Latest News From Agronomy

Caution can help you avoid creating compaction or density layers. Plus, if you're applying anhydrous now, allowing 14 days between the application and planting can prevent dead or damaged plants and costly yield dings.

The company, known for its extensive work in soybeans, formally moves into the corn marketplace with its introduction of Maverick herbicide, now available for use this season.

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.

Envita offers corn growers season-long nitrogen availability, according to Azotic Technologies. The product retails for approximately $15 an acre.

Missy Bauer, Farm Journal field agronomist, has found adding a dry ammonium sulfate at V3 or V4 growth stages can make the most significant impact on yields in soils with less organic matter.

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

Farmers in the northwestern corn belt have had normal to above normal moisture this winter which will play into planting intensions, but so will commodity and input prices. So what will the acreage mix look like?

Experts agree there’s potential in the jug if used correctly and under the right expectations. Here are eight tips experts say can maximize your ROI of biologicals this growing season.  

With more than 1,500 responses, we have a clear winner for the two most common tillage types.

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?

With higher-than-average costs and spring planting on the horizon, farmers are locking in their 2023 input needs.  

Your technology investment will maximize corn yield on every soil type.

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.

Fields planted to G and L1 hybrids especially need access to sulfur early season. Even hybrids planted in soils with organic matter levels at 3.5% or more are showing financially positive responses to the nutrient.

High input costs, excessive disease pressure or commodity prices — any of these factors could be pushing you to plant back-to-back corn or back-to-back soybeans. 

Define your goals and desired ROI for conservation practices on your farm.

Tom Ryan says this will be a transformational year for two reasons: the groundswell of efforts with USDA Climate Smart grants and a shifting focus to carbon insets.

“We keep a close eye on reservoirs, and they're looking promising at the moment,” Matt Comrey says. “But the jury's still out."

There are ways to pull back on fertilizer effectively -- up to a point. Join Ferrie for the Winter Corn & Soybean College this Thursday, Jan. 5. Get practical answers to your questions during this live event.

If your soil is sick, there are ways to nurse it back to health. How long it takes depends on how unhealthy your soil has become. It’s worth the effort because healthier soil means more water for crops.

Text of the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package was released early Tuesday morning. The Senate will vote first and intends to pass the measure before Thursday, leaving the House no time to demand changes.

Sudden density changes block root growth and water movement.

For years farmers have focused on banding starter fertilizer 2x2 at planting — 2" over and 2" below the seed. While the process works, delivering nutrition to a plant’s roots sooner might be worth the effort. 

Make sure each acre earns its spot on your farm roster.

Urea can be used to replace part of your spring N needs, but there are risks to be aware of and evaluate before you decide to go with it. The same is true for a mono-crop, especially if you choose continuous corn.

Some hybrids require nitrogen early, some require it late.

Iowa State Extension agronomists say there are at least two strategies farmers can consider using in 2023 to address this phenomenon, especially if they expect to be hit by hot, dry weather conditions again next summer.

With operations and sales in more than 60 countries and 2022 forecasted revenues of more than $400 million, Stoller provides immediate scale and profitability, Corteva said in a company press release.

Farmers are asking, ‘Do I chisel first and then apply anhydrous? Or will I get better results doing the opposite?’ Get Ferrie’s answer and his insights on addressing hybrid weaknesses to harvest more corn in 2023.

Highly productive areas with adequate soil moisture are where you can usually trim seeding populations, says Matt Duesterhaus, Crop-Tech Consulting agronomist. He offers seven additional recommendations.

At first blush, water, or lack thereof, is the supreme bushel thief in the majority of corn and soybean fields. But, according to several farmers, the answer is not quite so simple.

Some Iowa growers saw huge yield losses this season from a so-called edge effect. Illinois farmers also report seeing it ding yields. Agronomists are working to confirm contributing factors but haven't nailed them down.

The Wilton, North Dakota site consolidates and elevates the opportunities for diversified field crop research which had been previously scattered and in smaller scale.

Harvest is wrapping up for the Farm Journal Test Plots. Ken Ferrie shares preliminary observations on soybean planting date, 15" versus 30" rows, sulfur products, corn planter fertility and corn fungicide plots.

Ken Ferrie says fields with good soil health can have as much disease present as an unhealthy field, but healthy plants handle stress better than unhealthy ones.

Nitrogen might be the king of yield, but if a corn plant is sulfur deficient, it won’t reach its maximum potential.

If you are adding a new farm for next season, take a hard look at soil health. Missy Bauer, Farm Journal Field Agronomist, says start with the canvas rather than the paint.

In a moisture deficit area like southwest Nebraska conservation and regenerative practices have long been a staple for farmers.  That's important especially in drought years like 2022. 

Farmers getting started on a path to improving soil health can only accomplish that if they Flip their Soil to make it more alive.  

Soli health practices can help Flip Your Soil from good to great.  These practices are also part of the new push for Climate Smart Agriculture practices to sequester carbon.  

Harvest is underway with corn yields showing a wide range of results, particularly based on how much moisture the crop received and when it was received. Planting population and stresses also shed light on the results.

Sprayers are being outfitted with new products and configured in new ways to make applications quicker, cheaper and more precise.

Can Matt Miles grow three crops in one year on the same field? Soybeans to soybeans to wheat? Don’t bet against a farmer whose name is synonymous with stellar yields.

There are 10 different species of forage grasses, four species of turf grasses, and two species of legumes being evaluated.

Originally launched in 2013, the company sought investment and support to help develop its business with expertise in fuels, soybean crushing, logistics and crop sciences.

The company branches out to provide crop consultants with a suite of tools: soil testing software, in-field automation and on-site soil analysis

Last year, farmers who bought nitrogen fertilizer early received lower prices. Will the same pattern play out this year?

Soybean cyst nematode can ravage a crop and destroy up to 80% of its yield potential. Two partners encourage farmers to take action between now and early September to address the pest.

The pest injures corn most often during the VE through V5 growth stages. Timing foliar insecticide applications is critical. They are only effective when the larvae migrate and are exposed to the pesticide.

Figure out which 'sins of spring' are plaguing your cornfields. Also, sign up for Corn & Soybean College. It's just a few weeks away. We have all new agronomic topics to help you take more grain to the bin this fall!