Comments from Vilsack about milk pricing law

It seems that the Farm Bill has been shadowed by all the discussion about the fiscal cliff, but it is closely related. As a dairy products lover, this article has me concerned. Comments from Vilsack about milk pricing law Here's hoping that an agreement can be reached very soon and that Congress is able to finally pass a Farm Bill this year. No Farm Bill could result in some pretty drastic changes for everyone.

Merry Christmas to you! (And be sure to leave some milk for Santa with his cookies.)

Support an Ohio Farmer's Voice - Janice Wolfinger

Tomorrow is the last day to vote for an Ohio farmer who is a Faces of Farming and Ranching Finalist for the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance. Janice Wolfinger and her husband Jake have a cow-calf farm in eastern Ohio and a feedlot in Nebraska. I've known Janice (Poorman then) since I was an FFA member in high school. Janice graduated from Sheridan High School in Perry County the same year I did. She has a blog of her own called For the Love of Beef. She has a true gift for writing and is an excellent spokesperson for agriculture.

Please click here to learn more about Janice and her family and to vote for her as a Face of Farming and Ranching.

US 2012 Census of Agriculture

Today I received a packet in the mail from USDA about the US 2012 Census of Agriculture. If you have completed one of these in the past, then you should see one in your mailbox soon. You can either complete the paper copy and mail it back or you can complete it online here. The census is due by February 4, 2013.

This in-depth survey is conducted every five years by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). It captures a complete count of all U.S. farms, ranches and those who operate them.  

According to NASS "the Census also helps tell the whole story of U.S. agriculture. Without the information collected we wouldn’t know that 3 million farmers in the United States, only one percent of our total population, provide feed, fuel, and fiber to the other 99 percent. While that seems like a huge task, we know that farmers are stepping up to the challenge because the data tell us that U.S. agriculture is growing."

For more information about the Census, visit www.agcensus.usda.gov or call 1-888-4AG-STAT (1-888-424-7828).

Agriculture U.S. Exports- Part 2

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Comments on Soaring U.S. Exports

I thought it only fair to include this today after yesterday's post.

The Future of Corn Exports

I read an interesting article yesterday with thoughts and predictions from Purdue Ag Economist, Phil Abbott.

You can read the article from AgWeb here: U.S. Unlikely to Dominate Future Corn Exports

There are a lot of factors involved, but combining them all together makes one thing very possible- US exports of corn are likely to decrease.

The photo that accompanied this article on agweb.com reminded me of my only international experience about 15 years ago. I traveled with the National FFA Organization to Japan. There we visited a company called Chita Futo. We stood at the top of a tower wearing hard hats and watched as cargo ships unloaded hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain from the United States. And then we watched the ships leave again full of electronics and cars and other items desired by the US consumer. It seemed like a good system to me. Use our land and hardworking farmers to produce grain that Asia can't with their land availability and get their products in return.

But now the US is not the only country will the ability to grow that grain.

According to Abbott, in the last 15 years South America has increased planted acres by 53%.

Of course weather will always play a huge role in where grain comes from. The drought this summer is estimated to have reduced total bushels of corn in the US by about 13% compared to 2011.

But one influencing factor we have that other countries do not is corn requirements for domestic ethanol production used in gasoline. Abbott says that roughly 40% of corn produced in the US is used for ethanol production. Using this corn for our energy needs reduces opportunity to export.

Just a little something for you to think about today...

Shale and You: A Workshop for Landowners and Communities

By Martha Filipic, OSU Extension Communications & Technology

Ohio State University Extension is hosting a workshop on shale energy development on November 10 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

"Shale and You: A Workshop for Landowners and Communities" will be held at the Pritchard Laughlin Civic Center, 7033 Glenn Highway, Cambridge.  Registration is $10 and must be received by Monday, Nov. 5, by the Guernsey County OSU Extension office in Old Washington.

More information and registration form here

"What we hope to do is help landowners and community leaders make the best decisions possible," Hall said. "We're not attempting to discuss the pros and cons of such development -- that's something for individuals and policy-makers to consider. As an educational institution, OSU Extension simply aims to provide relevant information to help inform those who are dealing with shale energy development."

