Hail Damage Near the Fulton County Fairgrounds

With corn and soybeans in the critical reproductive stages rain is a four letter word we like to have often in the forecast. A four letter word we curse with rain is hail. That is what about a two square mile area between 16 and 17 from State Route 20A up through County Road K experienced on Tuesday evening. Crop injury at this point is an unwelcomed as it comes at the most vulnerable stage.

Below are tables on defoliation and yield loss for corn ( Table E) and soybeans (Table H) from the crop insurance adjuster book. The data charts are similar to other references that I have seen and shows a complete range of growth stages and yield loss.

New Technology for GMO Corn Approved will Reduce Insect Refuge Requirements

Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences announced on July 20 that they have received registration approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are on track to commercialize SmartStax corn hybrids in 2010. This approval, or authorization, was also received in Canada. SmartStax hybrids contain eight transgenic traits - three for below ground insect control; three for above ground insect control, and two providing different types of herbicide resistance. The hybrids will express the following insecticidal proteins: Cry1F and Cry1A.105+Cry2Ab2 for European corn borer, black cutworm, fall armyworm, and western bean cutworm control, and Cry3Bb1 and Cry34/35Ab1 for corn rootworm control. SmartStax hybrids will also provide herbicide tolerance to glyphosate and glufosinate with the addition of the Roundup Ready 2 and Liberty Link genes. The approval will allow growers in the US Corn Belt who use the hybrids to reduce refuge size from 20% to 5%. The companies indicated they intend to introduce SmartStax hybrids across 3 to 4 million acres in 2010. Whether any will be available in Ohio is unknown at this time. Reprinted from the Crop Observation and Recommendation Network Newsletter

Corn Development and Temperature

Every thought about this year would say it has been cooler than normal. Our memory and perception can sometime be a bit cloudy when we start looking at the data. Yes the corn crop is behind last year, no doubt but the reason is planting date rather than Growing Degree Day (GDD) accumulations. A good data source that is convenient to use for GDD accumulation is the weather station at the Northwest Agricultural Research Branch the data base is easy to use. I looked at 2007, 2008 and 2009 GDD accumulation from April 1 to 7/26/09 and May 15 to 7/26/09.

GDD Accumulations from April 1 or May 15 to July 26 of 2007, 2008 and 2009 at Northwest Agricultural Research Station, Custer, OH.

Time Period	2009	2008	2007
April 1 to July 26	1717	1704	1744
May 15 to July 26	1445	1456	1482

Surprising is that GDD accumulations are very similar for the past three years given the same time period. Another good source of GDD accumulations is the Ohio Crop Weather Report which as of July 26th had Northwest Ohio only 102 GDD behind average since April 1. Really the big difference is planting date. We probably had 40-50% of the corn crop planted during the period May 15 to May 30 in this growing season.

A cool season has pros and cons that have been discussed in articles by both Dr Peter Thomison, Ohio State University Extension, Corn Specialist and Dr Bob Nielsen, Purdue Extension, Corn Specialist. Click on the specialist name to see their articles.

Basically the pro's of a cooler season are:
Good for pollination
Good for grain fill
Slow disease development

The con's are:
Slow development meaning wetter corn potentially at harvest
Silk balling where silks to not emerge from husk as normal affecting pollination

A warm late August and Early September would help in advancing corn to dry down and lower our drying bills.

How much does drainage mean to corn and soybean yields?

Drainage is our most common problem particularly in the spring and fall. You may ask yourself what does it mean to yields if I invest in tile? Bruce Clevenger, Ohio State University Extension Educator recently put together some data from the Northwest Agricultural Research Branch of OARDC. The data helps put some economics to the importance of drainage for us here locally. The soil type is Hoytville Silty Clay and the data goes back to the 1980's but the most recent years are shown here.

The data from 200-2008 shows a 7 bushel advantage to soybean and 43 bushel advantage to corn from drainage over un-drained plots. Star putting in some commodity prices to this shows how quickly returns can be seen from drainage. At 9 dollar beans or $3.50 per bushel corn returns of $63 to $150 per acre are worth a look at.

Worrying about Small Soybeans?

