CTTC will be March 11-12, 2025, (Tuesday-Wednesday) at Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio. Connect with other great farmers and CCAs, experience new ideas, and increase your net income.
Our theme is “Getting More from Less.” Cutting costs is key following a year where corn and soybean yields were reduced for many farmers. And crop prices are barely breakeven. We don’t know what the weather will be in 2025, but commodity prices are projected to stay low.
Fred Yoder, no-till farmer at Plain City and former president of the National Corn Growers Assoc., will be the opening keynote speaker and will appear two more times on the program. He’ll discuss economic benefits of continuous no-till. Also, insights into the new USDA leadership and the Farm Bill.
Jeff Duling, Putnam County, will discuss how he works with Mother Nature to increase yields with no-till and cover crops. Part of his farmland is Paulding clay, considered the worst soil in NW Ohio. He has increased corn yields on it by 50 to 75 Bu/ac. He is sponsored by Pioneer.
Connor Sible, Asst. Professor, U. of Illinois, will share his research on various methods of “Managing Residue (from high-yielding corn): Mechanical, Chemical, and Biological.” He is sponsored by Calmer Corn Heads.
Etienne Herrick-Sutton, U. of Missouri, will speak on Regenerative Agriculture Outlook.
Rodrigo Werle, U. of Wisconsin, on Managing Waterhemp in Soybeans.
With about 60 speakers total, CTTC gives plenty of opportunities to gain valuable information. The program features four faculty from Midwest universities and more than 20 OSU Extension Educators and campus faculty.
The opening General Session will start at 8:30, March 11. Master Farmer Awards and the Ohio CCA of the Year will be announced.
Four concurrent sessions will begin at 10:00 a.m. The Tuesday sessions include: Soil Health, Cover Crops and No-till; Nutrient Management; Agronomic Crop Management; and Precision Ag & Technology.
The four sessions on Wednesday will begin at 8:30, and end about 4:30. Sessions include: Soil Health, Cover Crops and No-till; Crop Management; Water Quality; and Regenerative Agriculture.
Take advantage of the opportunity to discuss one-on-one with speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and other participants. Bring a friend and/or family members.
CTTC Schedule, March 11-12, 2025 (Tues.-Wed.)
General Session. Room A
8:30 to 9:45
Welcome Randall Reeder, OSU Extension Ag. Engineer, (retired)
Master Farmer Awards Jennifer Kiel, Editor of American Agriculturist
Ohio CCA of the Year Award, presented by Jason Hartschuh
Keynote presentation: Farmer’s Role in Washington Decisions. Fred Yoder, past president of National Corn Growers Association.
Also, comments by Brian Baldridge, Director of Ohio Dept. of Agriculture
Four Concurrent Sessions
Agronomy Management, Tuesday, Room A
10:00 to 5:30
Dr. Rodrigo Werle, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Waterhemp Management in Soybean: Cost-Effective Herbicide Selection and the Role of Cover Crops
Dr. Alyssa Essman, OSU Extension Weed Specialist: Agronomic Weed Management Update
Lunch
Panel (Fred Yoder, Jeff Duling, Connor Sible, Bill Bayless) (Dusty Sonnenberg, Moderator).
Dr. Osler Ortez, OSU Extension Corn Specialist: The Ohio Corn Performance Tests: Trends, Changes, and Yields over 50 Years
Colin Barclay, OSU: Interseeding Soybeans Into Wheat and Its Effect on Weeds and Soybean Cyst Nematode
Break
Dr. Horacio Lopez-Nicora, OSU Extension Plant Pathologist: The Soybean Cyst Nematode Challenge: Present and Future
Dr. Emma Matcham, OSU: Managing Nutrient Sources in Dry Conditions for Silage and Hay Production
Kendall Lovejoy, OSU Extension: Effect of Starter Phosphorus Fertilizer on Yield and Economics
Nutrient Management, Tuesday, Room B
10:00 to 5:15
Variability in Manure Application Rates and Composition in Ohio
Doug Jackson Smith, OSU
Long-term Effects of Crop Livestock Integration on Soil Health in Ohio
Ryan Haden & Matt Falb, OSU-ATI
Putnam County SWCD Water Quality Monitoring Project
Jeff Nordhaus (PCSWCD) and Justin McBride (ODA)
Maximizing the Value of that Other Commodity – Manure
Christine Brown, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
LUNCH
Best Management Practices for Manure Handling and Application
Frances Springer, Ohio Dept.of Agriculture, Division of Soil and Water Conservation
Innovative Conservation Practice Implementation in Mercer County
Theresa Dirksen, Mercer SWCD
Is Anaerobic Digestion the Right Choice for Your Farm
Dan Anderson, Iowa State University
BREAK
ODA-DLEP – Overview and Regulation Changes for permitted livestock operations
Sam Mullins, Ohio Department of Agriculture
360 Rain Manure Application on Corn and Forages
Glen Arnold, OSU Extension
Soil Health, Cover Crops and No-till. Tuesday, Chapel
10:15 to 5:15.
