C.O.R.N. Newsletter: 2024-03
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Ohio Corn Performance Test (OCPT) 2023 Results
The Ohio Corn Performance Test (OCPT) was started in Ohio in 1972. To date, it has a history of 50+ years. The purpose of OCPT is to evaluate corn hybrids for grain yield and other important agronomic characteristics. Results of the test assist farmers in selecting hybrids best suited to their farming operations and production environments and complement recommendations made by seed companies and breeding programs.
Growing conditions
Overall, the first part of April saw cold and wet conditions, which led to a slow start to the planting season. Dryer conditions in late April opened up a planting window and allowed producers to get a start on planting. Planting progress in May started slow, but better conditions facilitated planting progress by the second half of the month. By May 7, only 11% of corn was planted in Ohio, according to USDA reports. By May 14, planting progress had advanced to 26% percent. Most planting progress came in the last part of May, with 89% of Ohio’s corn planted by May 28. In some areas of the state, the end of May and early June became abnormally dry, which resulted in crop variability and emergence issues. During the growing season, most of the 2023 crop’s progress was behind as compared to 2022 and the 5-year average in Ohio, resulting in delayed crop maturity, dry down, and harvest.
Rainfall for the 2023 growing season was variable across sites; it ranged from 14.6 inches (Greenville) to 21.7 inches (Hebron). Growing degree day (GDD) accumulation was below average for the entire growing season at the OCPT sites this year. In June, the average temperature was 4.5°F below average, and 1.5°F was below average in July and August. Often, when growing degree day accumulation is below average early in the season, it is above average later in the season. This year, by the end of June, OCPT sites were 225 GDDs below normal, with this trend continuing with GDD accumulation 340 below average by the end of September when most corn should have normally reached black layer.
Summary of results
Yields varied across the state depending on planting dates, rainfall distribution, timing, total precipitation received, and disease pressure. Despite a slow start of the season, fluctuating temperatures, variable precipitation during grain fill, and disease pressure at most sites OCPT yields exceeded expectations. Averaged across hybrid entries in the early and full-season tests, yields were 298 Bu/A in the Southwestern/West Central/ Central region, 261 Bu/A in the Northwestern region, and 271 Bu/A in the North Central/Northeastern region. Yields at individual test sites averaged across hybrid entries in the early and full-season tests, ranged from 228 Bu/A (Hoytville) to 314 Bu/A (Hebron).
Results for the 2023 Ohio Corn Performance Test can be accessed by selecting any of the three test regions on the left side of the webpage (Southwestern/West Central/Central, Northwestern, North Central/Northeastern): https://ohiocroptest.cfaes.osu.edu/corntrials/ or access a copy of the PDF 2023 full report here.
If your favorite seed brand is missing from the trial, contact your seed representative and encourage them to enter hybrids in the 2024 and future performance trials. Corn hybrids differ considerably in yield potential, standability, maturity, and other agronomic characteristics that affect profitable crop production. Hybrid selection should be based on proven performance from multiple test locations and years.
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Crop Response to Phosphorus Fertilizer in Ohio
Phosphorus (P) is an essential plant nutrient and P fertilizers are added to supplement the soil's available P. There are economic and environmental benefits to making informed decisions about P fertilizer use. The under-application of P fertilizer can result in reduced yields, while over-application adds to input costs, with economic losses resulting from both scenarios. From an environmental perspective, excessive P going into streams and lakes can result in toxic algal blooms.
A few frequent questions about P fertilizer use are: Does P fertilizer always result in a positive yield response? How much yield increase is expected with applied P? What is the likelihood of yield penalty if P fertilizer is not applied?
A recently published factsheet, 'Soil Phosphorus and Crop Response to Phosphorus Fertilizer in Ohio' (https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-0146), provides a general overview of soil P and highlights the findings of Culman et al. (2023) to answer these practical questions (Rakkar and LaBarge, 2024). The study summarized 457 replicated field P trials conducted over the last 45 years across 40 counties in Ohio. The robust dataset evaluated corn, soybean, and wheat response to added P fertilizer in trials conducted on farms and at research stations.
