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Hardin County OSU Extension

Hardin County OSU Extension Ohio State University Extension is a dynamic educational entity that partners with individuals, families, communities, business and industry, and organizations to strengthen the lives of Ohioans.

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Master Gardener Annual Plant SaleHardin County – The 17th Annual Hardin County Master Gardener Plant Sale will be from 1...
04/28/2022

Master Gardener Annual Plant Sale

Hardin County – The 17th Annual Hardin County Master Gardener Plant Sale will be from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm on Saturday, May 14 rain or shine at the Friendship Gardens of Hardin County. The Friendship Gardens of Hardin County is located behind the old HARCO Workshop Building, 960 W Kohler Street in Kenton. Follow the signs to the parking that is available at the garden.

In addition to plants and garden items supplied by the Hardin County OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, there will also be the Hardin County Men’s Garden Club and vendor Star Farms Native Plants at this annual event with plants for sale. In the past, the public has been able to find a wide choice of their favorite flowers, bedding plants, roses, herbs, trees and various other potted plants at this event.

Sharing from their own knowledge and experience, gardeners from the OSU Extension Hardin County Master Gardener Volunteers, Hardin County Men’s Garden Club and vendor Star Farms Native Plants will be on hand to answer questions and provide advice for a successful gardening year.

Make sure you put Saturday, May 14 on your calendar to attend. Hopefully the cold weather will be gone and temperatures will be more suitable for planting by the date of this year’s plant sale. The OSU Extension Hardin County Master Gardener Volunteers look forward to seeing you at the Friendship Gardens after two years without a plant sale due to the pandemic. Come early as noted in the past, the event has been popular and plants go pretty fast. So, bring your boxes and wagons, and get your green thumb on for the new planting season!

Set-Up Soybeans for Success in 2022Hardin County – For soybean, pre-planting decisions are extremely important to set-up...
04/25/2022

Set-Up Soybeans for Success in 2022

Hardin County – For soybean, pre-planting decisions are extremely important to set-up the crop for success. Soybean Extension Specialists from across the U.S. have been working together on the Science for Success initiative (funded by United Soybean Board) focused on leveraging local expertise to provide national soybean best management practices. Recently, we’ve focused on soybean planting date, row spacing, and seeding rate.

Soybean planting date has a large effect on yield. In Ohio, yield reduction as a result of late planting ranges from 0.25 to 1.0 bushel per acre per day. In our small plot research in Clark County, Ohio, soybean yield reduction in 2013 and 2014 was approximately 0.6 bushel per acre per day for each day planted after early to mid-May. Although early planting is important to maximize soybean yield, deciding on when to plant should be based on field suitability and soil temperatures at the time of, and following, planting as well as frost forecast.

Soybean can germinate and emerge when soil temperatures are at or just below 50°F. At soil temperatures between 50-60°F, soybean plants typically take about 15 to 20 days to emerge following planting. Planting into a wet seedbed or following too much tillage can result in compaction and soil crusting which could reduce stand establishment. At the same time, planting into extremely dry soil can also be detrimental to stand establishment due to insufficient soil moisture for germination and/or emergence.

For Ohio, in general, we recommend soybean be planted any time after April 15 in the southern portion of the state and any time after the last few days of April in the northern portion of the state IF soil conditions are satisfactory.

In Ohio, soybean is generally grown in narrow rows (7.5 to 15-inch row width). Soybean plants grown in narrow rows generally produce more grain than soybean grown in wide rows (30-inch row width) because they capture more sunlight energy, which drives photosynthesis. Across the U.S., soybean grown in less than or equal to 15 inch row width has a yield advantage of 1 to 4 bushels per acre compared to greater than 15 inch row width. However, these yield advantages are typically greater with later planting dates, earlier maturing varieties, and high temperatures, all of which reduce the time from VE (emergence) to R3 (initial pod set).

Soybean plants are incredibly flexible at adjusting to a wide range of plant populations. Soybean plants in low populations will produce more branches, more pods, and more seeds per plant. Soybean at higher populations will grow taller, produce fewer branches, pods, and seeds per plant. Because of this flexibility, soybean can often produce similar seed numbers per acre and similar yields over a wide range of plant populations.

In Ohio, for a crop planted in May, a final plant population of 100,000 to 120,000 plants per acre is generally adequate for maximum yield. Final population is a function of seeding rate, quality of the planting operation, and seed germination percentage and depends on such things as soil moisture conditions, seed-soil contact, disease pressure, fungicide seed treatments, etc.

Ensuring maximum yield requires farmers to plant at rates higher than the minimum required plant population. As a general rule, seed about 25% higher than the target plant population. For example, for a target plant population of 100,000 to 120,000 plants/acre, you may want to seed 125,000 to 150,000 seeds per acre.

Article written by Laura Lindsey-OSU Extension, Soybean and Small Grains Specialist and edited by Mark Badertscher-OSU Extension, Hardin County.

Early Season Manure ApplicationHardin County – Last fall was not favorable for manure application to farm fields. Thus, ...
04/20/2022

Early Season Manure Application

Hardin County – Last fall was not favorable for manure application to farm fields. Thus, many producers are interested in spring application with an eye on capturing the nitrogen contained in the manure to reduce the need for purchased nitrogen.

