Lee S. Beers

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Articles

Give thanks for dairy farmers

Nov 27, 2024 | farmanddairy.com | Lee S. Beers

Happy Thanksgiving! Today is my favorite holiday of the year. I love the food, spending time with family and, most importantly, taking the time to be thankful for the positive moments of the past year. That last part might be a bit harder this year for folks on farms due to the impacts of the drought, low crop prices and lower yields in some areas. So I know it might take a little more effort to find the positive moments from this past year.
Harvest in full swing throughout northeast Ohio

Oct 17, 2024 | farmanddairy.com | Lee S. Beers

We are starting to see the full crop response to the dry weather as yield and test weights are measured. Excluding a few counties near Lake Erie, most of Ohio continues to see severe drought. Some of my colleagues dubbed the areas around Lake Erie “Ohio’s garden spot” due to the amount of rain they received. Drought conditions increase in a continual gradient as you continue south. Crop quality and yields appear to be following this same gradient.
Maximize winter wheat planting

Sep 19, 2024 | farmanddairy.com | Lee S. Beers

Dry weather continues to dominate farm management discussion throughout Ohio and neighboring states. The recent U.S. Drought Monitor map illustrates the widespread drought conditions, which includes 95% of Ohio under some form of drought or abnormally dry conditions. Conditions are certainly dry here in Trumbull County, but my heart sinks thinking about the severe drought conditions farmers are facing in southeast Ohio. Some reported forage and corn yields have been especially disheartening.
It’s a great day for hay — let’s keep it that way - Farm and Dairy

Aug 15, 2024 | farmanddairy.com | Lee S. Beers

Hay season is starting to wind down for the season with only one or two more cuttings left. As the hay and straw stacks grow, it’s important to inspect the stacks for stability as you add or remove bales. There is an art to stacking hay no matter if they are small squares, round bales or large square bales of hay to ensure they remain stable during transport or storage. Despite your best stacking, hay will settle or shift over time, especially on uneven ground, causing the stack to lean.
Not all neighbors are neighborly

Aug 2, 2024 | farmanddairy.com | Lee S. Beers

Many people move to rural communities to enjoy the peace and quiet of a slower way of life, and to spend more time outdoors. For those who are not familiar with farming, they may expect to hear an occasional chicken or cow mooing in the distance like Old McDonald’s farm. You can imagine their surprise when they get a whiff of liquid manure being spread around the corner, or when a helicopter is just in the distance spraying fungicide on corn.
Crop nutrition — like staves in a barrel - Farm and Dairy

Jul 4, 2024 | farmanddairy.com | Lee S. Beers

I don’t know about you, but my social media feed has been filled recently with ads and videos promoting the benefits of calcium, liquid lime, biological and many other agronomic cure-alls. Some of the ads use wrong information to sell their product, some stick to the facts and many stretch the truth somewhere in between. I am an advocate for trying new ideas to see if they can make an improvement, but only after doing some basic research to investigate their claims.
I’ve got a day, let’s make hay

May 30, 2024 | farmanddairy.com | Lee S. Beers

Making high quality dairy forage can be difficult, especially between forecasted rains. “Hay in day,” or more accurately high moisture haylage in a day, is increasing in popularity to optimize forage nutrition and to increase the number of hay making days during the year. The goal of hay in a day is to mow, rake, chop (or bale and wrap) forages all in one day. It sounds difficult, but it may be a good option for your farm.
Spring is the time for tractor safety

May 3, 2024 | farmanddairy.com | Lee S. Beers

With the amount of April showers we’ve had this year, we should be knee deep in May flowers. Normal precipitation amounts for the month of April in northeast Ohio are around 3.75 inches. As I’m writing this article, with seven days remaining in April, we have exceeded that amount by about 2 inches. All of the rain has delayed some of our normal field work activities. I know many are anxious to get started once soil conditions are favorable with many long days and nights ahead.
Is the equipment bubble deflating?

Apr 4, 2024 | farmanddairy.com | Lee S. Beers

If you’ve shopped for equipment in the last few years, you’re probably still recovering from sticker shock. Supply chain disruptions decreased available inventory at a time of high demand for new equipment, driven by high crop prices and low interest rates. New equipment prices skyrocketed, leading many to purchase used which, in turn, led to higher prices in the used equipment market. Equipment manufacturers ramped up production to meet the higher demand.
The scoop on human poop

Mar 7, 2024 | farmanddairy.com | Lee S. Beers

Fertilizer, fuel, and labor associated with crop fertility are a significant input cost for farmers each year. Finding a strategy to reduce these costs is a frequent conversation for most farmers each year. The rapid increase in fertilizer and fuel prices in 2022 brought this conversation front and center. Although fertilizer prices have steadily declined over the past year, lower anticipated crop prices for 2024 and higher diesel prices will stress crop budgets this planting season.