The 2019 Conservation Tillage Club breakfast program series will begin on Tuesday, January 8 at the Plaza Inn Restaurant in Mt. Victory. Each session will start at 7:30 am with a complimentary buffet breakfast followed by the program at 8:00 am. Other sessions will be held on January 22, February 5 and 19.
On January 8, the program will feature Dr. Mark Loux, OSU Extension State Specialist in Weed Science speaking on No Pigweed Left Behind. Western Ohio and other areas of the state have seen the recent spread of waterhemp and Palmer amaranth beginning to infest fields. These pigweeds are currently resistant to three herbicide modes of action in Ohio and because they are genetically diverse, have the ability to become resistant to other chemicals in a short period of time. Once they do, they become difficult and expensive to control and can rapidly decrease the profitability of a field. The presentation at the Conservation Tillage Club breakfast will focus on how to prevent the spread of these weeds, as well as how to manage them once they do show their presence in a field. Dr. Loux’s presentation will also address other resistant weeds that are difficult to control.
The January 22 program will feature Bailey Elchinger, an INTL FC Stone, Risk Management Consultant with Grains. Her presentation will focus on the 2019 Grain Marketing Outlook. After experiencing a high yielding growing season this year with lower grain prices, farmers are looking for marketing tips to make the new year more profitable. World events such as trade with China, changing weather patterns, production in other crop producing areas, and the abundant supply of grains have had an impact on the current markets. Elchinger will discuss some of these events and how they could impact market projections for 2019. Her presentation will also provide some insight about grain marketing options to consider and tools that producers might use to help reduce risk and gain better insight to help make better marketing decisions.
February 5 Dr. Pierce Paul, OSU Extension State Specialist in Corn and Small Grain Diseases will speak to the Conservation Tillage Club about Corn Diseases. Although the current crop season started out with few corn diseases, gray leaf spot and northern corn leaf blight did appear in some area corn fields. Later in the growing season, some farmers experienced corn ear rots which had an impact on grain quality. Dr. Paul will discuss these and other disease issues in corn production, providing recommendations for effective control. Deciding when the disease reaches an economic threshold for fungicide treatment is only one factor to consider. The other one is the window of opportunity to make application for best control. Producers will learn about these topics as well as choosing a disease resistance package while selecting the best hybrid for a field will be part of this meeting’s message.
The February 19 program will feature an interactive panel discussion of “Agriculture in 2030: A Look at Innovation through the Next Generation’s Eyes” presented by the Ridgemont FFA chapter. The discussion will focus on changes seen by current farmers since they began their operations, today’s agricultural technology, and changes that are predicted for the future. Topics may include artificial intelligence, crop production advances, 3-D printing of replacement parts, animal agriculture progression, greenhouse systems management, adult farmer education delivery, and the impact of alternative fuels. Attendees to this breakfast meeting will be challenged to think outside of the box to consider the possible impact these future changes may have on current and future operations.
The Conservation Tillage Club breakfast program series is jointly sponsored by OSU Extension and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Hardin, Logan, and Union Counties, and in cooperation with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Contributions to meeting planning and presentation are being provided by the Ridgemont FFA. Breakfast is courtesy of the generous support from agricultural lenders and agricultural businesses. All events are open to the public and no advance registration is required. Continuing education credits for Certified Crop Advisers is pending.