Latest News From Rhonda Brooks

Industry experts say the new legislative package represents a 'generational opportunity' for conservation funding and needs to reach U.S. farmers and livestock producers sooner rather than later, starting this spring.

The company, known for its extensive work in soybeans, formally moves into the corn marketplace with its introduction of Maverick herbicide, now available for use this season.

Do some final noodling on hybrid selection, planting processes and agronomic practices to grow that big-yielding crop you want to harvest next fall. Here are five tips to help you make this season a success.

Envita offers corn growers season-long nitrogen availability, according to Azotic Technologies. The product retails for approximately $15 an acre.

BASF plans to launch Surtain herbicide for 2024 farmer use, pending EPA approval. It features two active ingredients that tackle up to 79 tough broadleaves and grasses, including Palmer amaranth, waterhemp and ragweed.

Marion Calmer says nutrient stratification in soil is a significant problem on his western Illinois farm — and it’s only getting worse.

Some farmers saw A 40-bu-per-acre yield surge across fields in 2022, thanks to nutrient efficiencies. They lost less N and had better mineralization. Now, they ask, how can they get a repeat performance this year?

The first-of-its-kind biotech trait is commercially available to farmers as Bollgard 3 ThryvOn cotton with XtendFlex Technology – just in time for the 2023 production season. 

If you're looking to replace some of your nitrogen this season, urea is an option. Volatility will be one of the things to address.

Fields planted to G and L1 hybrids especially need access to sulfur early season. Even hybrids planted in soils with organic matter levels at 3.5% or more are showing financially positive responses to the nutrient.

Problems like tar spot get tons of attention because of the highly visible yield loss they cause in-season. Seedling diseases can pack the same punch. Some experts claim Pythium is the No. 1 disease issue in corn.

The food system is undergoing transformation, says Rob Dongoski, Ernst & Young. He pulled back the curtain on three ways it will change and how farmers can be ready during a presentation at the 2023 Top Producer Summit.

Profitability and efficiency are big drivers for growers evaluating conservation-based farming practices. Each farmer who spoke at the Trust In Food Symposium said they have adopted at least one such practice, to date.

Cornfields hit by the disease in 2021 are at risk from a homegrown infection in 2023, if you're in a corn-soybean rotation. Hard rains prior to crop canopy are an added concern. They splash inoculant onto corn plants.

There are ways to pull back on fertilizer effectively -- up to a point. Join Ferrie for the Winter Corn & Soybean College this Thursday, Jan. 5. Get practical answers to your questions during this live event.

On the low end, expect to invest at least $50 an acre in the Midwest and $85 in the South for products. Some corn and soybean farmers are evaluating adjuvants and management practices that could help trim expenses.

Urea can be used to replace part of your spring N needs, but there are risks to be aware of and evaluate before you decide to go with it. The same is true for a mono-crop, especially if you choose continuous corn.

Iowa State Extension agronomists say there are at least two strategies farmers can consider using in 2023 to address this phenomenon, especially if they expect to be hit by hot, dry weather conditions again next summer.

Dry conditions and limited herbicide supplies crippled many farmers' weed-control efforts this year, setting up a perfect storm for weeds and grasses next season. Here are five ways to take charge of the situation.

The Scoop caught up with Hawkins during a recent Syngenta Media Summit. Here is a report from our conversation with him.

Farmers are asking, ‘Do I chisel first and then apply anhydrous? Or will I get better results doing the opposite?’ Get Ferrie’s answer and his insights on addressing hybrid weaknesses to harvest more corn in 2023.

Experts say the Fed is looking for signs of weakness in the economy before deciding interest rates have been raised sufficiently to curb inflation. Some signs are available now, says Vince Malanga, LaSalle Economics.

Highly productive areas with adequate soil moisture are where you can usually trim seeding populations, says Matt Duesterhaus, Crop-Tech Consulting agronomist. He offers seven additional recommendations.

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service announces the Federal Grain and Inspection Service will publish a proposed rule seeking public comment on whether to make changes to U.S. grading standards for soybeans.

