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...

  New research from Virginia Tech University shows that small insects called springtails (Collembola species) help farmers fight herbicide resistant weed species in the soil. These tiny wingless insects are about the size of small rice kernel. They live in soil residue and feed on weed seed. There are more than 6,500 species of springtail (Collembola species) world-wide. Results vary by weed seed species depending upon the thickness of the seed coat.  Two Virginia Tech researchers (Jernigan & Sonoskie) found that in a 4-week greenhouse study, springtails reduced weed biomass by 23%. Unfortunately, at first the springtail affected weed seed seemed to increase weed germination for the first two weeks followed by a dramatic reduction in the last two weeks. The researchers think the springtails increased weed seed germination initially by breaking open the seed coat so that the weed seed could germinate faster. In the last two weeks, the germination was drastically reduced, pr...

Farmers first used cultivation to mechanically kill weeds. Hand hoeing, pulling weeds, then horse and tractor driven cultivators. Then they started using chemicals starting with 2-4D to chemically kill broad leaf weeds. New chemicals were developed and then came along glyphosate (Roundup) which became the most popular herbicide, especially when the glyphosate resistant gene was introduced into many crops. But like all new innovations, sooner or later they are replaced due to limitations.   Cultivation disturbed the soil and took a lot of fuel and time. Every time you disturb soil, you replant weed seed and you lose carbon in the form of soil organic matter. There can be as many as several hundred thousand weed seeds per square yard in soil. This weed seed can remain viable for a few years, a decade, or even longer. Weed seed with thicker coats and buried deep with tillage survive longer than those left on the soil surface with no-till. On the chemical herbicides, herbicide resistan...

  Soil testing methods are still about the same as they were 100 years ago and researchers and farmers are still struggling to interpret the numbers. However, a soil test is a good place to start to optimize crop yields. However, follow that up with scouting, tissue tests, and sap tests to verify and refine your analysis. Most standardized soil test report values for pH, phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg). Soil test values are reported in Parts Per Million (PPM) or pounds per acre. The PPM times 2 equal pounds per acre. Actual soil nutrient levels generally are much higher; however, not all soil nutrients are available for plant uptake. Soil pH measures the acidity of a soil. A soil that is neutral has a pH of 7, while an acid soil has lower values and a basic soil has higher values. The pH values can range from 1 (highly acid) to 14 (highly basic), although most soil range from pH 5.0 to 8.0. To improve soil productivity and the release of nutrients, a...

  Fall and Spring are usually the time when farmers or fertilizer dealers take most soil tests to make recommendations for fertilizer applications. In the last several years, most dealers now do that service for their farmer clients. A few years ago, looking at soil test collected over several years, there was a big jump of .5 to 1.0% increase in soil organic matter (SOM) on all this no-till farmers fields. I started asking questions. He was already a no-tiller and using cover crops. Had he done anything different? No really. Then I asked who took the sample? He said the dealer. Who took them before? He said he had. Is there that much sampling difference between dealers and farmers? The biggest difference is that dealers use a machine (a soil sampler on a four-wheeler) while most farmers use a shovel or a probe. The standard procedure for collecting a soil sample 10 years ago was to wipe the soil surface clean of residue, then probe the soil, taking at least 10-15 samples in a rand...

  After a late 2025 drought and lower crop prices, farmers are looking ahead to the 2026 crop year. High volatile fertilizer prices will be a major concern this next year. Currently, DAP retail price is $926 per metric ton up from $580 in January. DAP or diammonium phosphate is 18% nitrogen and 46% phosphate (18-46-0). The retail price for MAP (mono ammonium phosphate) is $921 per ton. Potash or potassium (60% potash or K, 0-0-60) prices are about 24% higher than last year at $483-485 per ton. Some global spot prices are $350-$360 per ton. Ammonia prices (NH3) are about $440 to $450 per metric ton. Why are prices too high? There are a number of factors but the major one are supply disruptions due to the Russia/Ukraine war, China cutting back on exports, high tariff costs, port disruptions, high global demand and competition for fertilizer, and still high energy costs which is used to make most nitrogen fertilizer. First, the Russian war with Ukraine has disrupted nitrogen (N) ferti...

Entering October, is it too late to plant small grains (wheat or possibly barley) and is it even profitable to do so? It is not too late but with wheat at roughly $4.50 to $5.00, it is difficult to make wheat profitable. Most can justify planting wheat at $6/bushel. However, $4.50 corn is not much better. Planting wheat helps improve the crop rotation, reduce weeds, and may increase other crop yields by 10%. Wheat and other small grain crops like barley, cereal rye, oats are alternative crops. The market for barley and oats are fairly limited. Due to high test weight oats grown in Canada and few breweries in Ohio, oat and barley markets are slim. At around $12/bushel for cereal rye as a cover crop, cereal rye can be profitable with good yields.  Wheat straw can be harvested to gain income and double crop soybeans are another option to add income. It’s the wheat roots that add most of the soil organic matter (80-90%), so harvesting the wheat straw is a good practice. Anything plante...

