Rhonda Brooks

Agronomy Editor, Farm Journal

Rhonda Brooks is the Agronomy Editor for Farm Journal and AgWeb, covering all aspects of crop production. A Missouri native with a background in agricultural communications, she has previously worked on multiple Farm Journal brands.

Latest Stories

Graphic for Boots in the Field Report with agronomist Ken Ferrie who has spent over 40 years helping farmers maximize corn and soybean yields.

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.

September 23, 2023 08:08 AM

Rhonda Brooks

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.

September 15, 2023 03:05 PM

Rhonda Brooks

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.

September 07, 2023 09:19 AM

Rhonda Brooks

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.

September 06, 2023 12:43 PM

Rhonda Brooks

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.

September 01, 2023 11:37 AM

Rhonda Brooks

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.

September 01, 2023 06:17 AM

Rhonda Brooks

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.

August 29, 2023 11:04 AM

Rhonda Brooks

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.

August 29, 2023 07:33 AM

Rhonda Brooks

One cornfield a few miles west of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, showed the effects from a lack of moisture. Note the cracks in the ground.

30 Days Left for Iowa Corn Crop to Complete Fill, Pack On Yield

The past four days of high heat and no moisture have taken a toll in the state with some farmers predicting corn yield lows of 140 bu. per acre. Some still anticipate 200-bu. plus yields. All they need is some rain.

August 24, 2023 05:54 PM

Rhonda Brooks

Split, Pinch And Push Stalks If Tar Spot Strikes Now

Conditions are right for the disease to break loose in parts of the Midwest. If it does, agronomists recommend three steps farmers can take to prioritize affected cornfields for harvest to minimize yield loss.

August 24, 2023 07:08 AM

Rhonda Brooks