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Liberty Township farm host to Tuesday Twilight Tour

Two upcoming August Twilight Tours will have farmers thinking outside of the box. 

Tuesday, Aug. 16, Ted Griffith will be discussing how he has inter-seeded soybeans into growing wheat using 15 inch rows. 

This Twilight Tour will be held near the field located at 6551 State Route 701, Ada starting at 7 p.m.

This practice, called Modified Relay Intercropping (MRI), enables a producer to get respectable wheat yields, while at the same time produce a field of soybeans that usually yield better than double cropped beans. 

He will have on display his modified drill that he uses to plant the soybeans into wheat so that attendees can see firsthand, in addition to viewing the current crop of MRI soybeans that are growing in the wheat stubble.  Griffith has planted multiple fields using this practice this year.

In addition to finding out information from Ted Griffith about the Modified Relay Intercropping practice, Mark Badertscher, OSU Extension-Hardin County will have on hand on-farm research data from related studies conducted by Jason Hartschuh, OSU Extension-Crawford County and Steve Prochaska, retired OSU Extension Field Specialist in Agronomic Systems. 

These studies have been conducted for several years at the OSU Extension Unger Research Farm in Crawford County, as well as the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center Western Research Farm in Clark County. 

Aug. 23 tour
On Tuesday, Aug. 23, Paul Ralston will be discussing how he has added Y-drop attachments to his highboy sprayer to apply late season 28% nitrogen to his growing corn crop.  In this Hardin County OSU Extension on-farm research plot, he has applied 20 gallons of liquid nitrogen to the corn at V6, V8, V10, and VT. 

The later growth stages are times when farmers are often unable to apply nitrogen because of equipment limitations.  Attendees will learn the benefits of applying nitrogen late season, which is closer to the time when the corn crop needs it the most. It is during this time that it can be applied with the least potential for loss. 

Ralston will have on display his sprayer with the Y-drop attachments at this event and OSU Extension Educator Mark Badertscher will have handouts with additional information on the benefits of applying late season nitrogen.

In addition to sharing information about late season nitrogen applications, Rick Barnes from Performance Ag and Alison Adams from Countryside Consultants will be demonstrating the use of a portable soil testing system that allows farmers to accurately test nitrate nitrogen availability and soil pH right in their field, in about five minutes. 

The location of this Twilight Tour will be at the OSU Extension On-farm Research plot located at 6000 County Road 110, Alger starting at 7 p.m. 

Participants attending the Twilight Tours may want to bring lawn chairs.  Water will be provided courtesy of Ag Credit in Kenton.

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