Bruce Clevenger
Ohio
Ohio State University Extension Field Specialist- Farm Management and Associate Professor, CCA
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Articles by Bruce Clevenger
Recalculate cost of production after planting – Ugh! Why bother?
By Wm. Bruce Clevenger, Ohio State University Extension, Field Specialist, Farm Management After corn and soybeans are in the ground, the last thing many farmers want to do is revisit the numbers. Planting is stressful enough — why dig back into cost of production? The short answer is simple: A lot has changed since last fall, and those changes matter. From November 2025 to the present, many operations have adjusted original plans. That is normal.
May WASDE Report offers first glance at 2026 crop
By Doug Tenney, Leist Mercantile Traders and producers alike were anxious to see if ending stocks for 2025 corn and soybeans are a ditto of the April WASDE report. In the past, a WASDE Report with little changes from the previous month has been referred to as a “punt.” Did USDA “punt,” today? Don’t forget that the Trump/Xi summit meeting will take place this week on Thursday and Friday. This week rumors are swirling that China is inquiring about buying US corn.
A tale of two different planting seasons
Things are going pretty good on our farm right now. We are probably halfway done with corn and soybean planting, which is pretty far along for this time of year in our area. I cannot complain. It is kind of dry right now, and they are calling for rain and colder weather, so we are just kind of chilling out and seeing what happens. As far as the drought talk goes, I would say northwest Ohio has improved. We had a lot of water last month, and there are still spots with water lying in the low areas.
Put grain marketing on auto steer when—When you can
By Wm. Bruce Clevenger and Garth McDorman, Ohio State University Extension A common reason grain marketing plans fall short is simple: They never get executed. Many plans are well‑designed on paper — with clear bushel amounts, target dates, price goals, and percentages. But when the season gets busy and urgent tasks pile up, marketing often slips to the bottom of the list.
Calculating carrying charges for post-harvest marketing
By Wm. Bruce Clevenger, Ohio State University Extension, Field Specialist, Farm Management The post-harvest marketing plans are tactical in nature. We should think about our storage costs in terms of what it costs us, both from a physical, interest, and a cash flow standpoint, to hold that grain in storage. “Carrying charges” or “cost-of-carry” indicates what the future is telling us in terms of grain storage. Is it incentivizing us to store grain?
Estimate cost of production while doing your tax return
By Wm. Bruce Clevenger, Ohio State University Extension, Field Specialist, Farm Management The 2026 crop cost of production is an important figure to calculate — yes, calculate. It should not be a number kept in your head or based on a gut feeling. Instead, it must be grounded in a realistic estimate of your crop yield and a clear understanding of both variable and fixed costs. What is cost of production?
Don’t make grain marketing a New Year’s resolution
By Wm. Bruce Clevenger, Ohio State University Extension, Field Specialist, Farm Management Don’t let the failure rate of New Year’s resolutions be the downfall of your grain marketing strategies for 2026. I looked at three university studies that reported only 10% to 36% of resolutions last 30 days into the new year. Furthermore, only 8% to 10% make it to a full year. Your grain marketing strategy or plan for 2026 deserves better.
2024 Ohio State Soybean Performance Trial Results
Crop Performance Trials The following numbers are courtesy of The Ohio State University. For information about the field plot design, method of conducting trials, and production practices among more, click here. Figure 1. 2024 Ohio Soybean Performance Trial locations- Henry, Sandusky, Mercer, Licking, Preble, and Clinton County. In 2024, soybean yield varied greatly among the six trial locations (Henry, Sandusky, Mercer, Licking, Preble, and Clinton Counties) (Table 1).
Basics of Grain Marketing Workshop
By Bruce Clevenger, Adapted from C.O.R.N. 2024-41 Registration is now open for the Basics of Grain Marketing Workshop, January 16 & 17, 2025 at the OSU Extension Champaign County Office in Urbana, Ohio. This in-person workshop offers education and farm ready strategies on topics such as: basis, market carry, margins, cash markets, forward and futures contracts, hedge to arrive and basis contracts, differed price, hedging, storage, and overviews on options, spreads, and crop insurance.
Ohio: Crops & Conservation Field Day, Defiance, Sept. 7
The new ACRE (Ag Conservation, Research and Education) Farm started in 2022. Research plots were established that include: soybean planting date, soybean relative maturity, and soybean fungicide-insecticide-wheel traffic. Come join us to explore the mystery of soil nematodes in both soybeans and corn. Discover ways to make soybean cropping decisions to improve our opportunities for successful wheat and cover crops. Learn from a panel of farmers about conservation successes and failures.
Defiance County Ag Hall of Fame nominations due Feb. 1
Defiance County agriculture has outstanding producers, leaders and innovators that have worked countless hours to strengthen the reputation of the farming industry. These noteworthy people often don’t seek recognition, but deserve to be nominated for their commitment and dedication to the past, the present and the future. The public is invited to make nominations for induction into the 2022 Defiance County Agriculture Hall of Fame.
