Latest News From Rhonda Brooks

Ag Barometer in January
Ag Barometer: Farmers Are Optimistic About Crop Prices, Farmland, COVID Vaccine

The barometer drifted lower in January to a reading of 167. Even so, it shows areas of farmer optimism about making capital improvement investments and the outlook for farmland values.

Tom Vilsack
Agri-Talk: Vilsack Highlights 8 Priorities For USDA

The incoming agriculture secretary outlines issues he says need to be addressed or that would constitute “historic work.”

Peoples Company And CIBO Partner To Generate Carbon Credits For Regenerative Practices
Peoples Company And CIBO Partner To Generate Carbon Credits For Regenerative Practices

The partners will be able to offer carbon credits on more than 20,000 acres of land.

 2021 Trust In Food Symposium To Address Carbon, Animal Ag, Resilient Working Lands
2021 Trust In Food Symposium To Address Carbon, Animal Ag, Resilient Working Lands

Registration is open for the upcoming symposium, scheduled for Feb. 23-25.

Farmer sentiment improved in December.
Ag Barometer: Farmers Are Making Capital Investments, Expect Farmland Prices To Increase

Farmer sentiment about the ag economy and their personal financial well-being ticked upward in December, thanks to improved commodity prices.

Ken Ferrie
Ferrie: Consider Yield Maps as Highly Valued Game Tapes to Review

Information from end-of-season yield map meetings can give you the insights you need to make valuable adjustments to your 2021 cropping plans and improve your growing season and yield outcomes.

Ken Ferrie
Ferrie: Plan For A Normal Crop In 2021; Don’t Let A Drought Threat Drive Your Decisions

Plan for a normal crop, hope for the biggest crop of your career and then mitigate the risk of a drought or crop failure.

Ken Ferrie
Ferrie: Your Fields May Need A Leveling Pass Now To Prepare For Spring Planting

Current dry weather conditions could play havoc with the 2021 crop. Take proactive steps now to manage through these conditions, advises Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.

USDA predicts 89 million soybean acres in 2021. Some analysts believe that number could go even higher.
2021 Soybean Outlook: Low Carryover, Higher Price Boost Acreage Projections

USDA predicts 89 million soybean acres in 2021. Some analysts believe that number could go even higher.

If realized, 2020 would deliver the highest net farm income the U.S. agriculture sector has seen since 2013.
USDA-ERS Predicts $119.6 Billion Net Farm Income For 2020 – The Highest Since 2013

The report says total crop receipts are expected to increase $6.5 billion from 2019 levels. Total animal product receipts are expected to decrease $9.7 billion.

USDA predicts 46 million total acres of wheat will be planted for 2021.
Wheat Acres To Expand For First Time In 8 Years

USDA predicts 46 million total acres of wheat will be planted for 2021.

Soybean Cyst Nematode is the single most damaging pest in U.S. soybeans.
Get Ahead Of 2021 SCN Problems: Know Your Numbers

At the individual farm level, severe cases of SCN can destroy 80% of a soybean field’s yield potential

Conservation practices that improve soils can impact farm profitability with a positive ROI.
How Does Conservation Ag Impact Soil Health And Farm Economics?

Conservation practices that improve soils can impact farm profitability with a positive ROI.

Boots In The Field
Ferrie: Seed Treatments And Hybrid, Variety Selection Decisions For 2021

Ken Ferrie offers some practical, thoughtful recommendations on whether to select a seed treatment, as well as how to go about making the best decisions on which hybrids and varieties to buy for next year.

 The agricultural community is only beginning to understand the impact that conventional inputs and management practices might have on crop performance and, ultimately, soil health.
Crop Inputs And Soil Health: How Do They Interact?

The agricultural community is only beginning to understand the impact that conventional inputs and management practices might have on crop performance and, ultimately, soil health.

The organization has moved thousands of potatoes from the farm to people who need them.
New FarmLink Project Helps Farmers Get Food To Hungry People

The organization partners with farmers and other members of the agricultural community to move food from the farm level to food banks and distribution centers around the U.S.

Water use for irrigating most crops decreased.
New Research Sheds Light On U.S. Agriculture’s Water Usage

Use for most crops and livestock declined during a 15-year period.

Ken Ferrie
Ferrie: Don’t Screw Up The 2021 Crop Just To Mark Anhydrous Applications Off Your To-Do List

Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie notes that in most cases, trenches are sealing well. However, in some especially dry areas he’s hearing complaints that that’s not always the case.

Boots In The Field
‘We’re Chasing An Additional 10 Bushels With Early Soybeans,’ Agronomist Says

Farmers in west-central Illinois and east-central Missouri are wrapping up the 2020 harvest, and many are seeing above-average crop yields.

Reduced tillage and no till adoption reduce soil erosion, increase soil biological activity and increase soil organic matter.
Save Fuel, Labor And Equipment Costs With Conservation Tillage

Conservation practices reduce soil erosion, increase soil biological activity and increase soil organic matter.

Corn Crop Won’t Reach USDA Record Yield Prediction, Scouts Say
Corn Crop Won’t Reach USDA Record Yield Prediction, Scouts Say

Pro Farmer Crop Tour results will be released on Thursday evening.

200-Plus Bu. Corn In Parts Of Western IL, SW IA Crop 'Hit And Miss'
200-Plus Bu. Corn In Parts Of Western IL, SW IA Crop 'Hit And Miss'

Day 3 of the tour finds scouts in Illinois and Iowa, where crops range from excellent to poor, a result of last week's wind storm.

