Harvest underway...

Silos are still being topped off and soybean and corn harvest has started throughout the county.

Soybeans are probably close to being half harvested while corn is just in the very beginning...A lot of producers are starting with those cornfields that were wind-damaged.

Double-cropped beans are looking good, haven't seen much winter wheat going in yet though.

Gearing up and starting harvest...

Harvest in the county is just getting underway. For the most part, silos are topped off and a couple of producers have started running beans. I haven't seen any corn shelled in the county yet, but there has been some harvested in nearby Muskingum County.

Producers who have corn down on their farm might be concerned with mold - check out this week's CORN newsletter for information on this topic.

Coshocton County in "okay" shape...

From the sounds and looks of things, Coshocton County's crops are doing okay heading into harvest season - especially compared to others across the state.

Last week I wrapped up all of my insect scouting...here's a recap of what I found.

Western Bean Cutworm (WBC): none found this year (thankfully), learn more about WBC

Western Corn Rootworm (WCR): 56 total trapped, not even close to threshold, make sure you're planting rootworm resistant varieties, learn more about WCR

European Corn Borer (ECB): many, many trapped, we stopped counting...of course, we pretty much knew they were here, but Extension hadn't officially documented them, just be sure you're planting resistant or transgenic varieties, learn more about ECB

More rain last week was helpful...

Last week's inch or so of rain was appreciated across the county. Sounds like most everyone east of I 71 got a good drenching rain and if the weather forecast holds true, we'll get more toward the end of the week.

Not much to report on the crop side other than what I've noted earlier...

A little rain, but not enough...

Parts of Coshocton County got a little wet yesterday (my house had only a couple tenths of an inch in the rain gauge), but we certainly could have used more.

Some corn is really starting to dry out while other corn is still very green.

Folks are mostly working on third cutting of hay and it's still looking pretty goo.

Soybeans in the county are in a mixed bag - either they're still looking pretty good or they're starting to droop. I'm heading out this afternoon to check the Western Corn Rootworm traps, so I'll check them out even closer when I'm out and about. The double-cropped beans are really struggling...

The crops are still growing, but still no rain...

The headline pretty much says it all. No significant changes to mention since last week's post. Hopefully tropical storm/hurricane Fay will bring some much needed rain our way.

Still waiting for rain...

Coshocton County crops are still waiting for a good rain. Some parts of the county received about two-tenths of an inch over the weekend, but not nearly enough to satisfy everyone.

After checking my Western Corn Rootworm traps again, I found 8 more in Keene Township. There was also one perched on my car door handle when I was out at my husband's family farm over the weekend - I'm pretty sure it was laughing at me.

Soybeans have been blooming for a few weeks and pods are developing. Corn is coming right along too.

Alfalfa looks really good - some farmers are still working on their second cuttings, while others are well into their third.

Could use a shot of rain...

For the most part, crops in the county are looking pretty good. We could use a shot of rain though.

There are several fields that never fully recovered from the spring/early summer flooding and water damage - but things are looking good compared to what I'm hearing and seeing in other parts of the state.

All field corn is either tasseling or will be in the next few days. I haven't found any Western Bean Cutworm moths in my trap yet - a few European Corn Borers, but now WBC.

Soybeans are really starting to fill in - and some are blooming. Last week I put out the First Year Western Corn Rootworm traps in a couple of bean fields - will check them on Friday for the first time.

Alfalfa throughout the county is looking very good. There's been a lot of second cuttings last week and the week before. Some questions are coming in about spraying for potato leaf hopper.

We're not a huge wheat-producing county, but the wheat we did produce has been harvested.

Coming right along...

When I came back from North Carolina I was pleasantly surprised to see a good bit of corn tasseling. After this weekend, I'd guess that about 25 to 30% is now tasseling. A good bit of corn I saw that was under water or damaged by water a few weeks ago has popped back and is doing fine - in some places.

Hay production in Coshocton County is pretty strong. Although some producers didn't get to their first cutting last week, there are others wrapping up their second cutting.

Soybeans are looking good right now too. They are in a variety of growth stages - but fields that had yellowish spots in them are greening up.

This week I'm putting traps in two county soybean fields to track western corn rootworm. They'll both be in the north central part of the county.

No activity in the Western Bean Cutworm trap yet.

