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: Seize Your Corn Growing Opportunities for #Plant2023

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.

March 13, 2023 11:44 AM

Rhonda Brooks

First-Ever Solid-Encapsulated Herbicide For Pre and Post Weed Control in Corn

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.

March 09, 2023 09:36 AM

Rhonda Brooks

Soil Sleuth: No-Till Icon Investigates Tillage’s Impact On Nutrient Stratification

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

March 08, 2023 08:11 AM

Rhonda Brooks

Ferrie: Nitrogen-Friendly Growing Season Results in Corn Yield Bonanza

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?

February 28, 2023 01:02 PM

Rhonda Brooks

New Cotton Trait A ‘Game Changer’ For Tarnished Plant Bug, Thrip Control

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.

February 10, 2023 02:34 PM

Rhonda Brooks

Where Urea Fits

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.

February 09, 2023 07:50 AM

Rhonda Brooks

Corn Seedling Diseases Don’t Seem Dramatic, But The Yield Losses they Cause Sure Are

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.

February 01, 2023 10:05 AM

Rhonda Brooks

3 Tenets Of A Decade-Forward View of the U.S. Food System

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.

January 25, 2023 12:10 PM

Rhonda Brooks

Three growers who spoke at the 2023 Trust In Food Symposium said they continue to evaluate and adopt so-called climate-smart farming practices, specifically those that help make their farms more profitable and/or efficient.

Farmer Panel: Climate-Smart Program Rewards Must Outweigh Risks To Earn Grower Participation

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.

January 24, 2023 01:48 PM

Rhonda Brooks

Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist

Ferrie: Assess Your Risks for Tar Spot this Season

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.

January 19, 2023 12:30 PM

Rhonda Brooks