Farm and Dairy’s week in review: 5/2

Here are this week’s top stories from Farm and Dairy:

1. How should I arrange the plants in my garden? A guide to companion planting

Companion planting allows for plants to provide benefits such as improved growth, flavor and pest control for other plants, such as asparagus and tomatoes. There are also certain plants that shouldn’t be near each other in the garden, like peas and onions.

Whether you’ve always put your plants in the same locations in your garden or have tried succession planting in the past, try companion planting this year to allow plants to naturally help one another.

2. For good spring and summer pastures, start early

Ohio State University Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator Mark Landefeld offers tips for managing pasture growth in early spring so that high quality and high quantity forage is produced throughout spring, summer and fall.

Rotating livestock through grazing areas will allow for plants and well-developed root systems to produce high-quality forage, while allowing livestock to graze the same areas over and over again will ultimately damage roots. Producers should also watch for bloat, monitor growth in paddocks and use fertilizer wisely during the spring months.

3. If weeds could talk

Weeds may not be your favorite thing growing in your garden, but they might prove useful by  indicating the health of your soil. Weeds can tell you if your soil is acidic or alkaline. Also, weeds can indicate if your soil is fertile or not.

Online columnist Ivory Harlow offers lists of weeds and what they say about soil health.

4. Ohio farmers, itching to plant, watch markets continue lower

Current grain prices have farmers wondering if there will be a profit in farming other than the best crop yields. As of April 28, corn and wheat prices were low but soybeans looked better.

Grain commentator Marlin Clark says that new recent lows project better planting progress. Ohio is now 2 percent planted and the U.S. is now 19 percent planted, up from 9 percent last week. Better weather is in the forecast, too, which means a return to normal for traders.

5. Sally Darling, 1935-2015

The Farm and Dairy staff extends its condolences to Tom and Scot Darling upon the death of their mother, Sally Darling, April 29. Sally assisted her husband, the late Wayne T. Darling, while he was publisher of Farm and Dairy newspaper.