Jim Hoorman, Hoorman Soil Health Services, Using Biologicals to reduce nutrients and costs
Michael Watercutter, Ideal cover crop mixes
Lunch
Dr. Aaron Wilson, OSU Climate Specialist, What’s ahead for 2025 on the Drought
Farm Panel: How to Deal with Drought using No-till & Cover Crops (Keith Dennis, Jeff Duling, Leon Klopfenstein, Alan Sundermeier, Matt Van Tilburg, Mark Hoorman)
Break
Dr. Connor Sible, U. of Illinois, Managing Crop Residue with Biology
Alan Sundermeier, Conservation Action Project (CAP) and Retired Extension Educator, Can Biological Testing save you Money on Nutrients? Research from Northwest Ohio
Dr. Linda Barrett S4 Mobile Laboratories, Measuring Soil Organic Carbon using Robots
Precision Ag and Technology. Tuesday, Room C
10:00 to ~5:00
Using AERO-Blitz for Drone Delivery of Nutrients,
Jeff Gilder, The Andersons
High Clearance Robotic Irrigation Impacts on Yield and Nutrient Application, Andrew Klopfenstein, OSU
Lunch
Update on UAS Use in Ohio
David Gallengher, Ohio UAS Center
Using Drones to Seed Pastures and Plant Cover Crops
Alex Thomas, OSU
Targeted Spraying Technology for Applying Crop Protection Products
John Fulton, OSU
Break
OSU Experience and Economics from 2024
Nate Douridas and Amanda Douridas, OSU
John Deere See&Spray
Jenna Lee, AgPro
Precision Planting Symphony Nozzle + Symphony Vision
Bill Lemhkuhl, Precision Agri Services
Four Concurrent Sessions, Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Agronomy Management. Wednesday Room A
8:30 to 4:00
Dr. Stephanie Karhoff, OSU Extension, Evaluating Cover Crop Seeding Rates
Alex Thomas, OSU, Drone Cover Crop Seeding
Dr. Manni Singh, Michigan State University, Managing Ear Rots and Mycotoxins in Corn Silage
Break
Panel: Vomitoxin Management Research Update and Industry (Moderator Jason Hartschuh, OSU Extension
Lunch
Morgan Goodnight, Purdue University, Fungicide Timing Strategies for Tar Spot Management
Rachel Cochran, OSU, Conducting a Nitrogen Rate Trial Following a Cereal Rye Cover Crop Utilizing the MRTN Framework
Break
Dr. Aaron Wilson, OSU Extension Climatologist, What's Ahead for 2025
Water Quality and Conservation Practices. Wed. Room B
8:30 to 3:30
Phosphorus Levels in the WLEB and targeted practices for P hot spots.
Boden Fisher & Justin McBride, ODA
Two-Stage ditch nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) retention during five flow regimes.
Katie Rumora, Biologist, USDA-ARS Drainage Unit
Understanding the performance of cascading waterways in Ohio agricultural landscapes. Steve Lyon, Professor, OSU, Hydrology and Water Resources
Break
Risk reduction through automated drainage water management.
Steve Lyon, Professor, OSU, Hydrology and Water Resources
Nutrient losses and soil health of fields under long-term no-till and cover crops.
Dr Will Osterholz, Research Soil Scientist, USDA-ARS Drainage Unit
Soil Health Legacy Effects of Alternative Approaches to Integrating Crop and Livestock Production.
Dr Louceline Fleuridor, Post Doctoral Scholar, OSU
Lunch
Are we making progress in agricultural P loss? Panel
P and N rate on-farm trials.
Alan Sundermeier, Conservation Action Project (CAP), and OSU Extension (Retired)
Break
Should we consider soil residual N to improve corn N management?
Greg LaBarge, Agronomic Systems, OSU Extension
Soil Health, Cover Crops and No-till. Wed., Chapel
8:30 to 4:15
Dr. Osler Ortez, OSU Extension Corn Specialist: Maximizing corn genetics using No-till and Cover Crops Sustainability
Chris Brandt, Brandt Family Farm: Forty years of no-till and cover crop progress at the Brandt Farm
Break
Farmer Panel: Reducing Costs with No-till and Cover Crops (Matt Burkholder, Jeff Duling, Matt Van Tilburg, Cody Beacom)
Lunch
Fred Yoder, No-till Farmer: USDA Updates, Farm Bill, 45Z, E15 and Carbon
Lydia Dresbach, Dresbach Farms: Diversifying your farm using soil health to increase profits
Break
Etienne Herrick-Sutton, U. of Missouri, Regenerative Ag: Maximizing Benefits from Cover Crops
Jim Hoorman, Hoorman Soil Health Services: All about Glyphosate Effects and finding Alternatives
Regenerative Ag. and Ecosystem Services, Wed. Room C
8:30 to 3:00
Regenerative practices or soil carbon storage – Which should be our goal?
Prof. Warren Dick, OSU Soil Scientist (retired).
Regenerative agriculture: Diversifying your farm
Lydia Dresbach, Dresbach Farms
Integrated tests to better understand soil biology
Alan Sundermeier, Conservation Agriculture Project (CAP)
Artificial intelligence and drones for regenerative agriculture
Chris Stewart, OSU Prof., Computer Science Dept.
Break
Regenerative agriculture outlook
Etienne Sutton, Center for Regenerative Agric., Univ. of Missouri
Improving regenerative practices with the soil quality / health calculator App
Arif Rahman, OSU South Centers
Lunch
Controlled grazing and regenerative agriculture
Josh Winters, OSU Extension, Jackson County
Aspirin and sulfur fertilization to improve drought tolerance of crops
Rafiq Islam, OSU South Centers
Panel discussion: Audience questions
(Chris Stewert, Warren Dick, and Etienne Sutton). Moderated by Rafiq Islam
Registration
Registration will be a flat rate $100. Click HERE to register online or print a mail-in registration form as attached with payment. (Registration after February 25, or on-site, will be $150.)
If you are planning to stay overnight, take advantage of available but limited rooms at discounted rates at “The Inn “at the Ohio Northern University. To avail of this promo, visit this LINK. (When reserving, mention CTTC)
Hope to see you all there!
Plan to attend CTTC March 11-12, 2025, at Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio.