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Articles by Ed Lentz
Stay alert: harvest traffic increases across northwest Ohio
Harvest season is in full swing across Northwest Ohio, and rural roads are seeing a sharp increase in farm machinery traffic. Soybean harvest has been underway for several weeks, and while some corn has already been taken off, most corn harvest will occur in the coming weeks. Hancock County also has many doublecrop soybeans—planted after early wheat harvest—that will mature late in October. As a result, harvest activity will continue well into November, followed immediately by wheat planting.
Managing prussic acid in sorghum forages after frost
Farmers often plant annual warmseason grasses — such as sorghum-sudangrass — to supplement permanent pastures and hay fields for cattle and sheep. These grasses grow rapidly during hot, dry summer weather and provide a nutritious, highyielding forage. Many producers refer to sorghum–sudangrass as “cow candy” because livestock readily consume it. As colder weather approaches, however, livestock owners should be aware of the risks associated with feeding sorghum species after frost events.
Spotted Lanternfly numbers low in county
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Wheat planting season arrives for farmers
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Ohio Farm Science Review returns
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Red crown rot rears its head
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Don't blame the bees: On hover flies and yellowjackets
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Mushrooms make major appearance in local yards
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Deadline nears for Ohio farmland lease changes
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Best time arrives for planting perennial forages
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A new reality in Ohio corn: living with tar spot
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Weather raises concerns for corn pollination
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Corn height reflects a challenging spring
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Amber waves of grain
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Beware of the bagworm
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Return of the New World screwworm
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Be careful around poison hemlock
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Pesticide, fertilizer applicator recertification training offered
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Become an OSU Master Gardener volunteer in 2026
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Farm Science Review: More than a big fair
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Spring wheat management
By Laura Lindsey, Pierce Paul, Ed Lentz, CCA, Alyssa Essman, Ohio State University Extension Spring is an important time to make key management decisions for winter wheat. Decisions should be made on wheat growth stage, not calendar date or crop height. Correct growth stage identification and knowledge of factors that affect grain yield can enhance management decisions, avoiding damage to the crop and unwarranted or ineffective applications.
Early wheat green-up may require adjustments
As yards are turning green, so are wheat fields — what farmers call green-up. It’s when plants have started spring growth of new leaves. A field must be completely green in color to be considered at the green-up growth stage. It was unusual to see so much green before St. Patrick’s Day this year. This early occurrence is most likely from the strong El Niño pattern in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Previously, this pattern happened in 2016, 1998 and 1982.
EQIP funding to improve bird habitat in Ohio
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced a statewide effort focused on creating and improving upland bird habitat in Ohio. Private landowners and producers can apply for funding through the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Applications for EQIP are taken on a continuous basis, however, interested landowners are encouraged to contact their local NRCS service center prior to the anticipated Feb.
Wheat and zinc deficiency
By Manbir Rakkar, Laura Lindsey and Ed Lentz, CCA, Ohio State University Extension We have had a question about whether wheat would benefit from zinc (Zn) fertilizer. Zinc is one of the essential plant nutrients. An optimum amount of Zn is needed for the synthesis of carbohydrates, proteins, and chlorophyll in plants. It also plays a critical role in various enzymatic activities. Therefore, Zn should be available for crops in adequate amounts to avoid yield reductions.
It's not easy being green
Green fields of wheat can be observed across Northwest Ohio. This time of year, these fields look like large green yards that don’t need mowing. However, in a month these "lawns" will change from low-growing grass to plants with upright stems that will produce visible spikes by Memorial Day. Farmers know that these plants will need spring nitrogen to produce one hundred bushels of grain per acre.
When & How Much Nitrogen to Apply to Wheat
Wheat has already reached green-up across Ohio, so spring nitrogen (N) may be applied anytime fields are fit. Keep in mind that research has shown no yield benefit to early N applications as long as the application was made by Feekes GS 6 (one visible node). If you need a reminder on how to assess if wheat is at Feekes GS 6, see this video. Nitrogen applied early has the potential to be lost since wheat will use little N until after jointing.
Hot topics in grain crops
Home/Crops/Hot topics in grain crops Crops, Top Headlines By Ed Lentz, Ohio State University Extension The Ohio State University Extension Hancock County office will be offering its Hot Topics in Grain Crops Series over three evenings in February and March at the Hancock County Agricultural Service Center, 7868 CR 140, Findlay, OH 45840. Each meeting will cover one specific crop — wheat, corn, and soybean.
Columbus had lots of options to celebrate New Year's 1922-23, from simple to adventurous
| Special to The Columbus Dispatch For most people in Columbus, Ohio, New Year’s Day in 1923 was a time to celebrate the coming of new times and to remember passing places and people. The weather was chilly but cooperative, and many people took the opportunity of a holiday weekend to spend time with family and friends. Most of the churches in the city held “night watch” services on New Year’s Eve, with special programs of singing and music. Other people spent the evening in a favorite restaurant.