Below are some key takeaways:
Does P fertilizer always result in a positive yield response?
No. Out of the 457 field P trials, a significant increase in crop yield was observed in 107 trials with P application. The crop response to added P also varied among crop types. Corn responded to P application in 29.9% of trials, soybean in 14.2%, and wheat in 36.8% (Fig. 1).
How much yield increase is expected with applied P?
It depends on the Mehlich-3 soil test P level. The Mehlich-3 soil P measures the readily available soil P for crop uptake. Culman et al. (2023) classified Mehlich-3 soil P levels into five categories: <10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, and >40 ppm to evaluate the yield increase for each soil P category.
The crop yields were presented as Relative Yield, which refers to the yield with no P application divided by the maximum yield obtained across all P treatments. In other words, 100% relative yield means no yield increment with added P. The lower the relative yield, the higher the yield increment.
Generally, as the soil test P levels decreased, the yield increment increased with P input (Table 1). When the soil test P was less than 10 ppm, the median relative yield was 87%. As the soil test P level increased above the critical level of 20 ppm, the median relative yield ranged from 97% to 99%, signifying minimal yield increment with added P.
Table 1. Summary of crop response to P fertilizer by soil P classification. (adapted from Culman et al., 2023)
Mehlich-3 soil P classification (ppm)
Number of trials
Fertilizer responsive trials (%)
Median Relative Yield (%)
>40
71
14
99
30-40
53
13
98
20-30
121
12
97
10-20
164
34
93
<10
30
67
87
What is the likelihood of yield penalty if P fertilizer is not applied?
We can also determine the likelihood of yield penalty based on Mehlich-3 soil P with the information in Table 1. When the soil P level was less than 10 ppm, 67% of trials showed increased crop yields with applied P. When the P levels were above the critical level of 20 ppm, only 12-14% of trials showed increased crop yields. In other words, the likelihood of yield penalty with no P application decreases as soil P levels go above 20 ppm. If the soil test P level is less than 20 ppm, there is an increased risk of yield penalty with no P application.
For more soil fertility resources, information, and tools, use the link go.osu.edu/fertilityresources.
Reference:
Culman, S., Fulford, A., LaBarge, G., Watters, H., Lindsey, L. E., Dorrance, A., & Deiss, L. (2023). Probability of crop response to phosphorus and potassium fertilizer: Lessons from 45 years of Ohio trials. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 87, 1207-1220. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20564
Rakkar, M. & LaBarge, G. 2024. Soil Phosphorus and Crop Response to Phosphorus Fertilizer in Ohio. Ohioline. (https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-0146)
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Winter Application of Manure in Ohio
Most producers have had the needed dry weather this fall to get livestock manure applied to fields. However, a wetter than normal corn crop and full elevators, did delay corn harvest longer than normal in some areas. For livestock producers waiting on frozen ground to apply manure, here are some things to keep in mind. Frozen ground would be soil that you cannot inject the manure into or cannot conduct tillage within 24 hours to incorporate the manure.
Permitted farms are not allowed to apply manure in the winter unless it is an extreme emergency, and then movement to other suitable storage is usually the selected alternative. Several commercial manure applicators have established manure storage ponds in recent years to help address this issue.
In the Grand Lake St Marys (GLSM)watershed, the winter manure application ban from December 15th to March 1st is still in effect. Thus, no manure application would normally be allowed in that time period.
The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Code 590 was revised in 2020 and now applies statewide in Ohio (except to GLSM). It states the surface application of manure on frozen and snow-covered soil is not acceptable. An emergency exists as a temporary situation due to unforeseen causes and after all other options have been exhausted. In this situation only limited quantities of liquid manure shall be applied to address manure storage limitations until non frozen soils are available for manure application. All applications of liquid manure to frozen and snow-covered soils must be documented in the producers’ records and must be applied in accordance to ALL the following criteria:
• The rate of application shall not exceed the lesser of 5,000 gallons/acre or P removal for the next crop.
• Applications are to be made on land with at least 90% surface residue cover (cover crop, good quality hay or pasture field, all corn grain residue remaining after harvest, all wheat residue cover remaining after harvest).
