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The recent heavy rainfall events have implications on the fate of applied nitrogen (N). In the past two weeks, Ohio has received rainfall ranging from about 1.5 inches in the northwest to 6 inches in the central-eastern counties. Year to date, we are experiencing 2 to 8% higher rainfall than normal. Nitrogen loss is exacerbated under such excessive rainfall scenarios via three pathways: runoff, leaching, and denitrification.

RUNOFF

Spring means rapid forage growth, but it also means rapid weed growth. Due to the variability of spring weather, there are often only a few opportunities to control emerging summer annual weeds, winter annuals missed in the fall, and biennials that are small enough to effectively control. To manage weeds before they become a problem in forages, it is important to scout and plan accordingly. Forage is a broad category, and the spring weed control plan can look very different between species and operations.

Does it seem like a new precision weed management technology is popping up just as frequently as weeds do in your fields? With the rapid pace of innovation in this area, it can be hard to stay informed of the most recent developments. In response to frequent questions about drone technology, the GROW network is hosting its first Farmer Forum of 2024 on Monday, April 15th at 2 pm ET to provide some insight into how drones are being used for weed management.