Latest News From Rhonda Brooks

You Can't Afford to Be Complacent About Tar Spot
You Can't Afford to Be Complacent About Tar Spot

Just because tar spot was mostly a no-show in 2022 and 2023 doesn't mean that will be the case in 2024. Charting humidity levels can help predict if the disease will strike.

10 Easy Ways to Take Your Crop-Scouting Practices to the Next Level
10 Easy Ways to Take Your Crop-Scouting Practices to the Next Level

In a year with razor-thin margins, at best, corn and soybean growers can use a variety of new technology and tried-and-true agronomic tools to score higher yields this season.

A Kick-Start For Corn: When to Use Plant Growth Regulators
A Kick-Start For Corn: When to Use Plant Growth Regulators

If weather stresses have you looking for ways to give your crop a stronger start this spring, consider whether a plant growth regulator could be part of the solution, especially in high-yield environments.

Ferrie: Four Ways to Scratch the Planting Itch Without Regret
Ferrie: Four Ways to Scratch the Planting Itch Without Regret

Don't take equipment to fields too soon and create headaches that will linger all season. While you wait for the right timing, consider doing prep work and projects that can help set you up for yield success.

3 Tips For Better Weed-Control Outcomes This Season
3 Tips For Better Weed-Control Outcomes This Season

Do you want to plant early-season soybeans? Do you grow non-GMO crops? If the answer to either question is yes, Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal field agronomist, says to address weeds in the process.

New Water-Use Management Tool For Commercial Crops
New Water-Use Management Tool For Commercial Crops

Helena introduces Resgenix to help farmers manage the water available to crops and optimize its use.

Ferrie: It's Only February, but Iowa Farmers are Considering Field Work and Anhydrous Applications
Ferrie: It's Only February, but Iowa Farmers are Considering Field Work and Anhydrous Applications

Before heading to the field to apply anhydrous, firm up what crop you're going to plant. Growers have been kicking around the idea of going beans-on-beans, given the markets. But anhydrous essentially ties you to corn.

Handy Bt Trait Table Updated and Available Now
Handy Bt Trait Table Updated and Available Now

Corn growers can use this free tool to understand which hybrids have which traits, as well as evaluate insect problems and herbicide needs in-season.

Ferrie: Freezing and Thawing Cycles Can Help Or Hurt Compaction
Ferrie: Freezing and Thawing Cycles Can Help Or Hurt Compaction

A sudden change in soil density that occurs from the freezing-thawing process can cause problems with corn root growth this spring and impede water movement in the soil during the growing season.

sunflower
Pretty Plants In The Garden Become Weeds In The Field

Invasive weed species tied to the ornamental plant trade are taking root in some parts of the United States. Researchers have identified “outbreaks and hot spots” in eight states. 

Tall Order for Short Corn: The Latest On Short-Stature Hybrids
Tall Order for Short Corn: The Latest On Short-Stature Hybrids

Compact corn hybrids appear to take winds 50 mph in stride with little greensnap or lodging resulting. However, yield performance hasn’t been as consistent, and technology providers are working to change that.

Court Rules Dicamba ‘Was Unlawfully Approved’ By EPA and Halts Use
Court Rules Dicamba ‘Was Unlawfully Approved’ By EPA and Halts Use

Forty million dicamba-tolerant soybean and cotton acres would be directly impacted by the ruling the U.S. District Court of Arizona in Tucson made Tuesday. EPA has not said when it will respond to the court's decision.

Ferrie: Does Spring Or Fall Horizontal Tillage Cause More Density Layers?
Ferrie: Does Spring Or Fall Horizontal Tillage Cause More Density Layers?

Ken Ferrie answers two additional questions: Was it allelopathic toxins in the cereal rye ahead of corn that caused such a yield ding last season? Will there be a cap to Carbon Initiative payments per farm operation?