The workshop will include presentations by OSU Extension educators on:

·     Update on Ohio Shale Development and Activity, by Chris Penrose, OSU Extension educator in Morgan County.

·      Community and Strategic Planning, by Eric Romich, OSU Extension field specialist in energy development.

·      Tax Issues for Communities and Landowners, by Dave Marrison, OSU Extension educator in Ashtabula and Trumbull counties.

·      What to Do When "Sudden Wealth Happens," by Polly Loy, OSU Extension educator in Belmont County.

·      Leasing Issues for Farms and Rural Land, by Clif Little, OSU Extension educator in Guernsey County, and Peggy Hall, OSU Extension Agricultural Law Program.

·      Pumping the Product: Pipeline Easements and Construction, by Mark Landefeld, OSU Extension educator in Monroe County, and Chris Zoller, OSU Extension educator in Tuscarawas County.

·      Natural Resource Issues: Where to Find Helpful Resources, by Steve Schumacher, OSU Extension educator in Belmont County, and Mike Lloyd, OSU Extension educator in Noble County.

·      A Landowner's Point of View, featuring Schumacher and a panel of landowners who have dealt with shale development directly.

The program ends with "What If Problems Arise," featuring a panel of Extension educators and moderated by Dale Arnold of the Ohio Farm Bureau.

In addition, tables with information in the lobby of the auditorium will be staffed throughout the afternoon to allow participants to get more information on issues they are specifically concerned about, Hall said.

"OSU Extension has been a leader in providing educational programs to landowners and community leaders who are being confronted with what are sometimes very difficult decisions about this issue," Hall said. "We've offered more than a hundred educational sessions on topics such as lease agreements and pipeline easements in the last two years and have reached more than 12,000 people. But this is the first time we've pulled together a program with so much of our expertise in one place. I think it will be a valuable program for anyone interested in learning more about these issues."

 

 

Coshocton County Fair Time!

Today is the 5th day of this year's Coshocton County Fair. And it has been a great fair so far. Rain in the forecast today, but the next two days look great with temperatures in the high 70's for the Jr. Fair Livestock Auction on Thursday. There are two more days after today, so hurry if you haven't made it to the fair yet.

Coshocton County Fair Schedule

 

 

Apples - To Brown or Not To Brown

Yet another interesting story from NPR. This one is about genetically modified apples. A company in Canada called Okanagan Specialty Fruits has designed an apple they call "Arctic Apple." It will not brown, because they have silenced certain genes in the apples responsible for the browning reaction.
This is pretty fascinating to me. As a food scientist, the browning apple is a classic science experiment that I love to share with kids. Everyone knows that when you cut an apple it will eventually begin to turn brown. Every slow-eating kid has turned up their nose, and every mom has replied in exasperation, "There's nothing wrong with that apple- just finish eating it!" Or maybe it's just me.
The reason that the apple turns brown is not because it is rotting or spoiling. It is an enzymatic reaction. There is an enzyme in apples (and other fruits) called polyphenol oxidase (PPO). This enzyme is normally happily contained in plant cells along with polyphenol compounds. You may have heard about the antioxidant benefits of polyphenols in chocolate and grapes (red wine). Well, lots of plants contain polyphenolic compounds, including apples.
When you bite or cut or drop the fruit, you are bursting open plant cells and their insides become exposed to oxygen. The PPO enzyme allows the reaction of oxygen and the polyphenol compounds that are found in fruits. And the compounds that result from this reaction are a brown color.
There are different methods of reducing this enzymatic reaction. Lowering the pH causes the enzyme to be less effective. That's why you will often find that ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) has been added to the little packets of sliced apples you can get in many fast food kids meals these days. Lots of cookbooks suggest adding lemon juice or lemon lime soda as well, though Vit C is more effective. Another method is to keep oxygen away from the cut fruit by simply soaking in water. And heat is a sure fire way to inactive the enzyme.

Now that you've had your science lesson for the day...
time to address the real reason for the story.