Some Iowa growers saw huge yield losses this season from a so-called edge effect. Illinois farmers also report seeing it ding yields. Agronomists are working to confirm contributing factors but haven't nailed them down.

Ken Ferrie says fields with good soil health can have as much disease present as an unhealthy field, but healthy plants handle stress better than unhealthy ones.

Increasingly the members of Congress who hold the primary responsibility of drafting the farm bill come from suburban and urban areas. They need the information and insights farmers are uniquely equipped to provide.

If conditions are good in your area, you won’t have wheel tracks or ruts to deal with. However, you do need to think about a winter burndown to keep fields clean before planting next spring.

Asian copperleaf was found in an Iowa soybean field this summer. Agronomists are evaluating how much of a concern the weed poses to row crops there. It has been confirmed in only one other U.S. location: New York City.

Results are also in from some corn teaching plots planted at the Heyworth, Ill., campus, including four starter plots, a series of sulfur timing plots, plus nitrogen and planting population plots.

This was a familiar scene in fields across the Midwest this season. Not only did volunteer corn impact soybean yields, agronomists say it sheltered rootworm eggs that can overwinter and infest corn crops next spring.

Moisture is needed to temporarily hold the ammonia so it can become attached to clay or organic matter in the soil. In addition, if dry soils are cloddy and do not seal properly, the ammonia can be lost.

As the crop nears black layer, you can determine whether it's going to be the bin buster you hoped for, an average crop or simply "meh." Ken Ferrie says there are several things to look for now.

Harvest is underway with corn yields showing a wide range of results, particularly based on how much moisture the crop received and when it was received. Planting population and stresses also shed light on the results.

Are your corn hybrids undergoing stress 10 to 15 days before black layer and experiencing top kill? That's going to hurt kernel depth and knock off those top-end yields you want to combine.

The 60-plus year-old product is used on more than 70% of U.S. corn acres to control grass and broadleaf weeds.

Use the fall season to get a head start on weed control for next spring.

Farmers looking to gain the upper hand over corn rootworm (CRW) pests have new tools to deploy in the field, thanks to Ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) technology.

When you go on a 2,700-mile personal crop tour through parts of eight states, you see a lot of corn and soybeans and get a sense of where there will be stellar yields as well as below-average results this harvest.

Janna Fritz, newly named DF Seeds president, speaks to the need for both conventional and specialty seed products that can fuel farmer profitability and also meet consumer wants and needs.

Pivot Bio announced an industry first for farmers this week – the development and introduction of on-seed microbial nitrogen for crops including corn, grain sorghum and spring wheat.

Corteva Agriscience and BASF Agricultural Solutions are partnering to bring the first four-way herbicide-tolerant trait stack, based on PPO chemistry, to the marketplace for soybean growers.

Day 4 of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour is revealing some good to excellent corn and soybean crops in Iowa and Minnesota, along with concerns about drought in corn and the appearance of sudden death syndrome in beans.

The third day of the 2022 Pro Farmer Crop Tour is revealing a lot of average crops in some states, but Illinois and Iowa corn and soybeans are showing some strength.

On Day 2 of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour, scouts see a wide range of conditions in Indiana and Nebraska. Some irrigated corn and soybean fields are performing well, while dryland crops are struggling.

Bayer Crop Science has the first truly new MOA in the herbicide-tolerant pipeline for soybeans in more than 30 years, the company reports.

Dick Billings passed away several years ago, but his wife, their son and granddaughters have been able to build upon his vision for the family’s operation, thanks to a team of farmers and a forestry consultant.

Maverick features three modes of action and application flexibility to help growers address tough weeds, including waterhemp, Palmer amaranth and marestail, and annual grasses.

Trying to control adult CRW beetles can be a losing proposition. But this year, given the amount of population pressure in some fields there is better potential for a return-on-investment, agronomists say.

Soybean cyst nematode can ravage a crop and destroy up to 80% of its yield potential. Two partners encourage farmers to take action between now and early September to address the pest.