  Farmers are in a tough spot. Fertilizer prices are spiking and crop prices are not high enough to cover the costs. The bright spots are on the livestock and dairy side with much higher prices and profits. For grain farmers; with a late drought, yields and prices are not high enough to make much money. Usually, farmers benefit from free markets. The USA usually exports about 1 out of every 3 bushel of soybeans produced. A lot of corn is used to make ethanol for fuel but energy prices are moderating and coming down. Farmers need to export excess grain to stay in business. When grain exports decline, grain farm income tends to decline. USA grain farmers are losing market share to other countries or for political purposes (countries like China) are not buying our grain commodities. Even worse, many countries (especially European markets) have agricultural subsidies that prevent our grain from being sold and exported overseas. The average subsidy overseas is about 1.3% of Gross Nati...

  This was adapted from a Randall Reeder article, Retired OSU Extension Engineer at Ohio State University. Most farmers would like to leave their farm in better shape than when they started. The question is: What does that mean? You never hear a farmer brag about making their farm worse. What does it mean to make a farm better when you retire from farming? For some farmers, that means passing on a farm that is actively operating and growing in size. For some that means keeping the buildings freshly painted and the homestead looking attractive. On older farms, sometimes that means getting rid of old barns and fences. Others might say getting higher crop yields. For farms to remain sustainable, keeping soils healthy and productive is important. Are your soils getting darker or lighter in color? Dark colored soil indicate a gain in soil organic matter (SOM) and are more productive. Are the soils getting softer and is the water infiltrating? Often, farmers complain that their soils are...

August and September have been dry with higher-than-normal day time temperatures prevailing. Crops are drying down quick so harvest may be early. All that dry tinder may create fire hazards when harvest equipment starts rolling. Dry corn and soybean leaves, crop dust, and dry grass are all highly combustible for potential harvest fires. Hot equipment, especially engines and hot exhaust, plus friction from fast moving gears and belts, hot hydraulic hoses, or hot bearings; it’s no wonder harvest fire hazards are common. Here is a list several precautions from OSU Extension that farmers can take to protect their harvest equipment from starting fires. When combines get used for many hours, they get hot; so park them away from buildings and especially fueling stations. You might not only lose a combine, but also farm buildings or a fueling station. Regular maintenance is required. Check the machine daily for any overheated bearings or damage to the exhaust system. Grease the machine regular...

  Due to a lack of rain, the soil is getting hard. When soil gets dry and lacks adequate soil organic matter (SOM), clay particles set up like cement. Most farmers do a fall tillage, which will increase water infiltration short-term, but long-term the soil just gets denser as the soil compaction gets worse. Brian Doughtery, a consultant for Understanding Ag., says soil compaction is caused by three things: 1) too much heavy equipment, 2) not enough biology, and 3) nutrients and/or a lack of nutrient balance. Soil compaction is common on most farms, but it is not a natural or inevitable problem. On heavy equipment, when a piece of machinery crosses a field, the weight pushes the air or pore space out of soil. Without pore space, the soil compacts. If a field is wet, the soil particles get cemented together when the soil dries. Clay has a negative charge and when positive ions like magnesium (Mg) and potassium (K) get pushed together, the soil gets hard. Calcium (Ca) also has a pos...

  Migrating birds are already flocking together and some bird migration from the North has already started. The cicadas have been singing for several weeks. Are we due for an early frost? The first week of September has cold front from the north moving in and it is possible a few low-lying areas may see some light frost. Here is some data for first frosts in Ohio.  Frost dates are based on 1991–2020 climate data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This site uses a 30% probability threshold, meaning there is a 3 in 10 chance frost will occur before or after the given date. Microclimates vary, so this is a flexible guide, not a guarantee. For example, towns and cities tend to be 5-10°F warmer than farm land and surrounding areas. Lake Erie and large bodies of water tend to moderate temperatures. That means they are slower to warm up in the spring and slower to cool down in the fall. Here are some frost dates for various locations in Ohio.  At th...

  Some crop diseases are intensifying and being enhanced by current weather conditions. Cool night time temperatures (below 70°F), humid conditions, and wet leaves enhance tar spot in corn. Tar Spot is often helped by August and September weather conditions. Red Crown Rot in soybeans is also being found in Ohio.  Corn tar spot ( Phyllachora maydis ) is becoming a major corn disease. Tar spot fungus came from Central America and is spreading by wind into corn growing states. Tar spot grows rapidly when temperatures are 60-70°F and humidity is 75% or higher with rainy, foggy, cloudy summer weather spreading this disease. Corn will mature early with reduced ear weight, poor kernel fill, stalk rot, and lodging with yield losses ranging from 0-60 bushel per acre, depending upon disease severity.  Corn tar spot was spotted earlier this year at the OSU South Charleston research plots. Due to weather conditions at that time, it was at relatively low levels and mild. It was found ...