What is the role of genetic modification in our foods? Where is the line and how do we determine where that line should be? Is there really any difference between using this technology in our fresh fruits and vegetables than in field corn and soybeans? Should we use this technology only when it is helping to increase yield to feed the billions of people in this world- or is it OK to use it to make our food look or taste more like we want it to? We've been using traditional "non-laboratory" genetic methods to make hybrids that behave like we desire for many, many years.
I certainly don't have all the answers, but we need to all be thinking about these questions. Don't be afraid to engage in dialogue about these topics. One of the problems with these GMO discussions is that they often involve big long words that the general population does not understand. And the most common result of ignorance is fear. When technology development begins to outpace our ability to have open discussions about the possible benefits and consequences of that technology, it is easy to blame the technology for moving too fast. But maybe it is our responsibility to pick up the pace with our communication too?



From Okanagan Specialty Fruits website

Documenting the Landscape

Coshocton county native Megan Lightell is a landscape painter who has a wonderfully unique project right now. She is returning to the county to capture places that are special to farmers- not only through her paintings, but with interviews as well.

 

Documenting the Landscape Click here to view some of Megan's latest work and hear interviews from some area farmers.

 

If you are a farmer in Coshocton county and would like to have Megan paint a view on your land that is particularly special or beautiful to you, please contact me at the Extension office at 622-2265.

 

Rice in the News

I heard a segment on NPR this morning about food safety when it comes to rice. Any time I hear something about food safety in the news - especially when a particular agriculture commodity is called out - I immediately do my homework.

Consumer reports is encouraging the FDA to consider federal standards on maximum arsenic content in rice. Though there are standards on maximum levels of arsenic in drinking water, there are not standards for foods.

So how is arsenic getting into rice? Inorganic arsenic is found in soil & water in very low levels and is therefore naturally occurring in plants. Because of the way that rice is grown, by flooding fields with large amounts of water, this makes for a unique situation that may allow rice to absorb more arsenic than other grains that we eat.

PHOTO: Texas Department of Agriculture, Rice Harvest, Fort Bend County

Click here to read or listen to the Story from NPR


Here also is a excerpt from an article by MARY CLARE JALONICK of the Associated Press

"Scientists have known for decades that arsenic is present in rice, but the issue has renewed interest as consumers are more interested than ever in what they eat and technology has advanced to the point that inorganic and organic arsenic can be measured separately...  Professor Jaymie R. Meliker of Stony Brook University, who has studied the effects of arsenic, says it's all a matter of moderation. "In general, in life, you shouldn't stand out in the sun eight hours a day," he said. "You shouldn't eat rice exclusively every meal. You should introduce variety in your diet because there are contaminants in everything. Nothing is completely safe."'

Bottom line - eat a variety of foods. There is not enough data yet to determine if these levels should be of concern. FDA has tested about 200 of 1200 samples. When they gather all the data from testing, then a plan of action will be developed.

Also, this is one more example of a time when pesticide residues are named as a potential for food safety risk. As farmers, we need to continue to do everything right when applying pesticides to reduce risks to the food supply.

Right Source

Right Rate

Right Time

Right Place

Information about the 4R's

Increase Slow Moving Vehicle Visibility

As harvest time is quickly approaching, it is important to inspect Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) emblems to ensure that they are clean, colorful and reflective. SMV signs that have been manufactured within the last 10 years should contain reflective material. If the sign is over 10 years old, it may be a good idea to consider replacing it with a newer more reflective emblem. 

You can buy SMV emblem signs as well as replacement decals at farm supply stores.

Also be sure that all headlights, taillights and warning lights are in working order. For more ideas on increasing your visibility on roadways, click here: Tips for Increasing Visibility

 

And even if you will not be driving a tractor or other farm machinery this harvest season, remember that more of these vehicles will be on the roadways soon. Take extra precaution in late afternoon and evenings while driving along our winding county and township roads. And be patient. Easier said than done, I know, but your safe driving can ensure a safe harvest season for us all.

Good Agricultural Practices

One role of OSU Extension is to help producers get their products to retail outlets and to consumer tables efficiently, safely and cost-effectively. And an important part of that effort is to ensure that producers are aware of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that was signed into law in January 2011. This is an area that produce farmers especially need to know.

FSMA was created to ensure that more attention is focused on prevention of contamination and minimizing risk starting on the farm. According to the FDA, each year 1 out of every 6 Americans experiences foodbourne illness. Microbial contamination of food can occur at many points along the way from harvest to the time it is consumed.