The following information was recently shared by Dr. Chad Lee, Associate Extension Professor, Grain Crops at the University of Kentucky. While most of our soybeans in northwest Ohio have closed rows, there are some fields that have not progressed to that point. In addition our soybean seems to match the description of development which is just a little behind normal and shorter which compares well to the situation in Kentucky. Dr Lee shares some thoughts on soybean development and if any sprays i.e. fertilizer, fungicide or insecticide can help soybean develop faster to reach canopy closure.

Some farmers are concerned that the smaller growth of soybeans could result in reduced yields. Some are questioning the use of foliar fertilizers and/or fungicides to help make up the difference.

Soybeans were planted late across most of the state. According to the latest Crop and Weather Report from NASS, soybean flowering is at 35%, behind the five-year average of 47%. Most farmers' "internal clock" says that soybeans should be larger by now. Most years, that is correct. This is not most years.

Some soybeans are getting to flowering (growth stage R1) and may be a little smaller than in previous years. The cooler temperatures combined with later planting dates will cause smaller plants. The smaller plants could be a concern if rows are not closed in shortly after flowering. If the soybean rows are closed, then height is less of an issue. As long as the rows are closed, tall plants do not automatically equal high soybean yields.

If the rows are not closed and the soybeans begin to flower, then yield potential is likely lost. As the soybeans move into pod development and the rows are not closed, yield potential is likely lost. If the soybeans get to seed fill and the rows are not closed, yield potential is lost. This brings us to the main question: will a foliar fertilizer or a foliar fungicide help? The short answer...probably not.

Fungicides will not improve the speed at which soybeans grow and will not help with canopy closure, in the absence of a disease. Fungicides will help soybeans retain leaves, if a disease is present in the field. However, the cooler night temperatures and the smaller soybean plants both contribute to less of a threat from diseases this season.

Foliar fertilizers will not compensate for lower temperatures. They will not increase the speed of growth, assuming P2O5 and K2O levels are adequate in the field. They will make the plants greener and that might make someone feel better.

If your, or your neighbor, is absolutely set on spraying something, then consider the foliar fertilizer. It will likely make the plants greener and it should cost a little less than the fungicide. Or, take that money you would have spent on the foliar product(s) and take a trip someplace warm. Someplace where you don't have to see the soybeans for a couple weeks. It just might make everyone happier, including your friends! For others, keeping that money in the bank may be the best stress reliever right now.

Bottom Line:
Small soybeans or late-planted soybeans that do not reach full canopy by flowering probably have lost some yield potential. Cooler temperatures also reduce the chances of soybeans reaching full canopy by flowering. In hindsight, the best management practice would have been to plant in 7.5-inch rows. The narrow rows would have improved the chances of getting complete canopy closure by flowering. Foliar fertilizers and fungicides will not make up the difference in temperatures, planting date or row spacing.

The July 20th Ohio Crop Weather Report from National Agricultural Statistics Service has 51% of the soybean crop blooming compared to a 2004-2008 average of 65%. The 2009 season is comparable to 2008 where 48% were in bloom. The percentage of the soybean crop setting pods are 6% in 2009 compared to an 2004-2008 average of 12% and 2008 number of 4%. So we are behind development wise from 5 year averages but comparable to 2008. Even though the development is similar to 2008, if we can keep the moisture coming, our yield outcome can be better for 2009.

Should I consider ACRE enrollment?

ACRE (Average Crop Revenue Enrollment) was offered as an option in the 2007 Farm Bill to the traditional Counter Cyclical Program we have grown accustomed to. Basically ACRE attempts to incorporate both price and yield into a state revenue guarantee for commodities grown in the US. For Ohio we are primarily concerned with corn, soybeans and wheat. The deadline to make the final selection ACRE as the program farmers participate in for the 2009 crop season is August 14th. With the trends that corn, soybean and wheat markets have taken in the past 6 weeks, a reevaluation of ACRE is in order.

As stated, ACRE incorporates price and yield. The state guaranteed revenue is a combination of the average marketing year national cash price for a two year period and state Olympic 5 year yields. For corn and beans the marketing year is September- August and wheat is June-May.