• Manure shall not be applied on more than 20 contiguous acres. Contiguous areas for application are to be separated by a break of at least 200 feet.
• Apply manure to areas of the field with the lowest risk of nutrient transport such as areas furthest from streams, ditches, waterways, with the least amount of slope.
• Application setback distance must be a minimum of 200 feet from grassed waterways, surface drainage ditches, streams, surface inlets, water bodies and 300 feet minimum from all wells, springs and public surface drinking water intakes. This distance may need to be further increased due to local conditions.
• For fields exceeding 6% slope manure shall be applied in alternating strips 60 to 200 feet wide generally on the contour, or in the case of contour strips on the alternating strips.
For farmers with solid manure, stockpiling could be an option. There are two different types of stockpiles: Short term and long term.
The short term stockpile information can be found in NRCS FOTG 318 Short Term Storage of Animal Waste and Byproducts Standard (“NRCS 318”). Essentially, short term stockpile is a pile of solid manure that is being kept temporarily in one or more locations. It is considered a temporary stockpile as long as the pile is kept at the location for no more than 180 days and stockpiled in the field where the manure shall be applied. Setback distances listed in NRCS 318 should be followed to prevent discharge to waters of the state. There are multiple recommendations listed in NRCS 318 that speaks to location, timing, and preventative measures that should be taken while stockpiling the manure short term.
The long term stockpile information can be found in NRCS FOTG 313 Waste Storage Facility Standard (“NRCS 313”). Long term stockpile is directly related to solid manure being piled and kept at a facility for longer than 180 days at a permanent location. It is recommended that all permanent long term storage stockpiles should be following the guidelines in NRCS 313 with the utilization of a stacking facility and the structural designs of fabricated structures. A stacking facility can be open, covered or roofed, but specific parameters should be in place to prevent manure runoff from the site. These recommendations are listed in the NRCS 313.
Regardless of your county, it’s probably best to check with your local Soil and Water Conservation District office before considering winter manure application in Ohio. The rules have changed, and you should become aware of those that affect your operation.
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2024 Ohio Weeds University Regional Locations Set
OSU Extension invites crop producers, CCAs, and agribusinesses to attend a regional 2024 Ohio State Weeds University on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at locations across the state. Locations will include Auglaize County, Clermont County, Crawford County, Fayette County, Jackson County, Madison County, Paulding County, and Wayne County.
This program is designed to keep agronomic producers on the cutting edge in weed control for their cropping operations. Topics addressed will include hot topics in weed control, local weed issues, biology, identification of weeds, control strategies, cover crop management in forages, and evaluating herbicides. Hands-on exercises will be included.
Featured speakers will include Dr. Aaron Hager, Associate Professor, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois; Dr. Rodrigo Werle, Associate Professor, Extension Cropping Weed Science, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Dr. Alyssa Essman, Assistant Professor and Weed Science Extension Specialist, The Ohio State University; and Dr. Michael Flessner, Associate Professor, Virginia Tech. This is an in-person event with a portion of the program being broadcast virtually at the above regional locations.
Dr. Hager’s work contributes to increased crop production through the development and implementation of integrated weed management programs. His research helps to identify and manage herbicide resistance in the most aggressive agronomic weeds. Dr. Werle’s research and Extension program (aka WiscWeeds) focuses on integrated approaches to weed management in corn, soybean, and small grains in Wisconsin farm systems. Dr. Essman is interested in evaluating weed control in integrated management systems using traditional and alternative methods in agronomic crops. Dr. Flessner’s expertise focuses on weed management in field crops (corn, soybean, small grains, and others) and pasture/forages. His emphasis is placed on current challenges such as the management of herbicide-resistant weed species.
The registration fee per person is $40 and is due by February 16, 2024. This fee includes course materials and speaker question and answer sessions. On-site walk-ins are not available for this event and each site is limited to a maximum of 30 people. Commercial, Private Pesticide, and Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) credits will be available. To register go to http://go.osu.edu./24WeedsUniv.
For additional information on the event, contact Sarah Noggle, Paulding County Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, at noggle.17@osu.edu or Ken Ford, Fayette County Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, ford.70@osu.edu.
