Monroe County Agriculture: Michigan ranks 10th with per acre average cash rental
Weather: Eric Snodgrass of Nutrien Ag Solutions has a November forecast of moderate temperatures through mid-November, then trending lower. Despite some occasional light rains, the forecast continued dry pattern.
OSU Soybean Performance Trial Results: Ohio State has released their Ohio Soybean Performance Trial results. Nearest to Monroe County and southeast Michigan were two sites in northwest Ohio: Henry County (Napoleon) and Sandusky County (Fremont). The Napoleon site was planted May 13 and harvested October 20. Early maturing (Relative Maturity of 1.9-3.1) had a yield range of 101.3 to 75.3 bushels per acre. Soybeans were planted in 15- inch rows at 150,000 seeds per acre. A pdf copy of the trail can be downloaded at: https://stepupsoy.osu.edu/sites/hcs-. The MSU Soybean Variety Trials nearest location was in Lenawee County at the Jason Woods farm south of Britton. MSU will release and post data as it becomes available. The nearest MSU Corn Variety Trial was located on the Raymond-Stutzman farm near Seneca in southwest Lenawee County. The nearest 2023 MSU Wheat Variety Trial location is at the Brad Kamprath farm, south of Ida in Monroe County.
Cash Rents: Many farmers and landowners rent farmland on a cash basis as compared to a crop-share basis. Michigan ranked 10th among states with a state average cash rent of $144 per acre in 2022. Ohio’s average cash rent was$170 per acre and ranked 6th. Monroe County’s average cash rent was $149, down $2 per acre from 2021. Lenawee County’s average cash rent was $159, up $10 per acre from 2021. There are many reasons why a cash rent could be higher or lower than the average. Some reasons include; current soil test, soil type, surface and sub-surface drainage, weed history, size of field, roads, bridges, non-farm neighbors, traffic, and many more. All transactions should be in writing and terms should include a starting and ending date of the lease. Free sample leases can be obtained at the Midwest Plan Service (MWPS), Iowa State University or by contacting myself. Otherwise a lease can be drawn up by an attorney. There are several variations of a simple straight cash lease that could benefit one or both parties, including yield and/or price variable leases, up-front payment terms, multiple year leases, etc. The MWPS site also has crop share, livestock and building leases. By the way, the highest cash rent paid was in Piatt County in east-central Illinois and was $331 per acre.
2022 Pesticide Applicator Renewal Packets: The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has mailed renewal packets for current pesticide applicators whose credentials expire on December 31, 2022. Packets were sent out via U.S. Postal Service the week of October 9. Private of commercial applicators renewing by recertification seminar credits must complete all approved training sessions by December 31, 2022. The packet listed all seminar credits earned to date during the 3-year renewal period. Farmers and commercial applicators have always been advised to keep track of their seminars and credits in case of an error somewhere in the system. MDARD announced on September 12 that Michigan private and commercial pesticide applicators can now look up the number of re-certification credits they have on their credential. The website is: https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/licensing/pesticide. Questions can be directed to Lisa Graves at MDARD at 800-292-3939. Applicators wishing to renew by exam must schedule exams either through the Metro Institute Testing Centers (MCCC) or a Core Review and Paper-Based Core (only), Fumigation or Aerial Standard exam. More information on pesticide applicator certification and registration can be found at the MDARD certification web page.
Winter Meeting Update: The Great lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo will be held December 6-8, 2022 at the DeVos Place Convention Center and Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids. Registration opened October 14, with early bird pricing ending on November 15. Persons can register online at: www.glexpo.com. This is one of the largest and premier show for fruit and vegetable farmers, greenhouse growers and farm marketers. Many of the educational sessions will offer pesticide re-certification credits, including organic sessions.
Amaryllis: Anyone can grow an amaryllis, which is a wonderful Christmas flower and they can be purchased at any stage of development. For some people the fun is growing it from a bulb and watching it flower. Amaryllis bloom about 8 to 10 weeks after planting, so get them ready now if you want them to flower for the Christmas season.
Ned Birkey is MSU Extension educator emeritus and a regular contributor to The Monroe News.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Ned Birkey: Michigan ranks 10th with per acre average cash rental
