The Southwest Ohio Corn Growers Filed Day is just around the corner.
Like very year, it will be packed full of useful, take-home information that can be applied to the management of anyone’s grain operation.
This year’s event is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 14 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Fayette County Demonstration Farm at 2770 State Route 38, Washington Court House, in front of the Fayette County airport.
The keynote speaker will be Matt Roberts with the Kernmantle Group and he will be discussing the “Economics of Managing Best Management Practices.” He will kick-off the field day at 9 a.m.
Other featured speakers include:
• Steve Culman, The Ohio State University, Tri-State Fertilizer and Nitrogen Decisions.
• Pierce Paul, The Ohio State University, will discuss the Gibberella Demonstration and Research Project.
• Elizabeth Hawkins, The Ohio State University, Using on-farm Research to Make Production Decisions.
• Kelly Tillmon, The Ohio State University, will have a Diagnostic Demonstration of Corn and Soybean Insect Pests.
There will also be discussion of the upcoming Farm Bill, and a report from the Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association.
In addition to all the educational events, don’t forget the many businesses and commodity groups that will be represented at the event and the many plots to check out.
Plane rides will be available again from the airport and you can schedule your plain ride by calling 740-335-2430. Plane rides are for 30 minutes and the cost is $30 per person.
There will be much more to see and do.
Health screenings are available to producers attending, you are asked to fast prior to your screening. The will be several demonstration plots, trade show exhibits, and many corn hybrid company representatives will be on hand to visit.
CCA credits are available as well as fertilizer re-certification credits will be made available for both private and commercial applicators.
This event is free. For more information contact Tony Nye, OSU Extension, at 937-382-0901, or Ken Ford, OSU Extension Fayette County, at 740-335-1150.
Next season’s land costs
Besides field days, this time of year is when many of us already start thinking about land costs for next season.
Barry Ward, Leader, Production Business Management, Director, OSU Income Tax Schools OSU Extension, Agriculture & Natural Resources, shared some recent information he recently gathered concerning Ohio cropland values and cash rents for 2018.
According to Ward and the results of the Western Ohio Cropland Values and Cash Rents Survey, bare cropland values in western Ohio are expected to decrease anywhere from 1.7 to 3.6 percent in 2018 depending on the region and land class.
Cash rents are expected to decline anywhere from 1.2 percent to 3.0 percent depending on the region and land class.
It is important to keep in mind Ohio cropland varies significantly in its production capabilities and, consequently, cropland values and cash rents vary widely throughout the state.
Generally speaking, western Ohio cropland values and cash rents differ from much of southern and eastern Ohio cropland values and cash rents.
The primary factors affecting these values and rates are land productivity and potential crop return, and the variability of those crop returns. Soils and drainage capabilities are the two factors that most influence land productivity, crop return and variability of those crop returns.
Other factors impacting land values and cash rents are field size and shape, population density, ease of access, market access, local market prices, and potential for wildlife damage, field perimeter characteristics, and competition for rented cropland in a region.
The study results are based on 108 surveys returned, analyzed, and summarized. Respondents were asked to group their estimates based on three land quality classes: average, top, and poor.
Within each land-quality class, respondents were asked to estimate average corn and soybean yields for a five-year period based on typical farming practices. Survey respondents were also asked to estimate current bare cropland values and cash rents negotiated in the current or recent year for each land-quality class.
Survey results are summarized for western Ohio with regional summaries (subsets of western Ohio) for northwest Ohio and southwest Ohio.
You can get to the entire report by going to ohioagmanager.osu.edu .
Tony Nye is the state coordinator for the Ohio State University Extension Small Farm Program and has been an OSU Extension Educator for agriculture and natural resources for 30 years, currently serving Clinton County and the Miami Valley EERA.
