By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

SOUTH CHARLESTON, Ohio — Soybean rust, corn diseases, alfalfa fertility, root worms. These topics and many more will be addressed at this year’s Agronomy Field Day in South Charleston, Ohio.
But according to Ohio State University Extension educator Harold Watters, weed control will be on every attendee’s mind at this year’s gathering.

“The growing season has gone well for most, even though we’ve had some late planting here in Ohio,” Watters said, “and with all that planting weed control is a big issue with most people this growing season.”

A huge gathering is expected at this event, which will be held July 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center’s (OARDC) Western Agricultural Research Station at 7721 South Charleston Pike in South Charleston, Ohio.
Preregistration is required (call Jonah Johnson at 937-328-4607) and the cost is $15 per person.

The day will start with a wagon tour of the farm plots from 9 a.m. to noon. From 1-3 p.m. attendees will revisit the plots with the chance to meet with a specialist for in-depth discussions about problems found in the field.

“For the past two years we’ve done afternoon wagon tours through the plots,” Watters said, “but this year we’ll do the wagon tours in the morning then offer the participants a chance to head back into the fields with one of the researchers for a more in-depth, almost one-on-one session.”

Pierce Paul, a cereal grains pathologist with OARDC and OSU Extension, will discuss integrated disease management.
Forage Specialist Mark Sulc will address alfalfa fertility based on removal rates and fertilizer sources.

Entomologist Andrew Michel will field questions pertaining to rootworms, cutworms and aphids.

Soybean pathologist Anne Dorrance will share her mid-season diagnostics and will look at foliar diseases and Asian soybean rust. Cover crops and nitrogen management is one of the well-attended stops. Soil Fertility Specialist Robert Mullen will talk these cover crops while weed specialist Mark Loux will talk about weed control issues for 2009.

Corn Specialist Peter Thompson will explain how corn plants can recover from weather-related injuries.

Assisting Watters in this effort will be Jonah Johnson, OSU Extension agent from Clark County. “This field day is planned as a higher-caliber educational opprtunity,” Johnson said. “In the past, we’ve noticed that a lot of people have questions during the wagon tours, but there’s not always the chance to get all of those questions answered. This year we’re offering the opportunity for more in-depth quesitons, giving the attendee a chance to pick the researchers’ brains a bit.”

The $15 fee will cover the lunch, materials and other expenses. Included in the fee are educational credits for Certified Crop Advisor and Pesticide Applicator Training recertification. For more information about the Agronomy Field Day contact Harold Watters at 937-484-1526 or Jonah Johnson at 937-328-4607.