In-crop applications of manure make the best use of the manure’s nitrogen content for crop uptake. At the early vegetative stages, the timing is close to the crop’s maximum nutrient uptake period. In corn, placement of the manure below the surface preserves a higher percentage of nitrogen through reductions in volatilization losses. When used as a substitute for purchased nitrogen fertilizer, the economic case for manure used in this way is very attractive and provides an incentive to haul manure greater distances.

Preplant applications of manure can work almost as well as in-crop manure application. The challenge is to get the manure incorporated, to capture the nitrogen, without delaying spring planting due to the field being too wet or the field made too rough for planting. An acre-inch of water is 27,154 gallons. Applying 7,000 gallons in the spring is like adding a quarter inch of moisture if spread evenly. If the manure is applied in strips, then the field could take longer to dry.

The Ohio State University conducted five years of research on preemergent manure application. The manure application was made after corn had been planted the previous day. Yield results were significantly higher than commercial fertilizer applied at the same time. Based on fall stalk-nitrate tests, the manure appears to stay with the growing corn crop much longer than the commercial fertilizer. This should give farmers confidence that spring applied manure can provide the nitrogen needed by the corn crop over the entire growing season.

The key is to apply the needed nitrogen and get the manure below the soil surface. Most swine finishing buildings contain from 30 to 40 pounds of ammonium nitrogen per 1,000 gallons. But there are exceptions to this guide so be sure to rely on previous manure tests. Dairy manure would be much lower at eight to 15 pounds per 1,000 gallons. Research also shows that some agitation of the manure source prior to application will produce more consistency of the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash over the course of emptying the manure storage.

Another key is to do your best to avoid soil compaction. Manure tankers are heavy and soil compaction can be seen throughout the growing season and on combine monitors during the harvest season. This would be a good reason to favor using a drag hose for spring manure application if possible.

If a producer gets the manure application made, then the producer could utilize a Pre-Side-dress Nitrate Test (PSNT) to determine if additional side-dress nitrogen is needed or utilize tissue testing and Y-drop nozzles to determine if additional nitrogen is warranted.

The application of manure to corn focuses on the 4R’s of nutrient stewardship. These are the right product, the right rate, right placement, and right timing to maximize crop yield and minimize environmental impacts.

Article written by Glen Arnold-OSU Extension, Manure Nutrient Management Specialist and edited by Mark Badertscher-OSU Extension, Hardin County.

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Hardin County Carcass Show of Champions
Hardin County Carcass Show of Champions

Self-Care Saturday - Yoga
Self-Care Saturday - Yoga

Girls Group 1/10
Girls Group 1/10

Forage Nitrogen Trials in Southeast Ohio
Forage Nitrogen Trials in Southeast Ohio

Nitrogen Timing Research in Hardin County
Nitrogen Timing Research in Hardin County

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As the granddaughter of a Hardin County farmer, Jami Dellifield knew that agriculture didn’t easily make room for mental health care. “We pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and nobody talks about hard things – it’s a pride issue,” said Dellifield, a family and consumer science educator with Hardin County OSU Extension. When she started in her role, she realized that the office needed to do much more to help farmers seek care for the mental stress of their 24-hour-a-day jobs. So, she set to work. Dellifield was awarded the first Yvonne Lesicko Perseverance Prize, established to honor Lesicko’s work at Ohio Farm Bureau that helped create the "Got Your Back" coalition to combat farm stress.
Come work with me!!
Do you still offer LITTLE SPARKS - GOO CREW?
Join us in congratulating Allyson McCurdy as a 2021 ACEL Distinguished Senior by the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership at The Ohio State University. McCurdy was selected by the faculty and staff of the department for her excellence both in and out of the classroom. McCurdy is a community leadership major with a specialization in community and extension education. She is double majoring in human development and family science. She completed an internship with the Hardin County OSU Extension. A native of Marion, Ohio, McCurdy is a graduate of Pleasant High School. #CommLdr #CFAES #ACELatOSU
Healthier Thanksgiving Recipes #whatstoeatwednesday Hardin County OSU Extension
These healthy soups can be cooked on your stove top or in an InstaPot. #whatstoeatwednesday Hardin County OSU Extension
Try these recipes from SNAP-Education for healthier comfort foods. #whatstoeatwednesday Hardin County OSU Extension
Roasted Pumpkin seeds provide a variety of health benefits. See the article below #whatstoeatwednesday Hardin County OSU Extension
Have you laughed today? Laughter is a great stress reliever. Grab a friend and giggle! Hardin County OSU Extension #HardinHLC #HealthTipTuesday
Take 5 minutes and go outside! Fresh air helps improve blood pressure, digestion, strengthens immune systems, strengthens family ties, and makes a healthier you! Hardin County OSU Extension #HardinHLC #HealthTipTuesday
Visit the Fall Farmer’s Markets to scope out the fresh fruits and vegetables of fall. While you are at it, take a quick walk and enjoy the fresh fall air. Hardin County OSU Extension #HardinHLC #HealthTipTuesday
Before it gets cold, wash the summer dirt and grime from your windows. Sitting next to a clear, clean window can help improve your mood and mental clarity by letting in more sunlight. Hardin County OSU Extension #HealthTipTuesday #HardinHLC