OHIO NOTEBOOK: Rust on corn more prevalent this summer

Ohio State Extension

Resembling rust on a pickup, a fungal disease that can afflict corn has been confirmed in a higher than usual number of cornfields in southern Ohio.

Every year, some Ohio farmers find southern or common rust on their corn plants, but this year both diseases have been more prevalent, said Pierce Paul, an Ohio State University Extension corn and small grain specialist. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) at The Ohio State University.

Typically, rust fungi arrive late in the growing stage and do limited damage. However, this year farmers had to replant several times, and the younger corn plants are at greater risk for damage, Paul said. Common and southern rusts are most problematic when they infect the plant before it produces silk or a tassel.

Southern and common rusts form orangish and brownish raised spots, respectively, on the leaves of corn plants and can cause as much as 30 to 40 percent yield losses, particularly on susceptible corn varieties, Paul said.

Under hot, wet weather conditions, southern rust spreads quickly on a leaf, from one leaf to another, and from one plant to the next.

“I haven’t gone a day over the past two weeks without an email or a call or a box of (corn plant) samples to test,” Paul said.

Community comes out for FamJam 2017

 More than 6,000 people attended FamJam, an outdoor family enrichment festival co-sponsored by FCCS and Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, for the 7th consecutive year. The free event was a huge success at the John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons on Aug. 5 and included a fun, free day of food, entertainment and community resource booths.

- Franklin County Children's Services

2017 MVNU volleyball campaign begins on the road at Concordia 

Head coach Paul Swanson and the MVNU Cougar Volleyball program prepared for the team’s opening matches of the 2017 season, when it traveled to compete in the Concordia (Mich.) University Tournament.

The tournament began for MVNU on Friday against Siena Heights University and followed by a matchup with Rochester College.

Swanson enters his 34th season with MVNU possessing the second most wins in the NAIA amongst active coaches, holding an impressive record of 1,104 – 406 during his tenure at the institution.

The Cougars are coming off a 2016 season that saw significant success, highlighted by: a record of 31 wins to just 6 losses, a Crossroads League regular season and tournament runner-up finish, and an appearance in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.

- Mount Vernon Nazarene