On December 3rd, several Ohio speakers discussed weather, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in agriculture, and precision soil sampling at the Ohio No-Till conference, Der Dutchman, Plain City Ohio. Here are their comments. First, Dr Vinayak Shedekar, OSU Ohio Drainage Management specialist spoke about weather, mainly drought and excess water. Nationally based on insurance claims; drought/dry weather cost farmers about $90 billion/year (43% of total) followed by excess water $52 billion (25%) with other insurance claims around $22 billion/yr (32%). Water is one of the most limiting factors to obtaining high crop yields. In Ohio, typically 70% of water related crop losses are due to excess water with 30% due to drought. Recently though, drought has been a bigger concern. Drought may cut corn yields 40 bushel/acre or more while typically too much water historically reduces corn yields 20 bushel or more. Corn needs about 28 inches of rain during the growing season (Late April to Late Sep...

  Farmers try to balance the big three nutrients for plant growth: nitrogen (N) phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) since they are known to increase crop yields. However, for good soil health and good plant health; the secondary nutrients: calcium (Ca) Sulfur (S) Magnesium (Mg) and micronutrients are also important. Calcium (Ca) is the third most plant abundant nutrient and is a major regulator of plant hormones for plant growth and yield. However, to get Ca into the plant, you need boron (B) a micronutrient. Boron (B) is like a bus driver hauling Ca into the plant. Unfortunately, there needs to be a soil balance because Ca ties up B and vice versa. So too much of either one or too little causes poor growth and low yields. Adequate Ca promotes more roots, bigger shoots, bigger leaves, more flowers, more pollen and ultimately higher yields. Sulfur (S) is another important nutrient especially for building critical plant amino acids. As an electron donor, S helps plants control light int...

  Corn rootworm (CRW) is a common corn insect that costs producers about $1 billion dollars a year in lost yields. CRW started to thrive after World War II for several reasons. First, farms got bigger and the crop rotation got simpler. Larger equipment and more corn on corn or a simple rotation of corn and beans led to poor soil health. Predators to CRW like to live in healthy soils with many cracks and pores and live roots so they can move around. Tillage and compaction increased the prevalence of CRW. Here are six natural ways to fight corn rootworm (CRW). First, minimize tillage and soil disturbance. CRW do not thrive in undisturbed soils because of all the roots, microbial diversity, and insect diversity. CRW are prey to numerous viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and fungi, with 10 billion microbes representing over 11,000 species in just one teaspoon of soil. The most current estimate is that there are a quintrillion insects on planet earth. A quintrillion is a billion billion, or ...

Deer mating season (rutting has started), so deer are on the move. Hunters need to be aware of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD); a fatal, infectious disease affecting the nervous system of deer. It is caused by misfolded proteins called prions. It spreads through direct animal contact, contaminated environments, and bodily fluids, and animals can shed prions for years before showing symptoms like weight loss, poor coordination, and drooping ears. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) recommends not consuming meat from CWD-positive animals and taking precautions like wearing gloves and avoiding brain tissue when handling deer carcasses. CWD has been found in Northwest Ohio. Major hot spot are Wyandot, Marion, and Hardin Counties but many surrounding counties are also affected with confirmed cases in Allen and Morrow Counties. Not all deer are tested, so since the deer population is mobile and far ranging, it could easily be spreading. CWD is very similar to other prion diseases t...