SWCD event to cover farm planning for extreme weather
Farmers desiring to learn more about being proactive planners are invited to join Ashland, Holmes, Richland and Wayne soil and water conservation districts and farm bureaus for Extreme Farming: Farm Planning for Extreme Weather at the Ohio Theatre in Loudonville on Monday, Dec. 16.
Extreme-weather events of spring 2019 created difficulties for many Ohio farmers. Planting was delayed, or in many cases fields were unplanted. Many planted fields had decreased yields due to flooding or delayed harvest, and soil erosion was evident in many situations.
Mankind hasn’t figured out how to control the weather, but farmers can prepare a game plan of sorts to prepare for and manage the extreme-weather events that are becoming more “normal.”
Farmers who want to learn more about being proactive planners are invited to join Ashland, Holmes, Richland and Wayne soil and water conservation districts and farm bureaus for Extreme Farming: Farm Planning for Extreme Weather at the Ohio Theatre, 156 N. Water St., Loudonville, on Monday, Dec. 16 at 5:30 p.m.
Ashland SWCD has taken the lead to identify speakers, coordinate this meeting and open it up to a multi-county area. “We’re bringing the Ohio State University’s Jeff Hattey and Adapt-N’s Matt Sweeney here to talk to producers about what steps they can take to proactively prepare for extreme-weather events on their farms,” said Jane Houin, Ashland SWCD program administrator.
Hattey, PhD, is a professor of soil science and extension soil management specialist at the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He will discuss how changing weather patterns can impact soil and water management.
Adapt-N is a precision nitrogen model that measures how nitrogen moves spatially through the soil over time. It gives farmers data about how much nitrogen is available for the crops. Nitrogen is very mobile in the soil, and it is often difficult to gauge how much nitrogen is still available to the crop, especially in wet conditions.
“Adapt-N helps farmers assess how much nitrogen is available so they can be more efficient with in-season nitrogen applications,” Houin said. “This increases profitability and efficiency, as well as reduces nitrogen runoff to waterways. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the two main nutrients that lead to impaired water quality and harmful algal blooms.”
At the conclusion of the meeting, there will be a discussion about how SWCDs can help farmers prepare for those extreme-weather events through conservation-practice planning and adoption.
The meeting will include free pizza and refreshments, but RSVPs are required by Thursday, Dec. 12 to Ashland SWCD at ashlandswcd@ashlandcounty.org or by calling 419-281-7645.
Do you have extreme-weather photos you’d like to share with the group? Email those to Ashland SWCD with a caption and they will be shared before the meeting.