This was adapted from a Randall Reeder article, Retired OSU Extension Engineer at Ohio State University. Most farmers would like to leave their farm in better shape than when they started. The question is: What does that mean? You never hear a farmer brag about making their farm worse. What does it mean to make a farm better when you retire from farming?
Following a joint meeting on July 23, 2025, the Boards of Directors of Mercer Landmark, Sunrise Cooperative, and Centerra Cooperative are pleased to announce their collective decision to further explore the potential value of unifying operations across the three cooperatives.
Last week, cash rental agreements were discussed and now crop share rental agreements. For crop share rental agreements, both landowner and tenant share crop expenses and also the crop. This involves much more involvement of landowners in the farming operation. The landowner has the land while the tenant supplies the labor and the equipment for farming the crop. Since the landowner has more risk, usually the return is expected to be higher, but they also have to have more cash outlay. For newer farmers or for cash strapped tenant farmers, this can be helpful, lowering the tenant cash outlay and risk, but the tenant should expect lower total returns.
The Paulding County History Museum, located across from the fairgrounds on Fairground Drive in Paulding, will hold an antique farm machinery show on Saturday, August 2 from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. The show replaces the museum’s annual chicken barbecue.
The annual Farm Service Agency county committee election cycle is underway. Nearly 7,700 producers serve on more than 2,200 FSA county committees nationwide. A third of committee spots are up for election each year.
After a wet and late planted spring, crops and weeds are starting to grow. Spraying weeds is important for getting good yields and reducing weed… Login to continue reading Login…
Brian Doughtery, a Understanding Ag consultant, says compaction is a sign of a poorly functioning soil. Soil compaction is not a natural occurrence, it comes from too much equipment (heavy axle loads, too much tillage), not enough biology (lack of roots and living organisms), and excess nutrients.
Beck’s Hybrids conducts annually extensive corn and soybean research to improve crop yields. They recently released a 256-page book on their recent results. Research is conducted throughout the USA, Midwest, and Ohio.
New University of Florida research shows that healthy plants with high levels of nutrients resist plant pests. As farmers get ready for spring planting, applying fertilizer enhance plant growth, yield, and reduces pests.
Recent soybean research by Dr. Rafiq Islam, Ohio State University shows benefits from using sulfur fertilization and small doses of aspirin or salicylic acid (SA, a fulvic acid) to increase soybean yields. Soybeans are planted on about 86.5 million USA acres. Yearly increases in soybean yields have been flat and with lower prices, farmers are looking for ways to get higher yields. Hot weather, drought, flooding and other environmental issues have caused soybean yields to stagnate.