Weather outside wasn't frightful for Christmas in Columbus in 1922
| Special to The Columbus Dispatch Christmas in Columbus in 1922 was a balmy kind of day. The weather was clear, and for a town where snow in October was not unheard of, the temperature was a pleasant 51 degrees. It was shirtsleeve weather and welcome to many people who had places to go and people to see over the holidays. And there was a lot to see and do. Ohio’s capital city was a bustling town of transportation and trade, as well as a center of government and the home of Ohio State University.
Cruiser demonstrated John Rarey’s unbridled ability to train spirited horses
| Special to The Columbus Dispatch He was perhaps a horse whisperer in a sense. In his time, John Solomon Rarey was the most effective and efficient horse trainer in America and through much of the rest of the world. He was one of the best-compensated men of his profession and was quite simply the best of his kind, well-known for his ability to calm the most dangerous of horses. And no matter how far he traveled, he always returned to the place where he had started — rural central Ohio.
James B. Gardiner was a journalist, joker, tavern owner in Columbus
| Special to The Columbus Dispatch There is an old saying, “Every decent deck of cards needs a joker.” One might add that a community might need one, too. If that is the case, James B. Gardiner did his best to fill that role. Many of the people who settled in central Ohio in the early years after the American Revolution were not of a frivolous mind.
A century ago, regal airships once ruled the skies
| Special to The Columbus Dispatch In their time and in their brief day, they were the lords of the skies. A little more than a century ago, giant airships that resembled huge sausages, as long as a city block, moved majestically across the skies of much of the world. People had been trying to take flight since the mythical Icarus and Daedalus donned the feathers of birds and tried unsuccessfully to fly.
Ghost stories always give Columbus residents a thrill
| Special to The Columbus Dispatch The Halloween season once again is upon us. Over the years, the people of Columbus and central Ohio have celebrated the season in a variety of ways, not the least of which is children in costume going door-to-door saying “trick or treat.” This usually results in the children and their chaperones returning home with bags, baskets or pockets full of candy and other treats. In recent years, the person who did not yield a treat doesn't really get tricked that much.
In Jacob Studer, Columbus had enthusiastic pitchman promoting city in 1870s
| Special to The Columbus Dispatch In 1872, Columbus was a rapidly growing city. A town of about 18,000 people in 1860, Columbus was an admixture of original residents and recent Irish and German immigrants. By 1870, Columbus was a city of more than 31,000 people and was spreading in commerce and housing in all directions. There were many reasons for this rapid expansion of the capital city. Eight railroads entered Columbus, and the town had become a rail hub during the Civil War.
Columbus woman left her mark on Miss America pageant
| Special to The Columbus Dispatch The Miss America pageant seeks out a young woman and rewards her with recognition as one of the most beautiful and talented people in our country. And a young lady from Columbus named Mary Catherine Campbell is an important part of the early history of the event. In some ways it is a uniquely American story. Bathing beauty contests were not an innovation developed for the Miss America pageant.
The last Wyandot was one of the most memorable
| Special to The Columbus Dispatch Once upon a time, the people who were called Huron occupied much of the land from what is now Toledo south to Dublin and Columbus, to the place where the Scioto River met the Olentangy River. Most of what is now the northern third of Ohio was reserved for Native Americans by the Treaty of Greenville of 1795.
'Old Joe' the gardener grew into a Columbus legend
| Special to The Columbus Dispatch Columbus and central Ohio in the early to mid-1800s was a cauldron of social change as hundreds of new people flocked to the city to work in new industries and enterprises. Columbus was a county village of 2,000 people in 1831. By 1834, the arrival of the Ohio and Erie Canal and the National Road made it easier to come here and Columbus became a city of 5,000.
Broad Street bridges span history as well as Scioto River
| Special to The Columbus Dispatch The Scioto River and its neighbor, the Olentangy, which join near Downtown Columbus, have been at various times fickle and fragile, and at other times firm and forbearing. Native Americans have been living at the forks of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers for hundreds of years. The prehistoric mound builder people constructed large earthen mounds for ceremony and cemetery as well as defense.
As It Were: 'Swedish Nightingale' sent Columbus on path of regional arts center
It is sometimes easy to presume that the Buckskin men and women who settled the Ohio Country in the wake of the American Revolution were a crude and unkempt lot. This bold and adventurous group pushed back the line of the moving frontier and made the new land their own. Although uncultured, these people were unrelenting in their efforts and successful in their endeavors. Like many generalizations, there is some truth here, but most of this image is some distance from the truth.