Weather-damaged crops

The recent 3+ inches of rain that fell on Coshocton County Monday evening/night had a pretty big impact on some area fields. Corn, soybean, and wheat fields in the county have all been impacted by the rain and flooding conditions. Driving around the county last night, I saw a couple of completely lost bean fields (small ones) and one large wheat field (partially harvested) with substantial rain/wind damage.

The fields with severe damage are not in the majority, but many do have minimal weather-related damage.

Sunshine, Rain, Sunshine, Rain Pattern Continues

Jim Noel with the National Weather Service predicts an up and down weather week is expected. It will be hot and humid early in the week with storms followed by cooler and drier weather for the second half of the week.

The rain gauge at my house collected about 1/2 of rain from late last week through the weekend. Despite some water still laying in fields, corn across the county is looking pretty good. There are a couple of fields that are about four inches tall and the most mature fields I've seen are a good 10 days away from tassel. Like most parts of the state, wheat harvest hasn't started - but some farmers have gotten their second hay cuttings already this week...

I have yet to find a Western Bean Cutworm in the trap I set in the western part of the county. The European Corn Borer trap continues to attract these pests...

Soybean Aphid Update

We made numerous visits to soybean fields in northern Ohio last week to determine the current status of the soybean aphid. No aphids were found in any of the visited fields. Furthermore, no aphids have been found in any of the soybean rust sentinel plots. Although we did not sample every field in Ohio, we feel save in saying aphids are either non-existent or very low in Ohio at this time. Although aphids have been found in other states, their numbers have also been low for the most part.

We still feel a combination of low aphid overwintering plus numerous beneficial insects are combining to keep aphids at low numbers. As always, we will keep an eye on the situation throughout July to see what happens because things could quickly change. Keep checking this CORN newsletter for further updates on the aphid.

A concern we have at this time, which might be more critical because of the current weed situation in a lot of fields, is the inclination for some growers who might want to “help” the situation by adding a “preventive” insecticide treatment in their late herbicide applications. We highly recommend NOT doing this! There are only two things that can or might happen. The first is you will waste money! The aphid densities are too low or non-existent in most fields. There is absolutely no reason to be treating them at this time, preventively or not. Second, because beneficial insects might be helping to keep aphid populations down, an insecticide treatment would only serve to kill off those beneficials, perhaps allowing the few aphids that might remain in a field to start multiplying easier in the coming weeks. We urge you to allow the beneficial insects to do their job by helping to keep soybean aphid below economic levels. Remember: IPM!

by: Ron Hammond, Andy Michel, Bruce Eisley

MM comment: hopefully you've all got soybean aphids on our scouting list...please let me know if you find any aphids, European Corn Borer, Western Bean Cutworm, or any other insects or diseases impacting your crops.

The rain continues

My rain guage collected close to 6 in. of rain from late last week through yesterday (Sunday). I know there are some fields in Coshocton County with submerged or nearly submerged plants. Hopefully the sunshine we're getting right now is helping some field dry up, but with more rain in the short-term forecast, it might not help much.

I know many producers are needing and wanting to get hay down, but I don't know if the forecast will allow that to happen today or not.

As far as insect trapping goes - I didn't find any Western Bean Cutworm last week. And, there were about 10 more European Corn Borer adults found - taking the total to more than 100.

The corn and beans in Coshocton County have loved the sunshine and rainy evenings...everything is growing very quickly. Corn across the county is already "knee high." Some of you were able to get hay down and baled in between showers late last week and this weekend.

After checking the European Corn Borer trap in NE Coshocton County last week, we found 67 ECB adults. Since ECB have not been documented in the county before, we were a little surprised to find this many.

Last week I put out a trap for Western Bean Cutworm - I'll check it tonight or tomorrow and will let you know what I find!

Wet, dry (hot), wet, dry (hotter)...

We're finally relieved from the hot, humid temperatures - at least for now anyway.

I've heard of some reports of slugs in the county - see the post before this one for more information on slugs.

European Corn Borer has been identified in Coshocton County. Last week a trap that an entomologist and I placed near Tiverton had 33 ECBs in it. Hopefully you're all planting resistent varieties...

Wet, wet weather last night and today will bring field work to a hault. There's hay to get down, sidedressing to do, and in some cases beans and corn to plant...

Keep an eye out for slugs...

With the cooler temperatures and planting delays, it is a good idea to keep your eyes open for slugs in no-till fields. To read a complete write-up on what else to be on the lookout for visit http://extension.osu.edu/~news/story.php?id=4651.

