Plan now to be prepared for spring weather

It may not feel like it now, but the 2020 crop season will be here before we know it.

Can you believe that it is already February? It feels as if just a few weeks ago we were buttoning up the barn for the winter and here we are just a few months away from spring. As I reflect on this winter, I can’t help but reminisce on the winters growing up with freezing cold months and snow that stuck around more than a few days. I think it’s amazing to look at the changes in weather patterns even in just my few years.

As we see these weather patterns changing and begin to wonder how we will be able to adapt to changing climate and make accurate applications of nutrients as the window of getting into fields become smaller and smaller, Ashland SWCD has taken a new approach to make these decisions. Through partnerships and support with Sunrise Cooperative, the Ohio Farm Bureau, Yara International, and Land O’Lakes/Winfield United, Ashland SWCD is able to provide acres of computer modeling on your fields at no cost to producers within the Jerome Fork Watershed.  

What is computer modeling for crops? Well it’s pretty neat. One tool that we have a great opportunity to work with Ashland county producers to use is Winfield United’s Field Forecasting Tool. This tool allows us to go a step further into our management decisions with its use of pulling information from predictive weather models, management practices, soil and tissue test, etc. to determine return on investment, when the optimal time to make a nutrient application is and the right rate. This tool allows us to make nutrient application improvements that keep your nutrients where you want them while determining your ROI. 

Computer modeling tools like Field Forecasting Tool help farmers maximize profitability while protecting the environment.

While FFT is a forward-thinking model, the other tool with we have to offer, Adapt-N, allows us to pin-point what nutrients we have in our soil, specifically nitrogen. With this tool we are able to take manure applications, cover crops, and other management practices into account to determine what rates of nitrogen we need for this year’s crop and what we already have in our soil ready to use. Whether you are looking for a flat rate application recommendation or grid or zone recommendations this tool is a great resource. 

If either of these tools interest you, I encourage you to contact our office at 419-281-7645 or by email at ewhite@ashlandcounty.org. The application deadline in March 1st. We look forward to hearing from you!