The chart has predicted state guarantees based on current information. Yields are set, but two year average marketing price have to run through September to be know for corn and soybeans. The state guarantee for wheat is known at $394 per acre.

State Revenue Guarantee for 2009 Crop and 2009 Estimated Trigger State Revenue. Note + equals estimates subject to change. Actual payments subject to meeting farm level trigger as well.

Crop	5 Year Olympic Yield (A)	2-Year Average Market Year Price (B)+	State Revenue Guarantee (A*B)*.90 +	2009 Yield +	2009 Marketing Year Price +	2009 State Revenue +	State ACRE Payment +
Corn	150	$4.13	$557	154	$3.43	$528	$29
Soybeans	46	$10.05	$416	45	$9.36	$421	$0
Wheat	66	$6.63	$394	75	$5.58	$419	$0

The question of how much will acre pay will not be known until late 2010 when State Revenue is known. The official number for state yield will be known next March when Ag Statistic Release their official numbers of yield. Market year price for 2009 corn and soybeans will be known September 30, 2010 and wheat will be known on May 31, 2010. The chart attempts to put some prices in based on current Chicago Board of Trade prices which have not been adjusted to cash price by accounting for basis.

It was easy to ignore ACRE when prices looked to be above $4.00 cash price for corn but as prices have fallen lower, another look before the signup deadline may be a wise move. The best thing will be to look at your farm and your numbers. A good tool to download and use for estimating what ACRE might offer versus the traditional programs for corn, soybean and wheat is the University of Illinois Fast Tools. This is one of several tools available for farmers to put their numbers into to compare programs.

For additional information Chris Bruynis, OSU Extension Educator, Wyandot Coutny has put together a informational sheet. Chris has done a number of programs and visited with farmers across Ohio on this decision. Click on this link to download Chris's thoughts.

Soybean Aphid Monitoring

Soybean aphid are difficult to find at this point but I have now found them in 2 fields. The finds are on just a couple of plants in the field, and infested plants have less than 15 aphids per plant. Reports from across the region (Illinois, Indiana and the rest of Ohio) have tended to find aphids but populations are generally not increasing quickly. Our problem locally, if it develops, will likely come from a northern flight of the winged aphid moving into the area rather than a buildup of populations already here. Populations are reaching threshold and some spraying has occurred in Ontario particularly the eastern part, on the other side of Lake Erie. A national reporting system called the IPM-PIPE site is a central reporting location for entomologist. A picture of the 7/17/09 reporting is to the left and you can click here to see the latest updates.

In the meantime, you may want to refresh your knowledge of scouting and management of soybean aphid. First, the threshold is the same as past years, rising populations of aphids that reach 250 aphids per plant when soybeans in R1-R5 stages. This threshold provides a 3-7 day window for application to protect yield. Second, for early season scouting, you will want to focus on the growing point and plus the first fully open trifoliate. Inspect 5 plants, in 20 locations across the field. For more information on soybean aphid along with pictures see OSU Entomology Factsheet 0037.
Another thing you may want to start identifying is bee hives located near your soybean fields. It is the soybean growers responsibility to protect against loss of bees during application.

Below are some specific recommendations for environmental and pesticide factors that will lessen the potential for injury to bees.

1) Drift of pesticide not only can injury non-target plants but bees or other insects located within the canopy of non-target plants. Follow all precautions related to drift such as wind speed, direction identifying risk potential of neighboring crops. Recently we have seen more fields with filter strips or other conservation areas along borders. Plants in these border areas may be in bloom and harboring foraging bees. Drift or spray overlay has the potential to cause injury to bees and should be considered in pesticide applications.

2) Timing of application can limit bee injury. Applications in the evening or early morning are generally best. Bees are less active at these times of the day. Other times when the blooms are less attractive and lower bee activity are acceptable as well.

3) Formulations of pesticides will make an impact on toxicity. Dust and wettable powders are more toxic than emulsifiable concentrates. Ultra low volume applications versus a regular application are generally more toxic. No repellents can be added to tank mixes that will keep bees away from treated areas.

