It is not a shock that it has been very dry lately. According to the Drought Monitor issued on September 26th, all of west-central Ohio is in at least moderate drought with severe drought to the north and southeast of Lima. Extreme and exceptional drought has ravaged much of central and southeastern Ohio. On Friday, I traveled to the Auglaize County Ohio State University Extension Office in Wapakoneta where I was told that topsoil conditions are not great.

LIMA, OH (WLIO) - The weather this spring and early summer has been good news for the soybean and corn fields in the area.

Each year before soybean harvest, county Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educators conduct a county weed survey. The purpose of this survey is to determine the type and number of weeds that are infesting farm fields. Another reason is to develop an understanding of which weeds are becoming resistant to herbicides used by farmers. Once these determinations are made, weed scientists at The Ohio State University develop weed control programs which are then shared with local county Extension Educators to make recommendations for local farmers.

It was a slow start to get that seed in the ground for farmers, and now attention is turning to how weather may impact crops in the weeks ahead.

President Donald Trump's tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese products officially went into effect on Friday and China has responded by imposing their own tariffs on over 500 American products, including Ohio's second largest export soybeans. 

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown is welcoming news that President Trump's administration is taking steps to crack down on China's violation of intellectual property laws. 

Corn has been dethroned as the king of crops as farmers report they intend to plant more soybeans than corn for the first time in 35 years.