It is especially important to consider food safety with fresh fruits and vegetables that will be eaten without cooking or heating in any way to kill microorganisms. Good Agricultural Practices(GAPs) are guidelines to ensure that fresh produce is handled in ways to prevent microbial contamination during growing, harvesting, sorting, packaging and storage. To learn more about GAP training opportunities or audit preparation, please click above or contact me at the Extension office at 622-2265.

Though we may not all be producers, we are all consumers, so it is important to correctly handle and prepare all foods. For any food safety questions, please visit Ohio State Food Safety or call the Ohio State Food Safety Info Line at 1-800-752-2751.

Great Article in This Week's Wall Street Journal

Please take a moment to read this article that was published in Monday's Wall Street Journal.

Amid Acres of Wilting Stalks, Farmers Stand Tall by Victor Davis Hanson (click)

Here's a portion of the article:

We might also recalibrate our notion of "flyover country," that vast and productive region that rarely earns attention elsewhere except during close national elections. The federal government is insolvent; high finance is still suspect. Yet thousands of mostly unknown farmers in Iowa, Indiana or Ohio get better at what they do, and better too than all their counterparts across the globe—drought or no drought.

The parched summer of 2012 reminds us that we still live in an often tragic world that all our high-tech devices and therapeutic gobbledygook cannot quite overcome. The comfortable life of smartphones, reality TV and Facebook seems a birthright only because it is predicated on the talents of Americans who, with little fanfare, put a bounty of food on our tables and the world's.

Thank you to all of you in agriculture who do your jobs so well.

Know Your Farmer

Depending on which source you consult, the average American is anywhere from three to even five generations removed from the farm. And when you think about that, even if folks are only one or two generations removed, farming today is rarely how grandpa and grandma farmed.

In an effort to strengthen the critical connection between farmers and consumers and support local and regional food systems, the USDA started the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF2)” program. Research in 2010 by the Economic Research Service identified barriers to local food market entry and expansion. Two of these included capacity constraints for farms and an inadequate infrastructure to move foods into mainstream markets. KYF2 works to eliminate these barriers.

I am especially interested in helping more producers in this area supply our schools with fresh local produce. If you have interest, or know someone who does, give me a call at 622-2265.

Hay Directory Available

ODA is offering a website to connect farmers with hay to sell to farmers who need hay. Please visit this site to learn more: Ohio's Hay Directory 

Other drought-related information, is now available at: www.agri.ohio.gov/TopNews/DroughtInformationAndResources/

Darrell Kick visits Coshocton & Tuscarawas counties

Darrell Kick, field representative for Congressman Bob Gibbs, visited Coshocton & Tuscarawas counties on August 9 as part of the OSU Extension Congressional Assistants' Tour.

First stop was the Dale & Doug Everett Farm for a roundtable discussion with some area farmers on current agriculture issues - especially the Farm Bill and the drought.


Steve Quillin, Wendell Waters, Greg Waters, Matt Durbin, Chris Zoller (OSUE ANR
Educator in Tusc County), Dale Everett, Doug Everett, Darrell Kick, and Luke Durbin 



 Then we headed to Lake Park to meet with Coshocton County Master Gardener Volunteers and learn about the Phenology Garden. The volunteers monitor specific plants and record the times at which those plants bloom and insects become active. This information is collected in a state and national database that helps gardeners and farmers all over the country.

Gail Piper, Tammi Rogers, Teresa Donley, Betty Williams, and Darrell Kick

 Darrell also had a chance to visit with Mary Thomas, a participant in Annie's Project - a 6 week program for women in agriculture. Mary shared that the program examines the types of risks that farmers encounter and how to best manage those risks. Annie's Project will be offered this January - March, so be sure to check in later for more details.

Darrell Kick and Mary Thomas

 Then on August 10, Darrell and I toured several sites in Columbus that highlighted some exciting efforts of Extension and OARDC. We learned about topics like functional foods, shale oil and gas, reducing phosphorus in waterways, bed bugs, antibiotics, local foods, 4-H STEM (science, technology engineering and math) activities and the proposed Farm Bills.  

