Farmers prepare for spring season

Feb. 6—LIMA — Even in winter, preparing for the next season is never too early. Local farmers and students are getting ready for crop planting in the spring. The Ohio State University Extension held its fourth annual Allen County Ag Outlook and Agronomy Day on Tuesday.

The presenters spoke on economics and costs, regenerative agriculture and forecast trends.

"There are a lot of things going on geopolitically around the world that are going to have some impact," said Barry Ward, director of OSU income tax schools. "What is going on in the whole Ukraine war and the Russian invasion has impacted us. Recent events in the Middle East and more recently is the disruption and the Red Sea shipping lanes. Shipping costs have increased — it is difficult to say how that affects us at the farm gate but it will probably add a little cost to energy for us."

In preparation for the season, farmers also and those studying agriculture analyze the weather. Those who attended the seminar learned what to expect this spring.

"We are looking at two primary signals in the atmosphere. One is sea surface temperatures and the second thing we look at is soil moisture and soil temperatures," Nutrien Senior Atmospheric Scientist Matt Reardon said. "Those are kind of the two things we watch in early February. When we get up to March or April then the weather forecast starts to come into play."

Reardon also said although the temperatures have been warmer it may be too early to determine when it is time to plant.

"Anytime you look at a warmer forecast that comes into play, if you consider a wetter forecast for spring, the concern starts to build for tighter planting windows; can we get the crop in the ground at the right time? It is too early to say anything about a spring frost or cooler temperatures that we dealt with in 2023 that maybe pushed the crop back a little bit," Reardon said.

Reardon also reminded farmers to go into the season with a plan and then adjust as new information becomes available.

Reach Precious Grundy at 567-242-0351.