The area hit encompasses 14 million acres of insured crops, including 8.2 million corn acres and 5.6 million acres of soybeans
Iowa Corn Losses Predicted To Decrease U.S. Yield Average By 4 BPA

The area hit encompasses 14 million acres of insured crops, including 8.2 million corn acres and 5.6 million acres of soybeans

The western leg of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour got underway this morning in South Dakota.
‘Sexy’ Corn Yield Outlook For South Dakota

Estimates ranged from a high of 200 bpa to a low of 102 bpa, averaging 160-plus.

Of the bridges that need repairs and updates in the U.S., 80% are in rural areas.
Rural Infrastructure Grants Easier To Tap Into, Thanks To New Toolkit

The Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (R.O.U.T.E.S.) Initiative was announced by U.S. Department of TransportationSecretary, Elaine Chao, on Monday

Work on the Illinois River locks and dams started July 1 and are expected to be completed the end of October.
Illinois River Infrastructure Updates Could Improve Basis

The locks and dams are between 80 and 90 years old. Their facelift will be a boon for agriculture.

New Program Pays Farmers For Carbon Sequestration
New Program Pays Farmers For Carbon Sequestration

A Bayer AG initiative will compensate growers who keep carbon in their soils and out of the environment.

This one-of-a-kind, new event features more than 100 free informational sessions you can enjoy live or on-demand.
Don't Miss It! Farm Journal Field Days Registration Is Open.

This one-of-a-kind, new event features more than 100 free informational sessions you can enjoy live or on-demand.

Food Activist Champions Farmers, Makes 6 Predictions
Food Activist Champions Farmers, Makes 6 Predictions

Danielle Nierenberg is the 2020 Julia Child Award recipient. She talked with AgriTalk Host Chip Flory on Monday about the award and food-related issues.

The event size you can check on ranges from 10 people to 10,000.
County-Level Calculator Estimates Risk For Coronavirus Exposure

The event size you can check on in a county ranges from 10 people to 10,000.

The outlook continues to be for hot and dry conditions.
High Heat And Wild Weather Rule The Week

The outlook continues to be for hot and dry conditions.

The Justin Krell family.
Data You Can Take To The Bank

Information you glean from data can be put into financial language that loan officers can understand and help you demonstrate to them where operating dollars should be invested for optimum ROI.

Company officials expect their efforts in the next decade to improve farmer livelihoods and their enterprises while conserving resources and sustaining the land.
Corteva Agriscience Sets Its Sights on 14 Sustainability Goals

Company officials expect their efforts in the next decade to improve farmer livelihoods and their enterprises while conserving resources and sustaining the land.

The Macauley family improved their bottom line $44 an acre on 1,106 acres in the AFT study by adopting no-till, cover crops and nutrient management.
$22 to $56 An Acre ROI Realized in Row Crop Conservation Case Studies

Soil health management practices can benefit cropland and provide farmers with a return-on-investment.

About 20 rural hospitals are seeing a surge in cases now, and their in-patient beds are full.
Rural Communities See Surge In COVID-19 Cases

Three trends are currently underway in the countryside.

Pollinator strips
Keep Dollars In Your Pocket With These Conservation Practices

Focus your efforts on the "red acres" on your farm.

Farmers aren't the only ones who like healthy soils--so do earthworms.
Four Ways Conservation Pays

Data can help you see which areas in a field make money, waste money or cost money.

Corn planting
Farmer Quits Synthetic Nitrogen, Goes To N-Producing Microbe In Corn

Pivot Bio Proven is the first product of its kind to be marketed in the U.S.

Hemp Crop
Hemp Prices Tank, But New Opportunities Are On The Horizon

The CBD market is mature, but animal feeding studies show promise.

Ferrie: Planting Soybeans Early? Go With This Maturity Group First.
Ferrie: Planting Soybeans Early? Go With This Maturity Group First.

The recommended practice is counter to what farmers usually do.

Propelled By Purpose
Propelled By Purpose

Wisconsin CCA helps farmers connect with conservation

Certified Crop Adviser Nick Guilette views helping farmers adopt conservation practices to improve soil, water and air quality as a journey, with progress as the goal year-to-year.
Wisconsin Crop Adviser Wins NRCS Conservationist of the Year

Guilette describes farmers as the “ultimate problem solvers and solution finders.”

Ken Ferrie Answers Your Questions About Starter Fertilizer
Ken Ferrie Answers Your Questions About Starter Fertilizer

Make sure phosphate is the major component in the product you use.

To grow hemp, you need a trusted seed supplier.
Find Trusted Partners To Help You Succeed With Hemp. Here’s One Way.

Real farmers are sharing how they succeed with this new crop.

2020 Hemp Summits Open For Registration
2020 Hemp Summits Open For Registration

Come to Chicago this month to hone your knowledge and know-how.

Farm Succession Planning Gets A Boost From An Ethical Will
Farm Succession Planning Gets A Boost From An Ethical Will

Top Producer's Executive Women in Ag gets underway Jan. 28. Registration is open.

Ferrie: Tips To Selecting Corn Hybrids For 2020
Ferrie: Tips To Selecting Corn Hybrids For 2020

The time you invest in selecting the best hybrids for your fields will pay for itself.

Conservation Agriculture Gains National Momentum
Conservation Agriculture Gains National Momentum

Farm Journal and foundational partners introduce America’s Conservation Ag Movement special edition of the magazine.

Ferrie: Don’t Get Dinged By Fallow Syndrome This Spring
Ferrie: Don’t Get Dinged By Fallow Syndrome This Spring

The problem occurs when soils go without any plant growth for a prolonged period, causing microbe populations to die off.

Ferrie: Fall Burndown Applications Will Still Work. Here’s How.
Ferrie: Fall Burndown Applications Will Still Work. Here’s How.

Weeds like henbit and marestail have a wide window for control.