With 'Blue Laws,' Labor Day's seasonal turn came to Columbus quietly in 1922
| Special to The Columbus Dispatch By the early part of the 20th century, Labor Day had become something of a hallmark in the lives of the people of America in general, and Columbus in particular. The actual change of season from summer to fall takes place a bit later in September. But in the years after the full emergence of Industrial America, Labor Day had become a place in time of its own. Then, Labor Day for many children was the last day of summer vacation − school started the next day.
Residents clashed with early immigrants to Columbus
| Special to The Columbus Dispatch It was a tumultuous time. The 1850s was a time of unprecedented growth and economic success for the UnitedStates. The new nation, founded only a generation earlier, saw itself change from a deeply indebted ragtagcollection of former British colonies into a united nation of almost limitless possibilities.
As It Were: Runaway slave Jerry Finney was ‘kidnapped’ in Columbus, returned to mistress Original
Columbus, Ohio, is a crossroads city. Founded in 1812 as a planned town to become the new capital of the state, Columbus is a town of diverse origins. Platted on the “High Banks opposite Franklinton at the Forks of the Scioto,” Columbus was a focal point where several early American land grants came in contact one with another. To the west and across the Scioto River was the Virginia Military District. First settled on its north side was the village of Franklinton in 1797.
As It Were: Arrival of telegraph in Columbus heralded new era of speedy communication
There was, and still remains, a common belief that the intrepid pioneers who ventured into the Ohio Country in the wake of the American Revolution were people lost to civilization, who had vanished into the forests and prairies never to return. Although it is true that travel was difficult and many people stayed forever in their new homes, this did not mean they lost contact with the world they had left behind. Some newcomers to Ohio made regular trips back East.
As It Were: Cultural Arts Center in Columbus has long history as state armory
It's a quaint little brick building with octagonal brick towers rising from all four corners of the structure – itself surrounded by a brick wall as tall as a person peering over. It resembles a fort in the middle of a downtown. And it is just that. Seated along the Scioto River and surrounded by high-rise, high-rent structures, this seems to be a little out of place. It isn't. This building was here long before the high-risers and probably will be here long after they're gone.
Waterhemp begins to appear
This past week, the Hancock County Extension Office was asked to identify a weed that "appeared" to pop up overnight. It was waterhemp, which can grow 3 inches in a day under the right conditions. This weed is often seen growing above the soybean canopy in late July but may be seen much sooner this year because of the above normal temperatures. Farmers need to check their fields for this troublesome weed and its more serious cousin: Palmer amaranth.
As It Were: Fishing was lure for anglers, stories throughout the years
Whether for sport or survival – or both – people have gone fishing for quite some time. From the mound builders to current pursuers of the elusive fish, residents of central Ohio have been catching and telling stories of their catches. Most of the earliest stories from frontier Ohio were not saved. But with the arrival of settlers after the American Revolution, stories of memorable catches – believable or otherwise – began to be recorded. A few of the best early stories are worth retelling.
Nutrient value of wheat straw
By Laura Lindsey, Lee Beers, CCA, and Ed Lentz, CCA, Ohio State University Extension Before removing the straw from the field, it’s important farmers understand the nutrient value. This is especially important now with high N, P, and K fertilizer prices. The nutrient value of wheat straw is influenced by several factors including weather, variety, and cultural practices. Thus, the most accurate values require sending a sample of the straw to an analytical laboratory.
5 Keys to Determine Supplemental Nitrogen Needs in Saturated Soil
By Greg LaBarge, Ed Lentz, and Osler Ortez Determining the amount of supplemental nitrogen, if any, that is needed after saturated soil conditions is a difficult question to answer. Soil conditions such as texture, temperature, and length of saturation plus nitrogen application factors timing, placement, source, inhibitors used along with the growth stage of corn which impacts the amount of N already taken up, affect the decision to apply additional N.
Ohio State Offers Tips for Supplemental N in Wet Weather
By Greg LaBarge, Ed Lentz, and Osler Ortez Determining the amount of supplemental nitrogen, if any, that is needed after saturated soil conditions is a difficult question to answer. Soil conditions such as texture, temperature, and length of saturation plus nitrogen application factors timing, placement, source, inhibitors used along with the growth stage of corn which impacts the amount of N already taken up, affect the decision to apply additional N.
Attractive, yellow-flowered weeds may harm livestock
The delayed planting this spring has allowed many weeds to survive longer and get larger compared to other growing seasons. Currently, some fields have weeds with striking yellow flowers. In fact, some of these fields have so many yellow-flowered weeds that it resembles a new crop in the area. Agronomists call this yellowed-flowered plant cressleaf groundsel because the leaves resemble those of garden cress and watercress.
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