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Battle for the Belt Winter Meetings- Virtual on February 2 & In-Person in March!
Register (https://go.osu.edu/cornsoy) today for our Virtual Corn College & Soybean School held on Friday, February 2, which will include a ‘Battle for the Belt’ discussion in the morning and an afternoon session with Dr. Aaron Wilson (weather outlook), Dr. Manbir Rakkar (soil fertility updates), and Alyssa Essman (weed control update). Registration is only $10 and will include CCA CEUs!
- What crop has the smallest yield penalty for delayed planting?
- Can you adjust your management practices to mitigate losses due to late planting?
- How are diseases affected by planting date?
We will answer these questions and more during our Battle for the Belt Winter Meetings held both virtually and in-person. Cost for all programs is $10. For in-person meetings, lunch will be provided with support from Ohio Corn & Wheat and Ohio Soybean Council. For more information on the project please click here.
VIRTUAL Meeting (CCA CEUs will be available during the live presentations; Cost $10)
Program Date: February 2, 2024
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Online
Registration: Follow this link! Please register no later than February 1st at noon.IN-PERSON Meetings (Cost $10)
Licking County Extension
Host: Dean Kreager
Date: March 6, 2024
Time: 8:45 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: OSU Newark/COTC, Hopewell Hall Rm 59, 1189 University Dr., Newark, OH 43055
Registration: https://go.osu.edu/24battleforthebeltlickingAdditional afternoon topics: Investing in On-Farm Storage and Soil Health Perspectives
Fayette County Extension & Pickaway County Extension
Hosts: Ken Ford and Mike Estadt
Date: March 8, 2024
Time: 8:45 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: The Crown Room at the Rusty Keg, 1801 Columbus Ave., Washington Court House, OH 43160
Registration: go.osu.edu/battleforthebeltfayette or call 740-335-1150Hardin County Extension
Host: Mark Badertscher
Date: March 20, 2024
Time: 8:45 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: Hardin County OSU Extension Office, 1021 W Lima St., Kenton, OH 43326
Registration: Call 419-674-2297
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2024 Northwest Ohio Agronomy Crops Day February 7
Henry County will be hosting the 2024 Northwest Ohio Agronomy Crops Day on February 7th, 2024. This year’s featured speakers are Bruce Clevenger Field Specialist, Farm Management Ohio State University Extension presenting on the topic of Economics of Farm Drainage and Dr. Vinayak Shedekar, Assistant Professor Department of Food, Agriculture, & Biological Engineering Ohio State University. He will be presenting the topic of Drainage Water Recycling.
Alan Leininger, Agriculture & Natural Resources Educator Ohio State University Extension Henry County will present on Implementing Spray Drones, and Michael Staton, Soybean Extension Educator Michigan State University will present on Management of White Mold “Sclerotinia Sclerotium” in Soybeans. Other speakers include Kendall Lovejoy, discussing Grain Management & Fumigation, Marina Miquilini discussing livestock & forages, and finally Greg Labarge, Field Specialist Agronomic Crops Ohio State University Extension, will be sharing his work in agronomic fertilizer management.
The event will be located at the Bavarian Haus 3814 OH-18, Deshler, OH 43516 and will begin at 8:00am with registration and will conclude around 4:00pm. We will be offering Ohio private fertilizer & pesticide applicator credits, commercial pesticide credits, as well as Certified Crop Advisor credits. Registration is $45 which includes a catered meal by the Bavarian Haus, and all take home materials. Registration is due by February 2nd, but we will accept late registrations as long as space permits for $55. We hope that we will see you there. Click here for a registration link. Contact Alan Leininger at the Henry County Office for more information. leininger.17@osu.edu / (419) 592-0806.
Crop Observation and Recommendation Network
C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.
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Disclaimer
The information presented here, along with any trade names used, is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is made by Ohio State University Extension is implied. Although every attempt is made to produce information that is complete, timely, and accurate, the pesticide user bears responsibility of consulting the pesticide label and adhering to those directions.
CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For an accessible format of this publication, visit cfaes.osu.edu/accessibility.