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Editor’s Note: This is a column from OSU Extension, Trumbull County.

Hello Trumbull County.

Harvest is rolling on in the county and throughout the region following several dry stretches. The dry weather helps in many ways, mostly to dry the soil out to prevent stuck equipment, and it also helps dry down the crops themselves.

Soybeans will typically mature and dry down faster than corn, so as you drive around, you will see more soybean fields harvested at this point compared to corn. I would estimate that the soybean harvest is about 65 percent complete. There were many late-maturing beans (or double-crop) that were holding onto their leaves right up to our first frost that will still need to be harvested later this season.

There are a lot of early-maturing corn varieties that also have been harvested so far this year. Corn can take longer to dry down, but once it is dry on the stalk, it typically will not pick up too much more moisture from dew or light rain. Soybeans on the other hand could go from 13 percent moisture to 18 percent just from a heavy dew.

Harvesting wet grain will require drying in the grain bin with a fan, or with heat in a specially built grain drying system. Either of these options cost the farmer money in electricity or propane. Stored wet grain also will lead to spoilage and lower quality that will demand a lower price.

Last month, I talked about the shortage of grain storage in the Ohio. Higher-than-average yields for both corn and soybeans continue to put pressure on our storage infrastructure. Installing on-farm storage (or increasing current storage capacity) can be a costly expense, but depending on grain prices, marketing strategy and a farm’s plan, it may pay for itself within a couple of years. If you are considering the purchase of a grain bin, Kansas State and Iowa State have publications that will help you make your decision based on economics.

Welcome Andrew Holden

I am excited to announce that Andrew Holden has been hired as the new Ashtabula County Ag and Natural Resource Extension Educator. Andrew is a fourth-generation farmer from Pierpont and has a background in agronomy and farm business management. OSU Extension is excited to have Andrew as part of our NE Ohio team. You will see him at many of our events, so make sure to say “Hi” when you see him.

Upcoming events

OSU Extension Trumbull County, Trumbull SWCD and NRCS have teamed up to offer a Trumbull Farmer Lunch series this winter to provide hour-long educational sessions on a variety of topics. Our first lunch series will kick off 11:30 a.m. Dec. 4 as we learn about tax updates and how they affect farmers. You don’t have to be a farmer to get something useful from this program. David Marrison will be here to go over all the changes to the tax law. Cost for this program is $10 per person and includes lunch. Be sure to mark your calendars for the other upcoming events in this series, Jan. 8: Beef Quality Assurance; March 5: Climate Impacts for Ohio Agriculture; and April 2: Tillage and Soil Health. Each of these programs will be at the Trumbull County Ag and Family Education Center, 520 W. Main St., Cortland.

The Trumbull County Master Gardeners will continue to offer free evening programs this winter. The first of their “Wednesdays in the Classroom” series will be 6 p.m. Nov. 14 in the Ag Center conference room.

The topic of this class will be “Floral Arranging in Autumn Colors with Containers from Your House.”

For information about farming, gardening, the Master Gardener program, or any program, call OSU Trumbull County Extension Office at 330-638-6783 or visit their website. Don’t forget to check out and “Like” OSU Extension Trumbull County’s Facebook page for current programs and up to date information.

Submitted by Lee Beers, Extension educator, who can be reached by email or by calling 330-638-6738.