Crappies are out there, you just have to find them

This year’s fishing season is off to a slow start, victimized by the lingering cool to cold weather. Anglers anxious to dunk baits have so far been disappointed, partially perhaps because they are spending time fishing their usual spring spots. Crappie, the area’s “go to” early season fish, aren’t using those usual spots yet, simply

Ohio law supersedes landowner’s wishes and allows pipeline survey

A Bloomingdale, Ohio, landowner lost the right to stop surveyors for Enterprise Liquids Pipeline from entering her farm.

Farmers, if you plan to plant a different crop on your current cropland, check with NRCS to assure the new crop will qualify under your conservation system.

Pa. Fish and Boat Commission sues Consol Energy over Dunkard Creek pollution

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) sued Consol Energy for civil damages resulting from a 2009 pollution incident in which discharges from a Consol coal mine entered Dunkard Creek, contributing to a massive fish kill spanning nearly 30 miles of stream in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Bi-partisan survey finds majority of Americans value forests

Commissioned by the National Association of State Foresters, the survey found 92 percent of Americans believe forests play a very important role in keeping the nation’s air clean. Of those, 58 percent rate the benefit as extremely important.

Rain-soaked fields have farmers wondering how much nitrogen is left?

URBANA, Ill. — Wet soil conditions this spring are causing growers to question nitrogen (N) levels present in their soils and how that will affect this year’s crop. Fabian Fernandez , University of Illinois Extension specialist in soil fertility and plant nutrition, said when soils become saturated, the potential for N loss is directly related

For a fostered foal, there’s nothing like a mother’s love

URBANA, Ill. —The loss of a mother: a tragic event for any species. Likewise, the loss of an infant: devastating. At the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana this spring, both of these events occurred, leaving a mare without her baby and a foal without a mother. To Dr. Kate McGovern, a resident

Michigan farm groups mad over Governor’s meatless decision

LANSING, Michigan — A resolution proclaiming March 20 a “meatless” day is being called a “meat-headed” decision by the state’s top agriculture groups. The resolution, sponsored by the Great American Meatout of Michigan, was endorsed by Mich. Gov. Jennifer Granholm and “encourages the residents of this state to choose not to eat meat.” The resolution

Expo sales average $2,055 per head

COLUMBUS — The major attractions at the Ohio Beef Expo March 15 were six purebred sales. Over 347 lots were sold with an average price of $2,055 and a gross of $713,050. Angus There was a total of 51 lots with a sale gross of $104,850. The sale average was $2,056. The high-selling bull was

Internet can be beef marketing magic

COLUMBUS — Whether you’ve got 12 cows or 1,200 cows, the Internet can be a valuable marketing tool, according to auctioneer Kevin Wendt. With more than 65 percent of Americans using the Internet regularly, the Web is not just a passing phase. “The World Wide Web is here to stay,” Wendt said during an educational