COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio producers and growers who have concerns regarding potential drought conditions that may affect crop and livestock performance can refer to an Ohio State University drought Web site for management information.
The Web site, created by Ohio State University Extension specialists, offers a wide variety of topics from drought news to weed control, to provide producers, growers, Ohio State Extension agents, agri-businesses and crop consultants timely and pertinent information on how to manage livestock and crop production during dry conditions.
"The site is a clearinghouse for drought information," said Peter Thomison, an Ohio State Extension agronomist, "where producers, crop consultants and the like can find what they may be looking for all in one place." The Web site contains fact sheets, bulletins and news releases on current drought news, livestock, corn, soybeans, forages, weed control, fruit production and marketing information. It also contains a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Drought Severity Index map and resource guide to other drought-related Web sites.
The site, which is updated on a regular basis, can be accessed by logging on to http://corn.osu.edu/drought02/. The last time Ohio State posted a drought Web site was in 1999, when Ohio was faced with similar dry conditions.