Libby Dayton explaining current research to improve Ohio's phosphorus risk index.

A congressional assistant befriends a Jersey calf at Waterman Farm.

One of the community gardens from Extension efforts in a neighborhood near OSU campus.



Darrell and Emily at the Ohio 4-H Center

President Gee Visits Coshocton County



Coshocton County was very proud to welcome President E. Gordan Gee yesterday as part of his two-day tour of Ohio counties. President Gee visited the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed (Hydrologic Station) near Fresno. There were several individuals who shared the important research that has happened at this location since the 1930's. Jenny Cherry, our Coshocton County 4-H Youth Development Educator, took this photo of the Ohio State leadership who accompanied President Gee on his visit.

"O" Steve Slack, Director OARDC

"H" Bobby Mosier, Dean of the College of Food, Ag & Env Sciences

"I" E. Gordan Gee, President of The Ohio State University

"O" Keith Smith, Director OSU Extension





Happy Local Foods Week

This week is Central Ohio Local Foods Week (August 11-19). The local foods movement is an effort to purchase and consume fresh produce and other foods that are grown in or near your community.

According to the USDA, in the past 15 years the number of farmers markets has tripled. There are now more than 7000 across the country. Here in Coshocton County we have three farmers markets during the summer months in Coshocton, Fresno and Warsaw. Coshocton County is also home to Local Bounty, a year round producer and consumer cooperative.

Coshocton County Farmers Market

Saturdays, May - October

8:30 AM-12:00 PM

Coshocton County Fairgrounds

Fresno Farmers Market

Saturdays, May - October

8:00 AM-12:00 PM

Mark McCoy's Auto in Fresno (follow signs)

Warsaw Farmers Market

Thursdays, May - September

4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

River View Community Park

Local Bounty Coshocton

Open Year Round

Thursdays and Fridays  2:00-6:00 PM

Saturdays 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

State Route 83 next to Lake Park Soccer Complex

Farmers markets are at a location where several vendors gather to sell produce, plants, other agricultural products and crafts. A farm market is a location where a producer sells produce and other items that are usually grown at that farm. Farm markets are typically open daily while farmers markets are usually open weekly. There are also several farm markets here in the county.

Many restaurants are also making the effort to prepare foods using locally sourced ingredients. The National Restaurant Association identified the top two trends for 2011 as “locally sourced meats and seafood” and “locally grown produce.”

There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy some local agricultural products, so I encourage you to make a special effort this week.

Drought-Stressed Corn for Silage

Because hay fields are not producing usual amounts of hay this summer, some farmers are using their drought-stressed corn for silage. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Drought corn silage can have 80-95% of net energy value of normal corn and more crude protein- about 11% vs 8%
• Chop at 30-38% dry matter to ensure that correct fermentation will occur in the silo. Too much moisture = mold and spoilage. Too little moisture = poor fermentation
• I can test moisture content for you here at the Extension Office -
• Or you can test yourself with a microwave oven and kitchen scales: Using a Microwave to Determine Forage Moisture
• Nitrates can be much higher in drought-stressed corn, which can be harmful to animals. Nitrate levels are highest in the lower 1/3 of the stalk, but cutting higher will obviously reduce tonnage. The ensiling process can lower nitrates from 35-80%. Be sure to test nitrate levels before feeding.
• The closest lab to us in Coshocton County is
  Holmes Lab
  Millersburg, Ohio
  330-893-2933
• Once you have nitrate levels, check out this information to see the safest way to feed: Information from Bill Weiss, OSU Dairy Nutrition Specialist
•  More great information on drought-stressed corn for silage:
• Video from Steve Boyles, OSU Extension Beef Specialist

Photo courtesy of University of Nebraska Extension

Tour of SC Peanut and Cotton Farms

On the last day of the conference last week I was able to get out into rural South Carolina and visit three large peanut and cotton farms.

If you are driving by fields in Coshocton County, chances are very good you will see one of two crops- corn or soybeans. And for that matter, you will see this famous duo throughout the Midwest. But in the central counties of South Carolina, the two crops I saw in field after field were peanuts and cotton.

