News

  1. Photo: Getty Images

    Farm income projections hold a bit of good news

    Mar 21, 2019

    COLUMBUS, Ohio—Corn prices are on the rise, while soybean prices are projected to continue to dip this year before recovering a bit in 2020, according to government projections.

    And this year, national net farm income, which takes into account many commodities not grown in Ohio, is projected to increase 10 percent over last year’s total, forecasts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) show.

  2. (Photo: Getty Images)

    Farmers need to gear up for more rain

    Mar 15, 2019

    COLUMBUS, Ohio—Weather extremes like those during 2018, much more rain, and heavier downpours are likely to become the norm rather than the exception in Ohio, according to a climate expert with The Ohio State University.

    As a result, the state's farmers will have to deal with more and more water pouring onto and running off of their fields, and that could threaten the quality of water downstream, said Aaron Wilson, climate specialist with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).

  3. Cattle

    Helping farmers know their bottom line

    Mar 13, 2019

    LOUISVILLE, Ohio—In this rural town, a short drive from Canton, Ohio, Mark Thomas had been running a 400-cow dairy farm for years.

  4.  Phosphorus filters are being studied in Ohio as a possible means of improving water quality in Lake Erie and other bodies of water. (Photo: Getty Images)

    Keeping Phosphorus Out of Waterways

    Feb 28, 2019

    COLUMBUS, Ohio—In a pit about 3 feet underground lies one possible solution to reducing a large amount of the phosphorus draining from some of Ohio’s agricultural fields.

    At two locations in the state, researchers with The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) are testing phosphorus filters that have removed up to 75 percent of the phosphorus running through them. Phosphorus can be found in commercial fertilizers and animal manure.

  5. Photo: Getty Images

    Consider rotating use of GMO seeds to avoid resistance

    Feb 21, 2019

    COLUMBUS, Ohio—It may be that a certain type of genetically modified corn or soybean seed works well, bringing high yields and sizeable profits.

    But planted in the same field, year after year, the same seed might not be the right choice, said Curtis Young, an entomologist with The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).

  6. The frequent rain is filling up manure ponds and lagoons across the state. (Photo: CFAES)

    Showers limiting days for spreading livestock manure

    Feb 12, 2019

    COLUMBUS, Ohio—Rain falls, and that might make some farmers happy, depending on the time of year.

    Then, a lot of rain falls, off and on, for months, and not only do fields fill up with water, but so do manure ponds and lagoons, and that might make some farmers a bit nervous.

    Ohio had the third wettest year ever in 2018, and there’s been little letup since then, leaving farm fields across the state saturated. For farmers with a lot of livestock, spreading manure onto wet land as fertilizer is not an option right now, and manure ponds are filling up fast.  

  7. An upcoming workshop by CFAES experts will teach you the hows and whys of soil testing. (Photo: Getty Images.)

    Dig into soil health at Feb. 14 workshop

    Jan 31, 2019

    COLUMBUS, Ohio—The answers to growing better crops are under your feet if you look.

    So says Steve Culman, soil fertility specialist at The Ohio State University, who is helping lead an upcoming workshop on how to test your soil.

  8. (Photo: Getty Images)

    Rainy days lead to muddy, thinner cows

    Jan 31, 2019

    COLUMBUS, Ohio—Stuck in the mud, some cows across the state might not be putting on enough weight.

  9. (Photo: Getty Images)

    Ohio State expert warns about effect of rock salt on plants

    Jan 29, 2019

    SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- Rock salt and other de-icing agents can be especially useful in tackling cold, long winters in Ohio. But according to a horticulture expert at The Ohio State University, if misused, these chemicals can cause damage to plants around it. 

  10. The fungal disease that contaminated corn in Ohio and across the Corn Belt in 2018 can survive through the winter, so it could impact next year's crop. (Photo: CFAES)

    Extensive Spread of Corn Toxin Could Affect 2019 Crop

    Jan 12, 2019

    COLUMBUS, Ohio—A wetter than normal summer and fall in Ohio led to the worst spread of a toxin on corn in at least a decade, according to a grain disease expert with The Ohio State University.

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