Thursday, June 30, 2016
Farmers assisting with pollution issues
Farmers helping to limit algae in Great Lakes
Summers along the Great Lakes include fishing, boating -- and dangerous algae blooms that can shut down beaches. These blooms are caused by excess phosphorous, a lot of which comes from farms. Now some of the region's farmers are testing agricultural practices that could reduce harmful runoff.
The Statelers are unique from the other two project farms because they care for more than 7,000 hogs from birth until they’re ready for market, as well as planting crops.Duane Stateler and his son Anthony run Stateler Family Farms, one of a handful of demonstrations farms across the country. Over the next five years, three farms in Northwest Ohio will test different practices to find out what reduces phosphorus runoff.
Underneath each of Stateler’s three barns is a manure pit, which he uses to fertilize 500 acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat. Stateler will use that fertilizer to .......(To continue reading, click the link below):
Monday, June 13, 2016
Mimicking nature: Cover crop guru Dave Brandt was an early adapter
Mimicking nature: Cover crop guru Dave Brandt was an early adapter
CARROLL, Ohio — The fields that belong to central Ohio farmer David Brandt are easy to spot.
He grows the same crops as most grain farmers: corn, soybeans and some wheat. But when those crops are harvested, his fields look very different.
During the off-season -— fall through early spring — his fields are still growing with plants like sunflowers and radishes, mixed with various kinds of grasses that form a layer of vegetation over his soil.
It’s called cover cropping — and the concept is nothing new. In fact, with all of today’s concerns with water quality and nutrient loss, cover crops are arguably more popular now than ever before.
Early adapter
Brandt, 69, has been using cover crops in his no-till operation since 1978, about five years after he went 100 percent no-till.
He needed a way to break up the soil compaction and, not wanting to go back to tillage, he decided that maybe he could use the root action of cover crops to help break up his soils.
“It seemed to loosen the soil; it eliminated the compaction we were having from the surface,” he said.
His way of farming was criticized at first, he said, and some still don’t understand it.
“They (other farmers) thought we were crazy,” he said. “‘Farming in the weeds — he’ll never make it.’
”In truth, Brandt’s fields do resemble a bit of....(To read more...click the link below):
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Guernsey County Soil & Water Conservation
District is pleased to announce that Casey Brooks has been appointed District
Program Administrator.
Brooks, a Guernsey County native, has a
Bachelor of Science in Ecology from the University of Akron and a Master’s of
Science in Sustainable Systems from Slippery Rock University. Before joining Guernsey Soil & Water,
Brooks was an Organic Certification Specialist for the Ohio Ecological Food and
Farm Association (OEFFA) and previously worked for Zane State College, the
Wilds, YMCA Storer Camps in Michigan, Lorain County Metroparks, Aullwood
Audubon Center & Farm and The Nature Conservancy in Michigan, Delaware,
Minnesota, Maine, Massachusetts and Missouri.
Brooks said he is looking forward to expanding
the availability and awareness of the services that Guernsey Soil & Water
provides and developing relationships with community members to further the
sustainable management of the county’s abundant natural resources.
USDA StrikeForce Conservation Funding Available Morgan and Guernsey Landowners Apply by June 24, 2016
COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 8, 2016 –As
part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s StrikeForce, expanded to include
several Ohio counties this year, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) is now offering financial and technical assistance to eligible landowners
in Morgan and Guernsey Counties through the new Conservation Enhancement and
Outreach Project.
In StrikeForce counties, over 20
percent of the population live below the poverty level. Designed to increase access to USDA programs
and services to people living in areas of persistent poverty, USDA staff in
StrikeForce counties collaborate with State, local, and community officials to
leverage community and economic development opportunities.
The conservation practices
available through the Conservation Enhancement and Outreach Projectprotect
natural resources whileenhancing pasture, crop, and forest land. Nutrient management practices, such as
animal waste storage facilities and cover crops, protect water quality and
improve soil health. Brush and
herbaceous weed control practices improve forest and grass lands by stemming
the spread of invasive and noxious plants that often crowd out native plants or
harm livestock. High tunnel systems
extend the growing season and provide a source of locally grown produce in
areas far from grocery stores. Several
other conservation practices are also available for site-specific natural
resource management needs.
The benefits of conservation
applied on an individual’s land extend into the local economy. Typically, landowners installing conservation
practices use local sources of raw materials and labor.Improved land is more
productive land which generates more income that may be used for higher
education, local purchases, and local investments.
Individuals interested in
applying for the Conservation Enhancement and Outreach Projectshould make an
appointment with the local NRCS conservationist as soon as possible. To receive financial assistance,an
application for Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funds is
required. Landowners in Guernsey County should call 740-432-5621, ext. 3.
Applications for EQIP submitted
by entities, such as farmers applying as a corporation, must register with the
Central Contractor Registration (CCR), a process that can take up to 3
weeks. Information about CCR requirements,
including obtaining a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number, is posted on
the NRCS website at www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill.w.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted.