 Agronomists Worry Moisture Deficits Will Contribute To Herbicide Carryover
Agronomists Worry Moisture Deficits Will Contribute To Herbicide Carryover

While you can't make Mother Nature send rain, you can review crop-rotation restrictions on chemistries you applied last year. Knowing that information can guide what crop you plant where this spring.

314 Bu. Corn Yield Uses Only 7" of Rain to Score Big Win in Minnesota
314 Bu. Corn Yield Uses Only 7" of Rain to Score Big Win in Minnesota

David Heublein won the conventional, non-irrigated category of the 2023 NCGA yield contest for the state. The amazing yield was grown with only one-third of the total rainfall his fields usually get in a growing season.

Ferrie: Farmer Asks How to Use Red Clover as a Cover to Reduce Nitrogen Rates and Costs
Ferrie: Farmer Asks How to Use Red Clover as a Cover to Reduce Nitrogen Rates and Costs

Red clover can fix nitrogen, suppress weeds and improve crop yields. Based on test plot research in Illinois, a good stand of red clover can provide between 50 and 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre.

Exclusive: Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley Shares Her Vision For The U.S., Agriculture
Exclusive: Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley Shares Her Vision For The U.S., Agriculture

AgriTalk has extended an invitation to all the 2024 presidential hopefuls to join Host Chip Flory and answer five standard questions about what they would focus on once in office.

New Ways To Address Healthcare Issues Are Needed For Rural Americans
New Ways To Address Healthcare Issues Are Needed For Rural Americans

From improved telehealth services to reimagined small-town hospitals, the National Rural Health Association is working to help folks in farm country tap into more and better medical care options.

Seed Impact Mill Technology Hammers Herbicide-Resistant Weeds
Seed Impact Mill Technology Hammers Herbicide-Resistant Weeds

Harvest weed seed control systems have a hefty price tag, but some farmers and researchers say they are a good investment and provide a ROI, especially where resistant weeds are taking over and control options are few.

Ferrie: No-Till Farmer Asks at What Depth to Pull Soil Samples?
Ferrie: No-Till Farmer Asks at What Depth to Pull Soil Samples?

Growers can benefit from evaluating the dispersion of N, P and K and pH levels in no-till fields. Often, there is a drop off in soil fertility levels in no-till soils once below the three-inch mark.

Look to ‘Pay Top Dollar for the Right Farm’ in 2024
Look to ‘Pay Top Dollar for the Right Farm’ in 2024

In October, ​USDA said the average value of U.S. cropland (irrigated and nonirrigated) was $5,460 an acre in 2023--an increase of 8.1% from 2022. High-quality ground is selling for two to three times that. ​

Fed Eyes Interest-Rate Cuts for 2024 as U.S. Economy Slows
Fed Eyes Interest-Rate Cuts for 2024 as U.S. Economy Slows

Analysts say an initial cut could be made as early as first quarter 2024. One of the key factors the central banking system will consider is whether its inflation rate target of 2% has been achieved.

Ferrie: Farmers Are Strip-Tilling Covers Now. Is That A Good Idea?
Ferrie: Farmers Are Strip-Tilling Covers Now. Is That A Good Idea?

The practice can be useful in some scenarios but not all. Farmers need to evaluate the potential impact on 2024 yield outcomes. Perhaps a bigger concern is how the practice impacts weed management, especially waterhemp.

USDA Says Trade Efforts Are Working to Build Markets Abroad
USDA Says Trade Efforts Are Working to Build Markets Abroad

The agency says exports picked up steam this year in countries such as Canada, India and Japan and that the new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program will keep the wheels of progress turning in 2024.

Ferrie: Picking Corn Hybrids For 2024? Here Are Five Tips
Ferrie: Picking Corn Hybrids For 2024? Here Are Five Tips

For a lot of farmers, 2023 was a tough growing season and Mother Nature didn't cooperate. But don't let that drive your seed-selection process for next year. Consider these five recommendations instead.

