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  On July 1, 2025, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a new bill refunding the Ohio H2O Program. However, the 2024-2025 budget was for 270 million dollars. The new bill authorizes only $165 million dollars for the 2026-2027 time period, a 40% overall decrease. The Ohio H2O program will continue but expect major changes and possibly lower rates of compensation. Dr. Etienne Sutton, University of Michigan, at a recent field day shared some national research on cover crop varieties. This research was conducted in 12 states across the country. Ohio was not included; however, both Indiana (Purdue, West Lafayette) and Pennsylvania (Penn State, College Station) participated in the study. The goals were to evaluate performance of commercially available cover crop varieties, determine where they work the best, and try to get more cover crop diversity. Plots were very small (5 feet by 15 feet), replicated 3 times, and generally done on one soil type. In Ohio, it is not uncommon to have multip...

  Dr. Etienne Sutton, University of Michigan conducted cover crop research for 3 years. She got her PHD and she shared research results at a field day in Williams County on the Allen Dean farm. Her research centered on getting more cover crop biomass and either tying up nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) or creating more N. For the last 3 years (2022-2025), she monitored cover crop fields in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota. A total of 125 fields (2022), 138 in 2023, and 281 in 2025. The majority of the fields were cereal rye (121 fields) and cover crop mixtures (117) with the remaining being grass and legume or clover cover crop fields. Almost all the cover crops (88%) were planted after regular field crops with less than 10 percent after vegetable crops. About 52% were drilled, 32% broadcast, and the rest were aerially applied (drone or plain). Her major research centered around maximizing biomass and increasing N content or uptake in cover crop biomass (CCB). ...

  With less than a month to go before school starts, summer is winding down. Most farms have had plenty of moisture, so crops on the surface look good. However, there may be some hidden nutrient deficiencies, hidden yield losses, and even insect and disease issues starting to surface. On corn, sometimes too much rain at pollination may cause a problem. Tight tassels may occur which may limit or delay pollination of corn kernels. Sometimes the kernels get pollinated but at different times so the kernels grow at different rates. It creates different size corn kernels and funky looking corn. Some corn varieties are worse than others. Sometimes it is also caused by drought or nutrient imbalances. Yield losses may range from 15% to 40% depending upon how long and tight the tassel wrap occurs. On soybeans, too much moisture often causes poor rooting. Some areas have received twice as much moisture as usual and the soybeans are suffering due to anaerobic (lack of oxygen) soil conditions ...

After a somewhat late start, crops are starting to thrive. While the temperatures have been hot, most farmers having been getting some rain. Generally, rain (in moderation) makes grain! Overall crops are looking good but may be about 1-2 weeks behind in maturity. The first part of August may turn slightly cooler which helps crops grow and improve yields. To get the highest yields, crops require certain nutrients. Most plant nutrient nutrients are processed by soil microbes. Soil microbes thrive on fluctuating wet and dry periods. Right after a nice rain, you may notice crops have a more intense green color. That’s soil microbes supplying nutrients to your crops. In late July and August, these rains may be million-dollar events for the farmer. As far as temperature, crops grow best when day-time temps stay below 85-87°F with night-time temps around 70°F. Many farmers are now spraying their crops with fungicides to maintain or enhance yields. Some are adding micronutrients. Micronutrie...