To renovate or not to renovate? That is the question many pasture managers face, especially after two dry summers. With a large commitment of time and money, it is a question that should be carefully considered. To help us do so, Dr. Emma Matcham, State Specialist for Integrated Forage Systems, walks us through the process from start to finish. We consider stand evaluation, timing, seeding methods and more as we discuss the nuances farmers face in making this decision.

Additional resources:

Giving new life to tired pastures: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-0159
Forage management after drought and a tough growing season: https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2025-36
Ohio Agronomy Guide: https://extensionpubs.osu.edu/ohio-agronomy-guide-16th-edition/

This episode comes to you from the 2025 Farm Science Review at Ask the Expert, where Bruce sits down with Barry Ward, Leader, Production Business Management & Director, Income Tax Schools at The Ohio State University, to discuss his thoughts on Crop Inputs, Farmland Values/Rents, Tax Law – 2025 & Looking Ahead.

We continue our discussion with Dr. John Fulton on how to increase the reliability of harvest data. This time we focus on the in-field practices. With bigger machines, it is getting more difficult to collect high res data. Tune in for recommendations on things such as how long passes should be and more to increase the quality of your yield data.

For more resources on harvest data, visit: https://digitalag.osu.edu/precision-ag/research-focuses/harvest-technologies.

Join Josh at Ask the Expert at the 2025 Farm Science Review with Garth Ruff, Beef Specialist for OSU Extension. In this episode, Garth discusses the current state of the beef markets.

Farmers write some big checks based on harvest data. How confident are you in the quality of that data? We’re getting into the weeds with Dr. John Fulton about how to ensure confident decisions can be made based on what is collected in the field this fall. In the first of this two part series, we talk about how yield measurements are collected in the combine, provide advice on calibration and discuss how unintentional mistakes can lead to big missteps with input decisions.

For more information on calibration, visit: https://digitalag.osu.edu/precision-ag/research-focuses/harvest-technologies.

In this episode, Josh Winters, Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator, talks about the research, “Discovering Agricultural Producers’ Communication Preferences in the Appalachian Region of Ohio”. In this research, Josh discovers the way that farmers in this region prefer when obtaining educational information, promotional materials, program types, and the barriers to digital connection.

Tar spot concern continues to grow across Ohio as it shows up in more and more fields each year. Each year farmers and researchers wonder if this will be the season it really explodes, causing widespread economic damage. For a background on Tar Spot, check out episodes 123 and 101.

In this episode, Dr. Stephanie Karhoff updates us on the latest research and treatment recommendations for managing not only Tar Spot but Gibberella ear rot and the vomitoxin it causes. Each disease has certain weather conditions and infection timing that are critical components to successfully managing it in field. The Crop Protection Network’s disease forecasting tool can afford insight into what to look for during scouting: https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/crop-disease-forecasting.

Join Bruce and Josh as they introduce Ellen Essman, who recently joined the OSU Extension’s Agricultural and Resource Law Program. Ellen Tells us about herself and what she is looking forward to helping with in her new role.

Dr. Aaron Wilson is back online to share exactly where this spring came out in the rankings. It might surprise you! We also provide an outlook on what we can expect from Ohio’s weather for the rest of the growing season season and what that means for crop health.

Sign up to receive monthly and quarterly updates from the State Climate Office: climate.osu.edu. Check out mrcc.purdue.edu/ to find useful tools such as the GDD calculator and freeze predictor. You can also reach out to Aaron at [email protected].

Trevor Corboy is the current Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator for OSU Extension Brown County.  Trevor resides in Brown County with his wife Rachel on his family’s which was establish in the 1850’s farm.  Here he is active in raising Angus cattle, Boer and Nubian goats, hay, and grain products. Trevor currently provides leadership as one of the four co-leaders with the small farms team for OSU Extension. In this episode, Trevor will give you a peak at what the Small Farm College consists of through OSU Extension.