach the climber and the tree stand together. Practice the use of the tree stand and full body harness at ground level before ascending the tree.
• Tree stands should not be any higher than 15 feet from the ground.
• When buying a stand, make sure to send in the product registration information to learn about any future product recalls.
To learn more about tree stand safety, visit the Treestand Manufacturers Association and take a free online course at http://www.tmastands.com/.
According to the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, approximately 10 hunters are killed nationally every year in falls from tree stands with even more than that severely injured. Taking a few precautions can help make sure that a successful hunt is the only excitement that happens when using a treestand.
Get grain tested for mycotoxin
As corn harvest continues to lag behind schedule, concerns about mycotoxin contamination of grain continue to increase. Some growers are already asking whether they should abandon their field because of potential mycotoxin problems.
As we indicated in one of our recent newsletter articles, conditions have been favorable for ear rot development and mycotoxin accumulation, and we have received reports of these problems occurring in some areas. However, the problem is not widespread across the state.
Favorable weather and harvest conditions for mold development mean that the risk of having the problem increases, but does not guarantee that the problem will occur at high levels in every field. In addition, even if ear mold develops, it may not affect the entire field and may not lead to mycotoxin contamination.
Favorable weather conditions must be accompanied by a susceptible hybrid and the right pathogen for ear mold (or any other disease) to develop and grain contamination with mycotoxin to occur.
Remember, not all ear molds lead to mycotoxin contamination and some hybrids are more resistant to the ear rots than other.
This link provides more information on ear molds and mycotoxin contamination http://corn.osu.edu/story.php?setissueID=326&storyID=1941.
Before making a decision, walk fields and examine multiple ears for ear rot.
If you find ear rot and have problems determining if it is one that leads to mycotoxin contamination, contact your county extension educator or send samples here to our lab for identification (1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, Ohio 44691).
If you find ear rot and know for a fact that it is one that could lead to mycotoxin problems, try to determine how widespread it is in your field. Examine between 50 and 100 ears at multiple locations, spread out across the field – the more the better.
One ear with ear rot out of every 100 ears is not a widespread problem. However, if about 10-15 percent or more of the ears (5-7 out of 50 ears or 10-15 out of 100) have more than 25 percent moldy kernels, a sample of the grain harvested from that field should be sent to a lab for mycotoxin testing before feeding to animals.
John Grimes is the Ohio State University Extension Educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Highland County.[[In-content Ad]]