By Mark Badertscher, Hardin County Agriculture and National Resources Educator

What a difference a week makes! 

The fields are drying and the dust is flying as area farmers are taking advantage of the warmer weather and improved planting conditions. This morning we planted our Hardin County Corn Population Plot off of County Road 110, near Alger.

Thanks to Paul Ralston for cooperating with this OSU Extension research as we planted over 40 acres with 6 different population treatments of 23,000/28,000/33,000/38,000/43,000/48,000 and replicated this randomly in four different sets.

This test plot is part of a larger study with The Ohio State University and Purdue University.  We were able to complete this in four hours, marking each trial with GPS and flags.  Later, we will do population counts and compare yields at harvest, keeping other variables such as seed variety, seed treatment, fertilizer, and pesticides the same.

Around the county the field conditions were questionable in many areas until this week.  See the attached article that I wrote regarding the delay of planting season because of cool, wet soils. 

Another thing that I am thankful for is the results of the Hardin County OSU Extension Levy.  Fortunately for the future of Extension in the county, the levy had the support of the voters and passed with 61% voting for the levy. 

Kathy Oliver, Mark Light, Vicki Phillips, Amanda Raines, Carol Wagner, myself, and the Extension Advisory Committee would like to thank everyone who took the time to exercise their right to vote this past Tuesday.  Because of the support of the voters, OSU Extension in Hardin County has funding for the next five years.

This week the Soil and Water Conservation District Board will be meeting at 7:30 a.m. in their office on Thursday, May 15.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate and planting season will continue as well as more corn gets planted and farmers eventually make the switch to soybeans.  We plan to put out a soybean population plot as well if time and conditions permit this coming week or next.