Busy, busy, busy...!

I am so glad the weather held out last week and this weekend (for the most part) to give you all much-needed time in the fields.

Corn is definitely starting to appear and there is a bit more planted that what I originally thought (no-till). When I was out and about I noticed quite a bit of rye and hay down and baled - gotta love the smell of fresh-cut hay! Haven't seen any beans up yet, but maybe I didn't drive the right roads over the weekend.

One of my weekend roadtrips took me to Shelby County (one county away from the Indiana border). Honestly, Coshocton County fiends look better crop-wise than a lot of the ones I saw. There is no doubt some producers in western Ohio will have to do replanting.

Drier weather on the way...

Hopefully this week will bring some drier weather our way. Some corn is starting to emerge, but most of it is pretty yellow. There is still lots of corn and beans to get in the ground yet - especially on some small to mid-sized farms.

First-cutting alfalfa could be in competition with corn platning this week time wise. There's a good article out of Penn State about this - http://fairfield.osu.edu/ag/beef/beefMa7.html.

Armyworm and Black Cutworm Update

Growers should be aware that the potential for armyworm problems over the coming weeks is high, much more than in other years. To our south, Kentucky has reported extremely large collections of adult armyworm moths.

According to their reports, these have been the highest captures they have recorded. These moths are also being captured in Ohio in relatively high numbers. With these higher moth collections, growers should be aware that the potential for problems this spring from armyworm larvae is high.

Growers should be concerned and thus, they should begin sampling wheat, grass pastures, corn adjacent to wheat fields, and corn planted in rye cover crops. This last scenario is especially important because we often see entire corn fields heavily damaged when grass cover crops are used.

Reports have been received of black cutworm cutting corn plants as they emerge from the soil, including in seed treated fields. Please contact your local Extension office if you have an outbreak of any of these pests in your fields.

contributed by Ron Hammond, Andy Michel, & Bruce Eisley

National Weather Service Update

Here's what Jim Noel with the National Weather Service has to say about the upcoming weather pattern:

Well, most of you probably do not want to hear from us right now. La Nina is rearing its ugly head. Historical data points to lower crop yields in years with La Nina events, especially for corn. Wheat and soybeans can go either way. We hope to present this research at the annual National Weather Association meeting this October in Louisville. Most of the time it is a wet and cool early spring followed by a dry early summer that causes this.

However, the exceptional wet winter and early spring means subsoil moisture levels are full. Hence, even some rain is filling things up to where it is causing issues.

It appears after a 3 week dry spell in April, May has opened with cool and moist conditions. It looks like this will linger for 2 more weeks. Not great news. This is against historical data which supported a near normal temperature May and below average rainfall. In fact, it is going to go down as a cool May with near normal rainfall and pockets of above normal rainfall. The real problem is the frequency of systems. They are coming every 2-3 days. The pattern is one not of real heavy and flooding rains, but frequent rainfalls. Expect another system Wednesday statewide mainly under 0.50 inches, another one in southern Ohio later Thursday or early Friday and another over the weekend and another next week.

In summary...Below normal temperatures and near normal rainfall with frequent light to moderate rains can be expected the next 2 weeks. It appears a warmer and drier pattern will close out May into early June.

It's wet in Coshocton County...

Field activity came to a hault mid-day yesterday when rain moved into the area. Looks like rain is on tap for today, but things should dry out this weekend when the sun returns.

I'm going to project that most county farmers have less than 20 percent of their crops in right now. Some fields have yet to dry out...

It's something new!

Hello agricultural producers in Coshocton County and other eastern Ohio counties!

In an effort to track crop insects and diseases, some Extension offices across the state have set up crop and weather blogs. These blogs are on-line "journals" that allow anyone to post a comment about crop conditions, weather information, and any other crop production info.

Please visit the blog regulary and contribute as much as you like (creating an account is easy and can be confidential).

There will often be polls about what's happening on your farm (see the current poll on the right side of the screen about how much grain crop is planted on your farm) so you can share what's happening on your farm with Extension professionals and other producers.

Most importantly, the information you provide will help Extension professionals track crop insects and diseases in the state. Crop scouting is important and knowing what weather conditions are and how crops are progressing are two critical components to this effort.

I look forward to reading your comments and learning from you all...