4) Toxicity of pesticides can differ. Most pesticide have been tested with bees in laboratory settings. Keep in mind there can be differences in field results versus laboratory results due to environmental factors as well as the sensitivity difference in populations of bees.

A listing of registered apiaries can be obtained from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The website is http://www.ohioagriculture.gov/plant/curr/ap/plnt-ap-index.stm. The list can be requested via e-mail to the address apiary@mail.agri.state.oh.us. More information can be found in CORN 2007-26.

NW Ohio Field Crops Day-7/30/09

The annual Field Crops Day at the Northwest Agricultural Research Station, Ohio Agricultural Research Development Center, OARDC is schedule for July 30 from 9:00 to 11:30. The field day is sponsored by OARDC and Ohio State University (OSU) Extension and is free and open to the public.

Topics included in this year’s field day include:

• “Production Economics: Budgeting Tools for Managing Input Costs and Determining Cash Rental Rates,” Barry Ward, agricultural economist, OSU Extension.

• “Field Crop Insect Concerns (Especially Soybean Aphids and Western Bean Cutworms) for 2009,” Ron Hammond, entomologist, OARDC and OSU Extension.

• “New Seed Technologies in Corn Production,” Peter Thomison, agronomist, OARDC and OSU Extension.

• “Nitrogen Management ­ ESN (Environmentally Stable Nitrogen) on Wheat and Other Crops,” Ed Lentz, OSU Extension educator, agriculture and natural resources.

The Northwest Agricultural Research Station at Hoytville is one of OARDC’s 10 outlying research facilities throughout the diverse agriculture landscape of the Buckeye state. Field days at the Hoytville branch involve wagon rides around the research farm. These events are excellent opportunities for farmers to meet and mingle with one another as well as OARDC researchers.

The station is located 2.5 miles northeast of Hoytville at the corner of Oil Center and Range Line roads. OARDC and OSU Extension are the research and outreach arms, respectively, of Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

A copy of the flyer with details and direction to the station site are available by clicking here.

Cover Crops are an Option Worth Considering

The following article was put together by my collegue in Shelby County and wanted to share it with you here. Rogers and others in western central Ohio put together a similar report as we share.

Thinking Outside the Box on Cover Crops
By Roger Bender, OSU Extension, Shelby County, Agriculture & Natural Resources

Within the past week, we have had four inquiries about the seeding of cover crops after wheat harvest. Traditionally, many farmers have underseeded wheat or oats with red or sweet clover. With denser crop stands often choking out sometimes costly legume frost seedings, many crop producers gave up on the traditional approach. If that is your case, now is the time to prepare for planting cover crops after wheat or oats harvest this summer. Your local seed dealer may not stock brassica or pea seeds and need to make a special order. Control of summer annual weeds and volunteer wheat could be needed before planting these cover crops.

Cover crops offer many benefits to producers that increase farm profitability and environmental sustainability. Legume (peas and clovers) cover crops are typically used to produce homegrown nitrogen. Grass cover crops help increase soil organic matter, recycle excess nutrients, and reduce soil compaction. Brassica crops are grown to loosen the soil, recycle nutrients, and suppress weeds. Some other cover crops can suppress insects, disease, weeds, or attract beneficial insects. Therefore, cover crops should be considered an integral part of any farming system that wants to efficiently utilize nutrients, improve soil quality, and increase farm profitability, according to Alex Sundermeier, Ohio State University Extension Ag Agent in Woody County. Refer to this factsheet for more about cover crops: http://ohioline.osu.edu/sag-fact/pdf/0009.pdf.

Decisions on which cover crop to plant need to consider the following: Brassica Oilseed radish (see photo from fall 08 plots in Defiance County) has the ability to recycle soil nutrients, suppress weeds and pathogens, break up compaction, reduce soil erosion, and produce large amounts of biomass. Freezing temperatures of 20 to 25 degrees will kill oilseed radish, which allows for successful no-till spring planting of subsequent crops. As a fast growing, cool season cover crop, oilseed radish is best utilized when planted after small grain, early soybean or corn silage harvest. Excess nutrients in manure amended soil are rapidly absorbed by this cover crop, thus preventing leaching or runoff of nutrients into water systems. Without an abundant source of nitrogen, oilseed radish growth will be limited, therefore its use is recommended after a manure application. Refer to this factsheet for more information: http://ohioline.osu.edu/sag-fact/pdf/Oilseed_Radish.pdf.

