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

Farm bill - capitol - grain system - soybean field - corn field - By Lindsey Pound

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.

October 11, 2023 04:43 PM

Rhonda Brooks

Seed Market Shares 2018-2020 Lindsey.jpg

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.

October 04, 2023 08:31 AM

Rhonda Brooks

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

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.

September 29, 2023 02:59 PM

Rhonda Brooks

‘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.

September 28, 2023 11:18 AM

Rhonda Brooks

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