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  While the current 2025 agricultural crop season is still in full swing; farmers and landowners are thinking about renewing or making new rental agreements. In Ohio, about 39% of farmland is leased or rented. About 28% of all Ohio farmers rent exclusively and own no farmland themselves. About 13 Midwestern universities have developed a program called AgLease 101 offering descriptions and advantages and disadvantage to landowners and renters (tenants) of various rental arrangements. The most common rental agreements are cash rent. For the Landowner, the benefits include they do not need to provide much input to the farming operation. The landowner gets a cash payment that does not trigger landowner self-employment tax and does not reduce social security benefits at retirement. With less input, generally there is less disagreements between parties. The landowner does not need to worry about pricing the crop or yields or how to divide and market crops. The renter or tenant takes car...

  With the Fourth of July holiday, it is nice to meet family and friends and reflect on life and the blessings we have in this country.  It is also nice to hear and learn how some successful family farms that are thriving.  Here is a local story revised from Farm Journal and Ag Web.   Les Seiler and his family farm in northwest Ohio in Fulton county near the Michigan border.  The Seiler’s plant cover crops on every acre of land that is planted  with the goal of keeping a living root in the ground year-round.  They do that by mimicking Mother Nature, using no-till and cover crops to build soil health. The Seiler’s include Les and Jerry and their two sons farming near Fayette, Ohio.  Seiler’s started out strip tilling in the fall of 2010.  Unfortunately, the wind blew all winter and moved the black soil on some new land they had purchased off the mounds.  So that was the last strip tilling the family did.  They started no-tilling...

  Crops are starting to grow faster with warmer temperatures after a cool wet spring with entering rapid nutrient uptake and plant growth. Most plant nutrients are absorbed through the roots. Some nutrients get locked up in the soil making them unavailable to the plant. There are many factors that contribute to nutrient soil immobilization. If the fertilizer solution pH is too high or too low, nutrient deficient, or excessive; some nutrients might not be absorbed. Low soil organic matter, reduced microbial activity, damaged root systems, excessive water or a lack of water can all lead to lower rates of plant nutrient uptake and absorption. Many farmers regularly use some foliar feeding with herbicides or fungicides to enhance crop growth and yield. The leaves, and sometimes even the stems, of many plants are equipped with tiny, pore-like structures called stomata. Stomata open and close at certain times of the day. Stomata have two major functions. Stomata allow oxygen and water v...

About this time almost every year, we have to deal with high humidity and high temperatures. It is now officially summer, and it feels like it! After a cool, almost colder spring with plenty of moisture, the sun is shining and it is hot. Plants are starting to grow, but most fields are definitely behind schedule. Livestock also suffer during hot and humid periods of time. For livestock, staying cool depends on first getting plenty of water. Check your watering systems to make sure they are working correctly. Keep water supplies in the shade. Cool water helps animals dissipate body heat. Make sure stock tanks are secure and full of water. Sometimes animals will try to get in the tank to cool off or knock it over. Make sure the water flow is adequate. Check automatic waterers and increase the flow if necessary. Dehydrated animals may need electrolytes; consult a veterinarian for the proper dosage. Misters and sprinklers also provide a way for animals to cool down. In extreme heat, animal...