Benefits of snow Monday, February 22, 2021 12:00 AM OSU Extension Much of Northwest Ohio turned into a winter wonderland this week
after receiving a heavy blanket of snow Monday evening into Tuesday
morning. While we often long for warmer temperatures and sunshine this
time of year – this recent snowfall provides numerous benefits for our
soils and plants during the winter months. After all, “a year of snow,
fruit will grow” and “a good winter’s snow makes all the plants grow”
are sayings with merit.
Snow provides much needed precipitation
during the winter months. While snowfall in NW Ohio varies considerably
from year to year, our part of the state receives about 24 inches of
Water quality a priority for 2021
Beth Scheckelhoff, Ag Educator OSU-Extension Monday, February 1, 2021 12:00 AM OSU Extension We
have heard a lot about improving water quality in the Lake Erie Basin
over the past few years. This topic continues to be a focus for the Ohio
Department of Agriculture, our local Soil and Water Conservation
Districts, and OSU Extension.
The H2Ohio program through the Ohio
Department of Agriculture currently has two Lake Erie CREP water quality
incentive programs open for application through the end of the month.
CREP stands for Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and is a USDA
Farm Bill program that offers financial compensation to landowners and
2021 pesticide and fertilizer recertification dates set
Beth Scheckelhoff, Ag Educator OSU-Extension Monday, January 25, 2021 12:00 AM OSU Extension Over 100 private pesticide and fertilizer applicators in Putnam
County will need to recertify their license by July 1 of this year. A
private pesticide applicators license is needed for farmers who use
restricted use pesticides in growing and storing crops. In Putnam County
these crops can include field corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, clover,
apples, tomatoes, sweet corn, strawberries, greenhouse and nursery
crops, grapes, berries, and potatoes. Farmers producing fish, milk,
beef, pork, and lamb also typically have private pesticide licenses.
Pesticide
and fertilizer applicator licenses certify applicators in Ohio for a
ARC and PLC for 2021
Beth Scheckelhoff, Ag Educator OSU-Extension Monday, January 11, 2021 12:00 AM OSU Extension Enrollment for the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss
Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2021 crop year opened in October, with
the deadline to enroll and make amendments to program elections on March
15, 2021. This signup is for potential payments for the 2021 crop.
If
changes are not made by the March 15th deadline, the election defaults
to the programs selected for the 2020 crop year with no penalty. While
changes to program elections are optional, producers must enroll (sign a
contract) each year to be eligible to receive payments. What does that