By Mark Badertscher, Hardin County Extension Office
Wheat harvest has begun in Hardin County. 

Yesterday while out doing farm visits, I stopped by to talk to a farmer who was opening up his field.  The wheat was testing 15.8% moisture so he decided that he was going to wait and let it dry down. 

Today while out visiting farms and agribusinesses, I saw a couple other farmers combining wheat in the northern part of the county.  According to our weekly Ag Crops team conference call on Monday, southern Ohio has reported very high yields. 

This year with less disease pressure in wheat, hopefully Hardin County will have good wheat harvest.  The local wheat crop looks encouraging, but I am wondering if our dry spell in June will hold yields below what was reported in southern Ohio.
 
Do you have the tallest corn in Hardin County?  The 4th of July is just around the corner, and the Kenton Times is looking for a picture of tall corn.  If you have a field that you think qualifies, they will need to take the photo no later than Friday to have it appear in the Saturday, July 2 issue. 

Contact Tim Thomas at 419-674-4066, ext. 232 or by email, [email protected] if you are interested.  Remember that time is limited, so the quicker you respond, the better chance he will be able to get your picture.
 
This past week I wrote an article describing the results of our Soybean Yield-Limiting Factor Research that we conducted the past three years in Hardin County.  I would like to thank Craig Geberin, Ted Griffith, Paul Ralston, Jan Layman, and Mark & Trent Watkins for allowing me to use their soybean fields over the past three years to collect data for this statewide project. 

This research kept me busy collecting soil samples for nutrients and soybean cyst nematodes, taking leaf samples for nutrient analysis, scouting for weeds, insects, and diseases as well as grain samples for protein and yield information.  Of course, these cooperating farmers were asked to complete management surveys as part of the process.  Hopefully the knowledge gained from this study will help all farmers increase soybean yields over time.  If you are interested in finding out more about this completed project, see the attached article.
 
There are several field days and events coming up that you might be interested in attending.  July 9 is the Northwest Ohio Beekeepers Association Summer Field Day.  This is a hands-on field day, so you will want to bring your beekeeping equipment to this event near Continental.  See their attached June newsletter for more details. 

July 12 will be the Western Ohio Precision Ag Day in Covington.  This field day will focus on nutrient management with precision agriculture, so topics will include managing nitrogen, phosphorus, using imagery to make nutrient decisions, as well as nutrient placement demonstrations.  See the attached flyer for more details and registration information. 

July 12 is also the Allen County Ag Hall of Fame Banquet.  This year they will be recognizing Fred Arnold, Lester Fleming, Thomas Fleming, and Russell Long.  I have attached a copy of the invitation with details about how to make a RSVP if you know these individuals and would like to attend. 

There will be a Spray Diagnostics Field Day on July 14 in Wapakoneta.  This event will include plot demonstrations, modes of action symptoms, spray drift demonstration, tank contamination and cleanout, and spray nozzle selection.  For more information and registration, see the attached document.
 
The Fairboard will meet Saturday (7/2) starting at 7:30 pm in the fair office.  Farm Bureau will meet Wednesday (7/6) starting at 7:30 pm at Ag Credit.