I was driving to work last week and noticed that there were a high number of skunks that had experienced an unfortunate interaction with motor vehicles.  At first, I thought this was strange and then Pepe Lepew came to mind.  It isn’t a coincidence that Pepe’s favorite holiday is Valentine’s Day, as mid-February starts the skunk breeding season.  I have a friend in the cattle business that starts his annual skunk report on social media.  He enjoys providing the exploits of his resident skunk population while checking cows in the middle of the night.  So, make sure you have a supply of tomato juice and baking soda in the event you or your pet have an unfortunate interaction with a rutting skunk.

By now you may have heard the news that a federal district court in Arizona vacated the registrations for dicamba tolerant soybeans marketed as XtendiMax, Enginia, and Tavium.  As I write this today, it will be illegal to spray dicamba on soybeans and cotton crops during the 2024 growing season.  There is still time for legal wrangling to occur prior to our planting season.  The EPA and the dicamba manufacturers can appeal the decision which would put the federal district court’s decision on hold.  If there is not an appeal, the EPA could use its authority to allow continued use of existing stocks of dicamba products until an established future date.  If neither of these were to happen, though unlikely, there are still options available for using the beans that carry the dicamba resistant traits.

It may not be an option to switch varieties.  With an estimated 65 million acres of dicamba tolerant beans expected to be planted, I have read opinions that there are insufficient stocks of alternative varieties and herbicides.  I can’t confirm if this is true but would encourage you to assess your particular situation.  Regardless, those beans with the dicamba technology have additional stacked traits that will allow the plants to tolerate other postemergence herbicides.  In the latest CORN Newsletter (agcrops.osu.edu), Dr. Alyssa Essman from OSU Extension has explained those options more thoroughly.  If you want to read more on the legal proceedings surrounding the case, Peggy Hall, Director of Agricultural and Resource Law Program at OSU, has provided information in the Ohio Ag Law Blog which can be found at farmoffice.osu.edu

No matter what crop, it's best to have a clean start

If you have fields where you have been using, or had planned to use, the dicamba technology to deal with problem weed issues, we will still recommend a sound herbicide and crop management program.  No matter what crop you are planting it is best to have a clean start.  This may involve tillage and/or a targeted burndown program.  Although it can delay planting, the incorporation of 2,4-D in a burndown will help with many of our early emerging broadleaf weeds.  XtendFlex beans will allow the use of glufosinate postemergence.  Dr. Essman also points out in her article that the PPO inhibitors will always be an option for soybeans postemergence and the selection of an effective soil-applied preemergence residual will be critical for Xtend beans planted in fields where you suspect glyphosate resistant issues.

There is one more opportunity for those that need to recertify for their private pesticide applicator and fertilizer licenses.  That will be on March 5^th at Secrest Arboretum Welcome Center, with pesticide recertification from 9:00 AM to noon and fertilizer recertification from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM.  Frank Becker will be hosting a session of Weeds University at the Buckeye Ag Museum on February 21^st from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.  You can find more information and register at go.osu.edu/24WeedsUniv.  A one-day Marketing Strategies Workshop will be held on February 28^th.  This program will cover how to write a marketing plan, determining your price targets, futures/options marketing strategies for grains, beef cattle and milk, and insurance products.  The program is sponsored by Farm Credit, Gerber Feed Services, and Walnut Hill Feeds.  The cost of the program is $20, and it will run from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Buckeye Ag Museum.  Also, we will host the annual Agriculture Outlook meeting on March 8^th at the Buckeye Ag Museum.  The program will feature 2024 outlooks on grain crops, international commodity policy, labor, and milk.  Our highlighted speaker is Dr. Chris Wolf from Cornell University.  The cost of the program is $10, and it will run from 8:00 AM to noon.  To register for any of our programs, or if you have agriculture related questions, call the OSU Extension office in Wayne County at 330-264-8722.

  Other OSU Extension programs that may be of interest are:

• The OSU Digital Ag team will be hosting a weekly one-hour, online webinar on various Precision Livestock farming topics beginning January 31^st.  There are still two more meeting times: February 21^st and February 28th.  Registration can be found at https://go.osu.edu/plf24
• The OSU Extension Beef Team is hosting a series of webinars titled “Meeting the Demand for Local Beef”.  The first of which as on January 18^th, but there are still three more opportunities to catch the other topic sessions on February 15^th, March 21^st, and April 18^th.  For more information, and to register, go to go.osu.edu/beefschool24
• The 24^th Annual Northeast Ohio Regional Dairy Conference will be held on February 21^st at the Fisher Auditorium on the OSU CFAES, Wooster Campus.  This year’s program is titled “Turning Cows Into Cash: Maximizing Profitability”.  You can find more information and register at www.neodairy.com
• Quicken for farm accounting record keeping will be offered at five locations beginning in Knox County on February 26^th & 27^th.  You can find other locations, more information, or register by going to https://go.osu.edu/quicken

John Yost is an Extension Educator IV, Agriculture and Natural Resources, at OSU Extension-Wayne County and can be reached at 330-264-8722 or yost.77@osu.edu
This article was previously published in The Daily Record.