| Ohio State offers regional meetings on policy issues |
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Harvest weather improved dramatically last week, allowing a few area farmers to think ahead to Ohio State University Extension’s “Fall 2009 Policy and Economics Outlook Series.” This outlook series is sponsored by the county offices of OSU Extension, OSU’s Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics and The Ohio State University.
The following dates have been set for regional meeting to discuss policy and economic issues of interest to these communities. Check for more information on start times and registration costs from the local hosts or check out http://aede.sou.edu/programs/outlook for Outlook updates.
Thursday, Dec. 3:
Lunch meeting in Waldo, Ohio. Topics: grains and biofuels; input costs and farmland values/rents; macroeconomics. To register, contact OSU Extension, Delaware County at 740-833-2030.
Dinner meeting in Circleville, Ohio. Topics: grains and biofuels; input costs and farmland values/rents; and macro- economics.
To register, contact OSU Extension, Pickaway County at 740-474-7534.
Monday, Dec. 7:
4:30 p.m. Dinner meeting will be at Zion’s Lutheran Church, 1801 East Second St. in Defiance, Ohio. Topics: grains and biofuels; input costs and farmland values/rents; and macroeconomics. To register, contact Defiance County at 419-782-4771.
Tuesday, Dec. 8:
9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Lunch meeting at the Fraternal Order of Eagles, 400 Eastlake Dr., Ashland. Topics: grains and biofuels; dairy outlook; macroeconomy. Contact the local host, Sutton Bank, to register at 419-207-3644 or Seneca County at 419-447-9722.
4-8:30 p.m. Dinner meeting at the Attica Fairgrounds – Social hall, 15131 E. Township Road 12, Attica. Topics: grains and biofuels; input costs and farmland values/rents; macro economics. Contact Sutton Bank, to register at 419-207-3644 or OSU Extension, Seneca County 419-447-9722.
Additional meetings on policy and economics topics related to Ohio’s food, farm, environmental, and economic development sectors will be offered by AED Economics & OSU Extension later this winter. For more information, watch the AED website or e-mail Ernst.1@osu.edu
Without question, some discussion at each of these meetings will address the passage of Issue 2 in Ohio on Nov. 3. It appears all of the “Vote Yes on Issue 2” signs and other efforts paid off in the passage of State Issue 2. Like it or not, the Livestock Care Standards Board created through passage of Issue 2 will provide a mechanism for determining and enforcing guidelines for the care and well-being of livestock and poultry.
Dent in corn harvest
Recent weather conditions have allowed the completion of the soybean harvest and provided opportunities to make a big dent in the corn harvest. Warm weather has also extended the number of days to deal with problem weeds including winter annuals and perennials.
Dandelions and Canada thistles are perennial pests, but winter annual weeds have become more prevalent in recent years, especially when residual herbicides are not utilized in corn and soybeans. Winter annuals include common chickweed, purple deadnettle, henbit, horseweed or marestail, a number of mustards, and some winter annual grasses such as ryegrass and downy brome. As a general rule, winter annuals emerge between late August and early November although depending on the year, some spring emergence can also occur. Winter annuals can be competitive in winter wheat, but also at planting time in no-till corn and soybeans. Simple perennials like dandelion are also quite common in many of our no-till fields. Simple perennials are typically easier to manage than creeping perennials like Canada thistle, since they do not have underground vegetative structures that help spread the plants.
Fall is the best time to control dandelions, while both fall and early spring are the good times to control winter annuals. In the fall, foliar-applied herbicides can be effective as long as the plants are green and appear healthy.
For best activity, apply herbicides when daytime temperatures are above 50 degrees Farenheit and nighttime temperatures are above 40 degrees Farenheit for several days during application time. In fallow fields, a combination of glyphosate plus 2,4-D ester is fairly effective for control of most winter annual weeds and dandelion. |
| 11/18/2009 |
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