Considerations for Perennial Grass Species in the Pasture: “One result of the drought of 2024 may be the need to reseed pasture or perhaps perennial grass hay fields. During the second session of the Ohio Virtual Beef School on February 26, 2025, Noble County OSU Extension Educator Christine Gelley reviewed selection criteria when considering which grass forage species to include in new seedings.” Maintaining a quality pasture an restoring it when necessary is an important practice for producers with grazing livestock. OSU Extension Educator Christine Gelley has a video presentation recorded to explain selection criteria when choosing which grasses might be worth planting in your pasture.
Dairy Margin Coverage: “The dairy industry is a global market with a history of volatility in profits from income (milk price and the beef market) and expenses (feed prices). We have already seen this volatility in the futures market for 2025 as the potential impacts of tariffs, other changes in global trade and federal order reform are factored in as new information arises.” Dairy production, like all sectors of agriculture, can be quite volatile in terms of economic return and the cost of production. OSU Extension Specialist Jason Hartschuh discusses risk management strategies for dairy producers in this article—in particular, he discusses Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC). Hartschuh shares details on the current DMC outlook, including price points, deadlines, and other considerations.
New Year’s Resolutions for Cow-Calf Producers: “The Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions, first published in January 2022, serves as a good reminder of the management practices that almost always need fine-tuning in cow/calf operations.” New Year’s resolutions are common practice for many people, and some people find them useful for helping to make improvements in their lives. Cow-calf producers might find similar success implementing New Year’s resolutions for their beef operations. In this article, Dr. Michelle Arnold, Ruminant Extension Veterinarian for the University of Kentucky, writes on some options to consider.
https://u.osu.edu/beef/2025/03/12/the-top-ten-new-years resolutions-for-cow-calf-producers-2/
Ohio Box Tree Moth Quarantine: “The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) announced yesterday that the box tree moth (BTM) (Cydalima perspectalis, family Crambidae) quarantine zone has been expanded in southwest Ohio. As of yesterday, the BTM quarantine now includes the following counties: Butler, Clermont, Greene, Hamilton, Miami, Montgomery, and Warren.” The Box Tree Moth (BTM) is an invasive insect that has been discussed in the Newsletter previously. The ODA recently expanded the quarantine zone in Ohio; while Darke County is not included in that zone, some neighboring counties are. This article from OSU Extension Educator Joe Boggs can help keep you up to date on this matter.
https://bygl.osu.edu/index.php/node/2460
Ohio Fruit News: “Fungal diseases of specialty food crops such as strawberry, apples, grapes and vegetables are routinely managed using multiple applications of fungicides. For example, in a single season, more than 10 applications may be made depending on the crop type, cultivar, environmental conditions, and primary inoculum load.” The latest edition of Ohio Fruit News was recently released, with contributions from OSU Extension Professionals Dr. Melanie Lewis Ivey, Dr. Francesca Rotondo, Dr. Erdal Ozkan, and Dr. Ashley Leach. Topics include calibrating your sprayer, fruit disease diagnostics, fungicide resistance screening, and others.
https://u.osu.edu/fruitpathology/files/2025/03/OFN_FEB_2025.pdf
Using Cereal Rye as a Cover Crop: “The use of cover crops in Ohio has been an important focus of existing and newly created conservation efforts to improve water quality in both the Lake Erie and Ohio River watersheds. One of the more popular cover crop species is cereal rye. This fact sheet reviews cereal rye characteristics, such as the growth habit of the species, differences between cereal rye and other small grains, ideal growing conditions and tolerance for poor conditions, and how to identify the species and avoid its potential negative consequences.” The usage of cover crops in general is becoming more popular, and cereal rye is among the most common choices of cover crop for agriculturalists. This factsheet from OSU Extension professionals Rachel Cochran, Kelley Tilmon, and Sarah Noggle focuses on the use of cereal rye as a cover crop. Specific topics include this plant’s growth characteristics, the benefits it offers, how it compares to other cover crop selections, and how it is best managed.