Homegrown Nitrogen
The availability and amount of the nitrogen produced can vary widely depending on summer planted legume growth and nutrient content. Soybeans can be used as an economical cover crop but might contribute to a soybean cyst nematode problem. Cowpea is better adapted to hot, dry weather and will grow rapidly until a killing frost in the fall. Austrian Winter Pea is a legume that may or may not survive the winter when summer planted. If winter pea is planted in mid-September, fall growth will be limited but winter survival is improved, and spring growth will contribute nitrogen. Summer planted clovers usually do not establish well in hot, dry weather.

Crop Progress as of July 10, 2009

I spent some time on the road this week scouting fields along my route on County Road L and County Road B from east to west. Growth staging, populations counts, insect and disease were observations made on corn and soybean fields from Williams to Lucas County lines.

This is what I saw:

Soybeans stages range from v2 to R2. Many plants were showing flower buds but were not yet open, so in the next week we should be seeing many more plants move into R1 (Beginning Flowering). From an insect standpoint, I did find the first soybean aphids of the season near Fayette, but before you get two excited it was a spot in the field with 10-15 per plant on 20% of the plants and second spot in the field had no aphids. Also there were 50 other fields with no aphids to be found either. So we are very early in the development of this insect pest. Scouting the bud to the top fully expanded leaf would be the place to start. The threshold is a population building up to 250 aphids per plant. Other insects such as Japanese Beetle and Bean leaf beetle were hard to find as well. Diseases other than some brown spot were absent as well. The biggest observation is plants were finally starting to look good and canopy over.

From a population and row spacing standpoint on soybeans, this is what I saw:

2009 Soybean Row Sapcing and Plant Population Observations, Fulton County.

Number of fields	Row spacing (inch)	Population	Range
30	7.5	155000	90000-321000
13	15	130000	84000-188000
8	30	122500	96000-153000
Average	12.9	143250

Corn populations were 28,750 on average across 41 fields with a range of 24,000 to 36,000 plants per acre. No corn was yet in a reproductive stage. A couple of fields were in the V14 stage with one of those fields starting to show ear shoots. Growth stages ranged V5 to V14, but the majority was V10-V12. From an insect standpoint, I was finding European Corn Borer injury in 7 of 41 fields but the activity was less than 5% infestation and one borer per plant with one exception. The exception field had 40% infested plants and the larvae were an inch long. There was no evidence of disease on corn.

Wheat was starting to be harvested. Of 9 fields along the route, 2 were harvested; 2 had just been opened up and 5 were not yet touched. Moisture's are still above 16% in many fields and straw is tough in some locations, which is holding some back from making progress.

The obvious statement for the area is we could use a good drink of water. We are advancing towards the critical reproductive stages and there is some drought stressed crops out there both with sand ridges and some heavy clay soils. Hopefully rain will come tonight minus the bad things we get with thunderstorms.

Should I use a Fungicide on my Corn Crop?

Several different Universities have addressed this question in their latest newsletter and all come to the same conclusions. "Fungicides are a very profitable in corn production when diseases that are controlled by the fungicide is present to a susceptible hybrid."

This goes back to the disease triangle that governs whether disease increases to yield limiting levels. Basically three things, when they are in place, cause disease to quickly develop: 1) a susceptible variety /hybrid 2) the pathogen is present and 3) the environmental conditions are suitable. For example we are harvesting our wheat crop and this year we experienced very little head scab. Across the varieties we plant we had susceptible varieties, the head scab fungus was very likely around but the weather conditions were not prime, so we see virtually no scab. In fact for 2009 you could plug several wheat diseases into this picture, with the same result, little disease pressure for 2009 and a fairly clean crop.