***Ginseng Seed Sale***
The Guernsey SWCD is holding its first ever Ginseng Seed
Sale. American Ginseng is a plant native to Guernsey County as well as Appalachian
Ohio. Ginseng is a plant most coveted for its roots that are often credited for
their tonic and medicinal properties. Purposes for growing Ginseng would be to
increase forest diversity and potentially create a cash crop for the future by
selling the roots down the road when they’re legally mature and Ginseng season
is in. The Guernsey SWCD is taking pre-paid orders for stratified Ginseng seed
by the ounce. The seed costs $10 per ounce of stratified seed and there are
approximately 437 seeds in one ounce of seed. All proceeds from the sale go
towards the district’s education events. For more information about planting
and growing Ginseng you can reach us at 740-489-5276, or stop by our office
located at the Guernsey County fairgrounds in Old Washington.
Order Today!
2016 Logging BMP Workshop
Logging
is and has been going on in Guernsey and surrounding counties for many years,
for the most part with no issues. Occasionally something happens that is
brought to our attention and is then dealt with. To help insure that these
issues are kept from happening and how to deal with them accordingly, the
Guernsey Soil and Water Conservation District, The Ohio Division of Forestry,
and Superior Hardwoods of Ohio held a workshop for local loggers to attend and
learn about BMP’s (Best Management Practices). The goal of this class was to
help educate loggers about Ohio’s BMP laws that are required on logging jobs so
that local soil and water quality are not degraded due to timber harvest
activities. Jeremy Scherf, State Service Forester, talked about BMP’s and why
they’re important to the land they help conserve and the ground they’re implemented
on, as well as different tips and tactics and how they apply under multiple
circumstances. Bob Mulligan, Forest
Hydrology Manager from The Ohio Division of Forestry, also spoke about the
importance of BMP’s and soil and water conservation during silviculture
practices and how there are laws in effect to ensure that our natural resources
are not infringed upon. Bob also talked about where these laws spurred from and
the direction legislation is looking at turning on the subject. Tony Machamer,
Forester with Superior Hardwoods of Ohio, showed loggers why BMP’s are
important to them from a saw mills perspective, because taking care of the
ground that timber is harvested from is a near and dear issue to them as a
business. To wrap things up Levi Arnold, Wildlife/ Forestry Specialist with the
Guernsey SWCD talked about filing a voluntary form with the district called a
Timber Harvest Management Plan which can give loggers some legal stability if
one of their logging jobs were to come into question about best management
practices installed on a property and some of the benefits this form gives to
all involved in a timber harvest, everyone from the landowner, and forester, to
the logger, and SWCD representative. For any questions please call the Guernsey
SWCD at 740-489-5276.
Bob Mulligan, Forest Hydrologist
with The Ohio Division of Forestry, answers questions about Ohio’s BMP laws.
Jeremy Scherf, State Service
Forester with The Ohio Division of Forestry, gives a presentation to loggers
about why BMP’s are important and how they help the land.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Fun Day at Moore Woods
On May 19th the Buckeye Trail 6th
grade class came out to Guernsey SWCD’s Moore Memorial Woods for a fun day of
learning about what natural resources can be found in forests around Guernsey
County. We'd like to say a huge thank you to all the teachers who helped bring
the kids out and a special thank you to Dave Schott from Noble SWCD, and Anna
Hodges for helping teach the kids. the kids went around to five different
stations where they learned how to identify and measure trees, learned how to
identify different mammal furs and skulls, how to use a compass to navigate,
multiple species of plants and different uses of them on a nature hike, and
finally they made a custom t-shirt with paint and used leaves and items they
found in the forest to decorate them with.
Jason
Tyrell, teaching one of the groups orienteering
Levi Arnold,
showing one of the groups furs from different mammals and special adaptations
each species has.
Casey Brooks showing the kids a cool plant during the nature hike.
Monday, June 6, 2016
Two side-by-side rows with very different populations
Two side-by-side rows with very different populations
By Tom Bechman
Crop Watch: Economics favor leaving both stands at this stage in the season.
Published on: Jun 6, 2016
The farmers who manage the Crop Watch field agonized over it as it turned cool and wet after planting on April 27. It rained on 15 of the first 17 days in May in their location.
Here are two side-by-side rows that illustrated both what cool, wet soils can do and the fact that corn has a microclimate that can be as small as one row.
These pictures were taken 30 days after planting. The row on the left checked in at 28,000 plants per acre. But the row on the right only had 16,000 plants per acre.
When the photo was taken, it was obvious you wouldn’t tear up the row on the left. That wasn’t so obvious even two weeks earlier.
Indeed, using information from a chart on expected yields due to various planting dates and populations, leaving the row on the left — assuming the entire field looked like it — would have been the right decision. The chart is in the Purdue University Corn & Soybean Field Guide. It’s based upon data....(to read more, click the link below):
Frustrating early spring gives way to rapid late planting progress
Frustrating early spring gives way to rapid late planting progress
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