Ferrie: Here's How to Set up Your Fall Tillage Tools for Success
Ferrie: Here's How to Set up Your Fall Tillage Tools for Success

Fall tillage is in full swing. Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie shares two videos to explain how to successfully set and operate your hybrid chisel and inline ripper.

Fertilizer Relay System Gives Corn a Big Push Out of the Gate
Fertilizer Relay System Gives Corn a Big Push Out of the Gate

If you value the benefits starter fertilizer offers, you might like the performance of a starter fertilizer relay system even more. Farm Journal Test Plot data show a relay system + 2x2 placement = $36 per acre ROI.

New Legislation Looks To Connect Farmland And Ranchland To Broadband
New Legislation Looks To Connect Farmland And Ranchland To Broadband

The Last Acre Act would help expand high-speed internet access across eligible farmland, ranchland and farm sites. At least 15% of farms and ranches have no access to the internet today. 

Are 100-Bushel Soybean Yield Averages On The Horizon?
Are 100-Bushel Soybean Yield Averages On The Horizon?

Illinois farmer Ryan Myers has increased his 60-bushel-per-acre yield average to 70-plus-bushel averages in just three years. How? By focusing on the details from variety selection to in-season management.

Election 2024 Is Shaping Up To Be A Doozy
Election 2024 Is Shaping Up To Be A Doozy

While voters are casting ballots today, they're also looking ahead. A Biden-Trump presidential race rematch is currently forecast, but their ages, economic turmoil at home and conflicts abroad are weighty concerns.

Ferrie: Four Steps to Make Sure NH3 Applications Stay in the Ground
Ferrie: Four Steps to Make Sure NH3 Applications Stay in the Ground

Moisture availability is one of the biggies to check out, says Ken Ferrie. He also details some upcoming agronomic events, like his Beyond The Basics five-part webinar series and the virtual Corn & Soybean College.

Six Sources of Soybean Harvest Losses And How To Address Them
Six Sources of Soybean Harvest Losses And How To Address Them

A handful of soybeans scattered on the ground doesn't look like much, but small numbers can quickly add up to large losses. Evaluating the situation and making adjustments can help you take more beans to the bin.

Best Practice Do’s and Don’ts for Anhydrous Ammonia Applications
Best Practice Do’s and Don’ts for Anhydrous Ammonia Applications

Farmers applying NH3 can maximize their dollars and use of the product by not applying it until soil temperatures are no more than 50 degrees and trending lower, according to Iowa State University Extension.

Corn Yield Checks In and Out of the Combine
Corn Yield Checks In and Out of the Combine

Ken Ferrie offers five practical agronomic tips you can use during harvest this fall. These practices can help you improve corn performance and yield outcomes across your farm.

Three Ways to Be a Successful Soybean Yield Sleuth 
Three Ways to Be a Successful Soybean Yield Sleuth 

If your combine monitor is showing a wide range of yields in the field, Ken Ferrie says to investigate. Evaluate soybean stand, pod set and bean size while there’s agronomic evidence.

Ferrie: Huge Yield Swings Found In Iowa and Illinois Cornfields
Ferrie: Huge Yield Swings Found In Iowa and Illinois Cornfields

Weather woes took a huge bite out of corn yield potential this season, especially in northeast Iowa and parts of western Illinois. Where farmers got timely rains, the yield reports coming in are not as wide-ranging.

New Profit Calculator Reveals How Much Soybean Cyst Nematode Costs You By Field
New Profit Calculator Reveals How Much Soybean Cyst Nematode Costs You By Field

The online tool from the SCN Coalition is free and easy to use. It’s backed by research done on more than 25,000 university soybean research plots across the U.S.

House Nominates Scalise for Speaker, the Farm Bill Needs an Extension
House Nominates Scalise for Speaker, the Farm Bill Needs an Extension

Work by the House or Senate Agriculture Committee on a new farm bill is essentially stalled, Randy Russell tells AgriTalk's Chip Flory. Russell says that could be the case until government funding issues are resolved.