There are two types of peanuts that are grown in the southeastern US- runners and Virginia. Runners are smaller than Virginia peanuts and are used for peanut butter and peanut oil. Virginia peanuts are used for roasting and in candies. Our tour host, Charles Davis, the Clemson Cooperative Extension Agent for Calhoun, Orangeburg and Richland counties, explained that in the south, Virginia peanuts are also used for “bald” peanuts. At least that is what I heard at first. Turns out he was saying boiled peanuts.




Two types grown in SC - Runners on the left and Virginia on the right

The peanut plant looks somewhat similar to a soybean plant, but is more viney. Once the flowers have been pollinated, a little peg shoots out and goes down into the soil. The peanuts grow from this peg. So even though the peanuts grow underground, the plants are legumes just like soybeans, not tubers like potatoes.

Yellow flowers on a peanut plant

"Baby" peanuts- This field will most likely be ready to harvest in late August.

Charles Davis, Clemson Cooperative Extension,
pulled up a plant to show us how the peanuts form.

Kent Wannamaker (left of Davis) farms this land that is owned
by J.D. "Pally" Wiles. Bruce Clevenger (right of Davis) is a
fellow ANR extension educator in Defiance County.

Peanut harvest will begin in late August to early September. Harvest is a two-step process. First a peanut digger is pulled through the field to gently dig up the plants and turn them over to expose the peanuts. Then a combine is used that has a few adjustments made to reduce cracking the shells. Average yield is 2 ton per acre and peanut prices are around $400-500 a ton.

Peanut digger

This is a peanut harvester. Amadas has a partnership with John Deere to use
parts of their combine equipment - so those parts are painted green while the rest is blue.



This is a storage warehouse at Palmetto Peanut
that will be full of peanuts this fall.

Then we headed to Palmetto Farms to learn about cotton from father and son John and Diedrick Hane. I found it very interesting that growth inhibitors are applied to cotton plants to prevent them from growing too big. They are indeterminate plants, which just like an indeterminate tomato plant, means that it will not stop producing fruit (or bolls) as long as conditions remain favorable. There have been many genetic advances in cotton varieties in recent years, which has greatly reduced the amount of pesticides that are used to control insecs

Cotton plant with white flowers blooming

John Hane shows our group a cotton plant and explains
that all leaves must be removed from the plant before harvest.

Learning about the cotton harvesting equipment was just as interesting as learning about the cotton plants. This cotton harvester is amazing and gigantic! One man can do the work of 8 men with this machine. It is basically a picker combined with a giant baler. It is so large that the entire unit must be lowered into "road-mode" in order to be able to drive under power lines when driving on the road. The cotton is picked off with spindles and then blown up into the basket. The cotton is then baled and wrapped with a special plastic.

The back of the cotton picker is very similar to a hay baler.

John Hane explains how the spindles turn in the picker.

This is video of what the spindles look like from the side when the

panel is removed. The cotton is blown up the black tubes into the basket.

This is video looking in at the spindles rotating

I hope that you have enjoyed learning as much as I enjoyed these tours.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I just returned from a week-long conference in Charleston, SC for the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA.) The conference was full of great research and presentations from Agricultural Extension Educators all across the country. I attended a presentation about starting a blog, and it was just the boost I needed to jump right in. (Thanks to Tonya Ashworth from University of Tennessee Extension.)

I have titled my blog "Feeding Coshocton and the World," because we have a diverse interest in agriculture here in Coshocton County. As your extension educator it is my pleasure to develop educational programming opportunities for all aspects of agriculture. From a local to a global scale, it is all important to our community and our economy.

A highlight of the conference for me was the Professional Improvement Tour day. I chose a topic I knew absolutely nothing about - Cotton Bales and Peanut Shells. Soon I'll be posting photos and videos from that very educational tour of three large peanut and cotton operations as well as a peanut processing & storage facility (imagine Coshocton Grain full of peanuts...)

One topic that was on everyone's mind is the drought. Please visit http://agnr.osu.edu/managing-drought-2012 to learn about the best ways to make it through this tough season. And take a moment to let us know your thoughts on how this summer compares to the drought of 1988 by taking the poll.

Now it's good to be home reenergized with lots of great ideas for educational programs. Look for details in the next few weeks about Agronomy School and Annie's Project (for women in agriculture.)