Fertilizer calculator for new Ohio recommendations available
An update to the Fertilizer Calculator for Ohio has been posted at https://go.osu.edu/ohiofertilitytool. The Fertilizer Calculator for Ohio (Version 2021) is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet developed to support users who want to generate their own recommendations based on the Tri-State Fertilizer Recommendations for Corn, Soybeans, Wheat, and Alfalfa, 2020. The spreadsheet is designed to be compatible with Excel version 1997-2003 or later.
Now is the time to adjust your water table level
December 2, 2020 Crops, Top Headlines By Boden Fisher, Bruce Clevenger, CCA, Ohio State University Extension With Ohioans nearing completion of the harvest season for grain crops, producers throughout the state are also working to finish post-harvest field operations such as fertilization, herbicide and manure applications, and fall tillage. Once these operations are completed fields will receive little traffic in the coming months, until preparation for planting begins in early spring.
Now is the Time to Adjust your Water Table Level
By Boden Fisher and Bruce Clevenger With Ohioans nearing completion of the harvest season for grain crops, producers throughout the state are also working to finish post-harvest field operations such as fertilization, herbicide and manure applications, and fall tillage. Once these operations are completed fields will receive little traffic in the coming months, until preparation for planting begins in early spring.
Make a clean sweep of unwanted farm pesitcides
One of the most responsible things to do on a farm is to properly store, apply, and dispose of pesticides according to the product label instructions. Occasionally, farmers have a supply of unused, unwanted pesticides in storage on the farm. Maybe a small quantity is left over each season and year after year the unwanted pesticides accumulate. Maybe the farmer bought a farm with buildings and the new owner finds pesticides stored in the barn.
Heavy maple seed production = slow leaf development
Across Ohio, extension offices have received phone calls and email messages from landowners concerned about the health of maples should soon be on the rise. That’s because maples, especially silver (Acer saccharinum) and red maples (A. rubrum), in many regions of Ohio as well as Indiana and Kentucky are producing loads of winged seeds (samaras). Extension specialists Joe Boggs and Curtis Young shared some thoughtful insight and research into these observations. The problem is two-fold.
Managing head scab with fungicides Q&A
Most of the wheat in the northern half of the state is still between Feekes growth stage 7 (second node formed on the stem) to 8 (early flag leaf emergence), but in the southern half of the state, wheat is much further along. Understandably, wet weather and rain fall near wheat heading time, folks are asking questions about head scab and vomitoxin.
No vote on community rights in Williams County, yet
September 19, 2019 Country Life, Top Headlines By Evin Bachelor, Law Fellow, Ohio State University Extension Agricultural & Resource Law Program A proposed county charter for Williams County, Ohio containing language similar to the Lake Erie Bill of Rights may not make it on the November ballot. The Ohio Supreme Court recently refused to compel the Williams County Board of Elections (BOE) to include the charter on the ballot for procedural reasons.
Exports below 2018 levels for U.S. pork, beef
May 1, 2019 Livestock, Top Headlines February exports of U.S. pork and beef fell below last year’s levels while lamb exports trended higher, according to statistics released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Pork export volume was down 9% from a year ago in February to 186,745 metric tons (mt), while export value dropped 17% to $455.9 million — the lowest monthly value total since February 2016.
Raise your hand for Ohio 4-H!
Albert Belmont Graham, known as the founder of 4-H, was born March 13, 1868. April 25, 2019 Blogs, Matt Reese, Slider By Matt Reese Albert Belmont Graham, known as the founder of 4-H, was born March 13, 1868 and went on to help change the lives of countless young people by starting the now internationally known program in Clark County near Springfield. As the home of 4-H, Ohio has been well represented during the previous years of the National 4-H Raise Your Hand Campaign, winning both years.
Ohio’s 2018 county yields now available
April 11, 2019 Crops, Top Headlines By Bruce Clevenger, CCA, Ohio State University Extension The 2018 Ohio county estimates for crop yields were recently published by the USDA-National Agricultural Statistics Service. This annual report provides a look back to the previous production year and give an average of planted and harvested acres as well as the county yield in bushels per acre and a total estimated production for the county.
‘Computerized Farm Record Keeping Workshop’ offered
Are you a farmer looking for a better way to keep your farm records? As farm size, income or debt increases, many farmers and lenders look for computer programs that allow fast data entry, have internal checks for accuracy and allow summarizing of data. Most farmers begin their search by asking “Is there a simple computer program that will keep my records like the farm account books?” If so, plan on attending OSU Extension’s “Computerized Farm Record Keeping Workshop using Quicken” on Feb.
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