Hybrid Selection: The More You Know
Hybrid Selection: The More You Know

From the roots up, Beck’s Hybrids and AgriGold promise new ways to talk about how to grow corn.

Bayer And Corteva Sell 50%+ of the Corn, Soybean and Cotton Seed in the U.S.
Bayer And Corteva Sell 50%+ of the Corn, Soybean and Cotton Seed in the U.S.

USDA's latest insights show the two companies dominated U.S. retail seed sales for the three crops from 2018 through 2020. That is the most recent period for which market estimates are available.

Ken Ferrie: Scale Carts Are An Important Backup For Yield Monitors
Ken Ferrie: Scale Carts Are An Important Backup For Yield Monitors

A calibrated monitor usually does a good job of telling you where yield is changing in a field within a hybrid, but it may not tell you exactly how one hybrid is yielding against another.

‘Shutdown Shenanigans’ Could be Big Negatives for Grain Markets and U.S. Credit Ratings
‘Shutdown Shenanigans’ Could be Big Negatives for Grain Markets and U.S. Credit Ratings

If Congress doesn't pass stopgap funding, crop production and progress reports will probably stall. That won't bode well for markets. "Usually it means that we've got some selling pressure ahead,” says one analyst.

Ferrie: Reduce Header Losses In Soybeans To Pick Up $50 More Per Acre
Ferrie: Reduce Header Losses In Soybeans To Pick Up $50 More Per Acre

Yields can take a 5-bu.-per-acre hit as a result of the sickle running so high on stems it cuts off branches and allows them to fall below the deck. Losses can be reduced to 1 bu. per acre with header adjustments.

April-Planted Corn Hybrids Took A Blow To The Chin
April-Planted Corn Hybrids Took A Blow To The Chin

Ken Ferrie expects yields to climb as Illinois farmers start harvesting more of their May-planted corn. Looking ahead, he says farmers will see some challenges from herbicide carryover in 2024.

Ferrie: Corn Top Dieback And Lack of Uniformity Are Contributing to Unrealistic Yield Estimates Now
Ferrie: Corn Top Dieback And Lack of Uniformity Are Contributing to Unrealistic Yield Estimates Now

Some farmers in central Illinois are making yield estimates of 250 to 270 bushels per acre. Ken Ferrie says in many of those cases a more realistic estimate, though disappointing, would be in the 170 to 220 range.

waterhemp in soybeans
Two Likely Dicamba-Resistant Waterhemp Populations Found In Iowa

Illinois, Missouri and Nebraska have previously confirmed populations of dicamba-resistant waterhemp. Extension stresses the importance of not allowing any seed-bearing waterhemp to remain in the field at harvest.

 Ferrie: 3,000-Mile Crop Tour Reveals the Good, Bad and Ugly
Ferrie: 3,000-Mile Crop Tour Reveals the Good, Bad and Ugly

Out East, Ken Ferrie saw good corn crops with delayed maturity. Black layer will be pushed out to October. In the West, one Iowa field had the highest corn yield check of the season, while other fields were burned up.

Syngenta Seeds, Sustainable Oils Announce Commercial Agreement to Sell Camelina Seed 
Syngenta Seeds, Sustainable Oils Announce Commercial Agreement to Sell Camelina Seed 

The oilseed crop offers farmers the opportunity to grow three crops in two years. It can be used for sustainable aviation fuel, renewable diesel and animal feed production.

New Soybean Fungicides Target White Mold and Phytophthora Root Rot
New Soybean Fungicides Target White Mold and Phytophthora Root Rot

Corteva Agriscience introduces Viatude and LumiTreo to address tough disease issues and protect soybean yield potential. Both will be available for use in 2024. There are limited supplies of Viatude this season, as well.

Angels In Blue Offer Helping Hands To Farmers In Crisis
Angels In Blue Offer Helping Hands To Farmers In Crisis

Farm Rescue's mission is to help farmers and ranchers who have had a major illness, injury or natural disaster by providing equipment and volunteer labor – free of charge – to perform time-sensitive services.