Farm and Dairy’s week in review: 8/30

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

1. ALS #IceBucketChallenge – farm style

For much of the summer, the ALS #IceBucketChallenge has been making waves on social media as people dumped buckets of water on themselves to raise awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Many farmers have taken on the challenge with an agricultural twist: using tractors, grain carts and backhoes to dump gallons of icy water on themselves!

2. Lake Erie: Challenges ahead, but progress being made

Lake Erie’s water problem gained national attention several weeks ago when the city of Toledo was issued a water ban due to harmful algal blooms. Since then, government leaders, residents and farmers have joined together to take steps to improve the lake’s water quality.

Part of the focus is on phosphorus runoff, so options like better drainage ditches and tile management can be used to control water flow on farms while also benefitting the soil and crops.

3. Portage County Fair Auction 2014

The Portage County Fair auction brought in $452,028.35 in a total of 514 lots. 11 categories of sales ranged from steers and hogs to geese and quail.

4. Looking into the crystal ball…is an early frost in the works?

With the year starting out with a polar vortex that pushed back the planting season, will an early frost put an end to the 2014 growing season? The long range forecast has been compiled, and as of now cooler air is predicted in September.

In the past, weather very similar to what Ohio and Pennsylvania experienced this summer occurred, creating conditions that affected the first frost date.

5. Estimating corn and soybean yields

How do you estimate your pre-harvest yields?

Thanks to several websites and companies, estimating corn and soybean yields is easier than ever. Formulas, worksheets and even online calculators can be used to get an idea of how much of a crop will be harvested.