Soybean harvest picked up speed across the state until some much-needed rain arrived late last week. On average, Ohio corn and soybean fields are in good condition and have reached full maturity as we wrap up the first week of October. Keep reading to learn more about what OSU Extension Educators and Specialists are seeing in the field.
Southeast Ohio
Perry County ANR Extension Educator Ted Wiseman reports that soybean harvest has started in the past week in southeastern Ohio, and so far, producers are pleased with both yield and quality. Wheat planting is also underway, though corn harvest is slow to start. Extension Educators in the area have completed their fall driving survey of weed escapes in soybean and found the majority of fields clean, with few fields containing marestail and giant ragweed. Most of the area received a half inch or less of rainfall in the past week as cooler temperatures set in for the week ahead.
Central & West Central Ohio
Caden Buschur of Darke County shares that growers in central and west central Ohio are busy tiling, applying poultry litter and manure, planting wheat, applying lime, and harvesting soybean. Main weed issues include waterhemp, volunteer corn, giant ragweed, marestail, and common lambsquarter and tar spot continues to be observed in maturing corn fields (Figure 1).
Figure 2. Late-season tar spot observed west of Kenton. Image Credit: Mark Badertscher.
Some rainfall was received throughout the region, though so far cover crop emergence is slow thanks to dry planting conditions.
Southwest Ohio
Brown County ANR Extension Educator Trevor Corboy reports on behalf of Agronomic Crop Team members in southwestern Ohio that soybean harvest is well underway with respectable yields despite the dry weather. Very few corn fields have been fully harvested and growers in the region are still concerned that late-May planted corn fields will not reach black layer before the first frost.