Corn needs to be planted during suitable conditions and not by a calendar date. For northwestern Ohio, the probability for optimal yields occurs when corn is planted between April 25 and May 10.
After this date, yields generally decline because of a shorter growing season. Corn planted before this time period will often have weakened or poor stands because of extended cool, wet conditions.
This optimal planting date window allows plants to take advantage of longer periods of daylight, pollinate earlier, and mature before a killing frost.
Fortman Insurance, 115 N. Main St., Bluffton, will hold a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 22. The Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce will conduct the ribbon cutting.
The event is in recognition of the company ownership being passed from one generation to the next.
Clifford Alton Harris, 95, died April 20, 2016, at his residence. Clifford was born May 19, 1920, in Vanlue, Ohio, to Charles and Bertha (Beck) Harris who preceded him in death. On Dec. 30, 1939, he married Thelma Cupp Harris who preceded him in death on May 8, 2009.
Clifford retired from Dana Corporation in Lima. He was an avid carpenter, was a master craftsman and fisherman. Clifford was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II.