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Jun. 29, 2015
Given our recent weather pattern, the topic of haymaking is almost certain to come up in any conversation with farmers. Last week while bemoaning the havoc our rainy weather is inflicting upon harvest schedules and hay quality, a member of my program advisory committee brought up the topic of haylage in a day. This is a concept that is being promoted in New York by forage folks at Cornell. Later, that member sent me a copy of a newsletter from Cornell that outlined some of the important principles of the haylage in a day concept. Those principles include maximizing photosynthesis,...
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Jun. 25, 2015
It’s the season of ball games, picnics and many other gatherings when we enjoy not only the activity, but our summer food favorites. With this in mind, you know the basics of food safety
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Jun. 25, 2015
The 2015 Ohio Sheep Day will be held on Saturday, July 11 in Southwestern Ohio. This year's host is Schoolhouse Shropshires, located at 961 Hoop Road outside of Xenia. Although it is a bit of a drive from the Wayne County area, I don't think anyone with an interest in sheep will be disappointed if they make the effort to attend. There are some great program topics planned. Those topics include:
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Jun. 25, 2015
The annual dairy twilight tour is scheduled for Tuesday evening July 14 beginning at 6:00 pm. This year's host farm is Sterling Heights Dairy Farm, LLC (James, Matt, and Mark Saal and families). The farm is located at 7852 Easton Rd (SR 604) Sterling. The tour is planned and organized by the Wayne-Ashland Dairy Service Unit and its purpose is to highlight dairy farming and the dairy industry. A free chicken BBQ and pork dinner that includes milk, ice-cream and pie is offered throughout the evening.
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Jun. 25, 2015
Once we reach mid to late June, alfalfa growers should be scouting their fields regularly for potato leaf hoppers (PLH). The PLH does not overwinter in Ohio. It arrives each year when it is carried northward from the Gulf Coast region on storm fronts. After they arrive, PLH will reproduce and approximately three weeks are required to go from egg to adult. We can see high numbers of PLH as we get into July and symptoms of damage from this sucking insect include yellowing of leaf tips.
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Jun. 19, 2015
The show will now be held on Sunday June 28th starting at 1 pm.
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Jun. 15, 2015
An article in a recent University of Kentucky forage newsletter shed some light on why orchardgrass hay fields no longer seem to be persisting as they did in the past. According to a survey of forage specialists across the U.S., the number one reason for shorter stand life was low cutting heights. Low cutting heights were mainly attributable to disc mowers primarily because these mowers allow cutting heights of 1 to 2 inches. Low cutting heights are harmful to orchardgrass because all the leaves needed for photosynthesis and the base of tillers (stems) where carbohydrates are stored...
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Jun. 15, 2015
Most of our common pasture and hayfield grasses such as orchardgrass, bluegrass, fescue, ryegrass, festulolium, brome and timothy, to name a few, are cool season forage species. When summer temperatures of 80 degrees and higher arrive, these species do not thrive and their growth rates and productivity declines significantly. In pasture management we term this the summer slump. For this reason, if livestock producers need extra forage to either harvest as stored forage or to provide additional grazing, they may want to consider planting a warm season summer annual. Warm season annuals...
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Jun. 15, 2015
I hope that many of you have special memories of spending time with your father or grandfather. The older I get, the more I recognize that many of the things I do and say reflect my father’s influence. The memories I have of my grandfather are ones I cherish every time I take a horseback ride.
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Jun. 05, 2015
Dear 4-H Members, Parents, and Advisors:
A couple of important 4-H reminders are listed below - click the headlines below for more details!
