Farm Facts for Fairfield County

for August 30, 2002 ; also seen on Fridays in the Lancaster Eagle Gazette

The new Farm Bill has resulted in a farm program that merits much consideration and attention over the next several months. While we have until April 1, 2003 to make many of the decisions that will result in significant farm financial ramifications over the next 6 years, planning needs to begin now to fully understand all the alternatives available in this new bill.

Certainly, the most immediate concern is to verify with FSA all previously planted acreages on each farm. Secondly, in an effort to take full advantage of the 'proven yield' provisions, it would be advantageous to pull all your grain sales receipts and proof of grain sales for the past 4 years (1998-2001). Decisions on whether proven or FSA yields will be most advantageous may begin to be made after September 1, and must be completed by April 1, 2003.

In an effort to provide a better understanding of the alternatives that are provided by this new Farm Bill, two area meetings have been planned. The first will be next Wednesday, September 4, 2002 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the Fairfield County Agriculture Center located behind Ohio University-Lancaster Campus. Topics to be discussed will be Base and Yields Options and Payment Examples. Questions will also be answered regarding the available alternatives.

The second area meeting will be on Monday, September 16, 2002 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Dawes Arboretum located on State Route 13, North of I-70. This will be a multiple county meeting (Fairfield, Perry, and Licking Counties). Topics to be discussed will be new farm program Base and Yields Options and Payment Examples. Speakers will be Fairfield, Licking and Perry County Directors Jim Pollock, Roger Schneider, and Mike Strode.

Call FSA (653.4012) for more information regarding these meetings, or for information regarding the new Farm Bill. In the mean time, you have the opportunity to explore some of the financial alternatives of the program by utilizing the Farm Program Calculator Excel spreadsheet available at OSU Extension offices or on the web at: http://aede.osu.edu/programs/outlook/farm_bill/

WE HAVE FEED!!!

We've received many calls and inquiries in recent weeks regarding the feed supply situation for beef cattle and other ruminants. The responses are much the same as they were during the drought in 1999, and other years - we have many alternatives to consider, choose the most affordable one that best fits your situation. While much information has been published over the past 8 weeks or so, some of the feed alternative information merits repeating as the damage from the drought escalates.

In Fairfield County, we are blessed with an abundant acreage of crops - both grain and forage. Even in areas suffering severe drought over the last half of this summer, there is harvestable crop. It may not all be in the form or volume that we're accustomed to, but there is crop, which in turn equals feed. In addition, we have many processors that make crop by-products available to those innovative enough to utilize them. WE HAVE FEED - it just may not be in the form we've always used.

The unique thing about a cow is that when fed correctly, she can utilize for feed almost anything that can be burned with a match. This means many affordable alternatives exist for area cattlemen. The most obvious one that merits consideration is corn - the grain, the stover, and/or the whole plant!

As one travels around the county, there is no feed stuff more abundant - or possibly wasted - than corn. First, it's not too late to harvest whole plant silage - especially from some of the late planted corn that has suffered most from dry weather. However, if harvest for grain is the first choice, whole corn can be effectively utilized to maintain brood cows. You'll find OSU professor Steve Leorch's information on how best to utilize this still relatively inexpensive source of energy as cow feed on the web at: http://beef.osu.edu/library/limitfed.html And, once it's harvested for grain, the remaining corn stover makes excellent feed - either as grazed residue or baled for later use. Find a new Extension fact sheet on grazing corn stalks at: http://ohioline.osu.edu/anr-fact/0010.html

After corn or soybeans are harvested, consider planting a forage that will grow in cool weather such as oats or cerial rye for fall and early winter pasture. Find more details in Maximizing Fall and Winter Grazing of Beef Cows at: http://ohioline.osu.edu/b872/index.html

If finding supplemental protein or energy sources is your greatest concern, we have several millers and processors around Ohio that can help solve this concern too. Some of the alternatives available include wet brewers grain, wheat midds, soyhulls, corn gluten, dried distillers grain, and screenings from seed and grain handlers. Check with your feed suppliers - you'll be surprised by what all is available out there.

For more ideas on utilizing alternative feeds, or creating fall forages, visit the Library links at the OSU Extension Beef (http://beef.osu.edu) and Forage (http://forages.osu.edu) Teams' web sites. One thing is for certain - there are many alternatives to the $100+/ton hay that we're hearing about.

Corn Stalk Quality is Questioned

The stress on corn plants from the very difficult growing season is causing increased concern for stalk quality this year. Based on observations in recent weeks of corn in some of the most stressed parts of the county, the potential for lodging and stalk rot problems in corn is high this fall. When stalk rot occurs late in the season as it often does, it has little or no direct effect on yield. However, the stalk lodging that results has such an impact on harvest losses that many plant pathologists consider stalk rots to be the Ohio's most significant yield limiting disease of corn.

For a corn plant to remain healthy and free of stalk rot, the plant must produce enough carbohydrates by photosynthesis to keep root cells and pith cells in the stalk alive and enough to meet demands for grain fill. When corn is subjected to severe weather stress, photosynthetic activity is sharply reduced as leaves roll tightly and plant growth slows. As a result, the carbohydrate levels available for the developing ear are insufficient. The corn plant responds to this situation by removing carbohydrates from the leaves, stalk, and roots to the developing ear. While this "cannibalization" process ensures a supply of carbohydrates for the developing ear, the removal of carbohydrates results in premature death of pith cells in the stalk and root tissues, which predisposes plants to root and stalk infection by fungi. Even mild, early season water stress during the pretassel stage of development can significantly increase root infection by stalk rot fungi and result in greater stalk rot at maturity. As plants near maturity, this removal of nutrients from the stalk to the developing grain results in a rapid deterioration of the lower portion of corn plants in drought stressed fields with lower leaves appearing to be nitrogen stressed, brown, and/or dead.

Other plant stresses which increase the likelihood of stalk rot problems include: loss of leaf tissue due to foliar diseases (such as gray leaf spot), insects, or hail; injury to the root system by insects or chemicals; high levels of nitrogen in relation to potassium; compacted or saturated soils restricting root growth; and high plant populations. Unfortunately, a combination of nearly all these situations has occurred throughout the county this year. The extreme heat, combined with lack of precipitation has compounded the problem by causing early plant death in some area corn fields.

A symptom common to all stalk rots is the deterioration of the inner stalk tissues so that one or more of the inner nodes can easily be compressed when squeezing the stalk between thumb and finger. Growers are encouraged to take a look at their fields now in an effort to assess the potential for lodged corn this fall. It is possible by using this "squeeze test" to assess potential lodging if harvesting is not done promptly. The "push" test is another way to predict lodging. Push the stalks at the ear level, 6 to 8 inches from the vertical. If the stalk breaks between the ear and the lowest node, stalk rot is usually present. To minimize stalk rot losses, prompt harvest after physiological maturity (about 30% grain moisture) should be considered. Harvest delays will increase stalk rot and result in more lodging and harvest losses.

For a listing of upcoming programs, meetings and events, visit the AG CALENDAR

Previous Issues of Farm Facts

updated on August 28, 2002 by Stan Smith

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Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Keith L. Smith, Director, Ohio State University Extension.
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