The latest issue of Crop Observation and Recommendation Network (C.O.R.N.) Newsletter has yields results from Ohio research last year showed the following "The untreated checks ranged from 73.6 to 177.96 bu/A, with an average of 109.8 bu/A, whereas in fungicide-treated plots, yields ranged from 68.19 to 188.49 bu/A, with an average of 109.55 bu/A. In 12 of the 20 trials, treated plots had numerically higher yields than the checks, however, the yield difference varied considerable from trial to trial. Yield differences between treated and untreated plots (treated minus untreated) ranged from -16.70 to 10.53 bu/A across all 20 trials, with an average difference of -0.28 bu/A. Similar fungicide trials were conducted by university researchers across the Corn Belt, with similar results. Depending on the fungicide, average yield differences between treated and non-treated were between -1.2 and 4 bu/A when foliar disease severity was less than 5% and between 1.6 and 10 bu/A when severity was greater than 5%."

Currently the corn crop does not have a diseases of note. In fact as of my latest scouting I did not see anything at all.

The University of Illinois crop newsletter The Bulletin and Kentucky Corn and Soybean Newsletter also have an article in their edition's this week.

Collection Days for Old Pesticide from the Farm Announced by ODA

The Ohio Department of Agriculture has announced the dates and locations for the Farm Pesticide Collection Program. This pesticide collection service is free of charge for local farmers to properly dispose of unused farm chemicals. The program is for farm pesticides ONLY. No household or non-farm pesticides or chemicals such as paint, antifreeze or solvents will be accepted. No pesticides will be accepted from commercial companies.

The 2009 dates and locations are:

Clark County
August 12, 10:30 - 2:30
Clark County Fairgrounds
4401 S. Charleston Pike
Springfield, OH 45502

Huron County
September 9, 10:30 - 2:30
Transfer Station
2413 Townline Road 131
Williard, OH 44890

Noble County
September 15, 10:30 - 2:30
Noble County Fairgrounds
Caldwell, OH 43724

All collections will run from 10:30 A.M. to 2:30 P.M. For more information, contact Ohio Department of Agriculture, Pesticide Regulation Section, (800) 282-1955, ext. 31

The disposal is only for farm pesticides and not for commercial companies or homeowners. Information is also on the Pesticide Safety Education Program website at: http://pested.osu.edu/pesticidecollection.htm

Wheat Harvest in Full Swing

On July 7th wheat harvest was in full swing south of the river in Henry and Wood County. About 20% of the acres had been harvested but combines were running full tilt. Bruce Clevenger, OSU Extension in Defiance County also indicated harvest was underway there as well. The Northwest Agricultural Research Station, OARDC completed their harvest of experimental plots on July 7. Yields were in the 80-100 bushel range. Test weight were in the 61 bushel area and moisture was around 14.5%. Wheat harvest in northern Henry and Fulton County was also underway as of July 8th.

Yield ranges from farm reports so far are in the 70 to a high of 115 bushels per acre range.

Price on the Downhill Slide

From planting through late April through mid June prices took a steady upward path to around $4.70 for '09 corn and $10.90 for '09 soybeans on the Chicago Board of Trade futures prices. Since mid June prices have been lower with the steapest declines in the 09 corn price to $3.47 near what prices were back in late December 08. Below are charts from the CBOT for the December corn and November soybeans. For landlords and other market observers this decline may have been unnoticed but will certainly be felt for those who do not have these two grains forward priced.

Oats after Wheat for Forage

We have seen feed prices increase over the past several years as grain production and forage production compete for acres. On way to increase forage production is to double up on acres and one recommendation that has been productive is planting oats after wheat harvest. OSU Extension Program Assistant, in Fairfield County Stan Smith has worked on this project over the past seven years and has found results of a early August planting resulting in 2-5 tons and pretty consistent 3 plus tons of dry matter. There is a need for a little bit of nitrogen fertilizer 40-50 pounds, a glyphosate application to knock down weeds and 80-100 pounds of seed oats.

The latest issue of the Beef Cattle Newsletter has a nice article summarizing what Stan has found works best and links to additional information on their work from the past seven years. A few folks have used the practice up this way and generally found it to be a practice worth considering.

Below are a couple photo's from Fairfield County and summer sowed oats.