Agronomy
With product and application costs totaling between $30 and $40 per acre, farmers will be taking a harder look at where they make the investment this season.
New studies highlight how thiosulfates not only supply sulfur but also significantly reduce nitrogen loss by slowing the conversion of ammonium to nitrate in the soil.
The Seilers use cover crops and no-till to improve soil health, reduce input costs and improve profitability.
David Hula believes a high-quality carrier is so critical to the performance of his crop protection products that he loads and hauls all the water to the local airport that his aerial applicator uses.
In some cases, the sulfur deficiency can be traced back to last fall when ammonium sulfate and DAP were taken out of fertilizer programs to reduce costs. In other scenarios, the corn just isn’t getting adequate sulfur — but the problem can be corrected.
As a director of an on-farm research business with a footprint in North Dakota and Iowa, and a 3,000-acre farmer himself, Chad Rubbelke approaches long-standing struggles with optimism that the next idea may just work.
Now’s the time to be scouting for the disease, especially where the inoculum is present. Tracking weather data, particularly daily humidity levels, can help you keep an eye on tar spot this season.
The administration is furthering its drone advocacy efforts with a new order expanding Beyond Visual Line of Sight mission approvals and establishing a domestic pilot program for electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing drones.
As director of R&D and Innovation at Forge Genetics International, Emily Meccage has a lot to share about the breeding work being done for alfalfa.
A 25-page criminal complaint alleges the researcher and her boyfriend were attempting to bring Fusarium graminearum into the country. The fungus causes significant diseases in a number of food crops, including corn, wheat, barley, soybeans and rice. Toxins from the fungus are harmful to humans and livestock.
The problem occurs at a specific growth stage – typically between V3 and V5 – as the corn seed roots are handing off their jobs to the first two sets of true crown roots.
Despite being outside the optimum window for tar spot control, this Wisconsin field trial yielded strong results.
From emergence to maturity, nitrogen is a crucial nutrient for corn, but plants have different nitrogen demands at different growth stages. Consider how corn yields are influenced by nitrogen at VE, V6, V10-V12 and R5-R6.
The commission now has about 80 days to create a strategy for how the federal government should respond to the report findings, per President Trump’s original order in February.
Dust storms can occur anywhere there’s loose soil and wind. Along with Illinois, states including Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas have also experienced the problem this year.
John Deere is acquiring a drone and aerial imaging company to build out its Operations Center and application tech portfolio. Find out what we learned from executives from both companies.
USDA’s Brooke Rollins and more than 300 farm groups went to bat for agriculture leading up to the report’s release on Thursday. Yet farmers were excluded from having a voice at the table in the development process. That needs to change before the next report – which will provide policy recommendations – is issued within the next 80 days.
A chief concern is whether glyphosate will be targeted by the report, which is expected to be unveiled on Thursday. A number of farmers have voiced concerns collectively and individually this week.
If you have corn and soybeans affected by recent wind and dust storms, consider pushing pause for a few days to evaluate crops before applying post herbicides and making other product applications that could create additional stress for the plants.
Be proactive in evaluating crop emergence and uniformity. That information will help you make timely, informed decisions that are best for your farm and your financial needs this season.
Knowing the final plant population as well as the uniformity of the stand can guide you in deciding whether you will benefit most from keeping the current crop or ripping it out and replanting, says Missy Bauer, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.
Make adjustments as you plant because when those final steps are done poorly, corn germinates unevenly and there’s no way to go back and undo the damage.
Parts of the Central and Southern Plains are seeing some beneficial rains, but did they come in time to improve the winter wheat crop? Farmers will know soon, as harvest generally begins in early to mid-June.
One farmer who was chased out of fields by rain this past weekend told Farm Journal, “This is the wettest drought I have ever seen.” There are some silver linings, though: soil-applied herbicides are being activated, the U.S. corn crop won’t all pollinate the same week and you have time to make stand counts where the crop has emerged.
GDUs offer a more reliable method to predict corn emergence and development than using calendar days, according to yield champions David Hula and Randy Dowdy. They also offer their pro tip on how to assess planting and germination depth.
Learn about an Iowa plot trial that is looking at the yield boosting potential of strip cropping corn and cover crops.
Results from a new survey reveal that between 25% and 50% of corn and soybean growers adopt the use of cover crops when their trusted adviser has been planting them, as well.
Soil conditions, temperatures and weather outlook are finally aligned for planting in much of the Midwest. In the hurry to get the job done, keep in mind that to get a 300-bu. corn yield, you need to start with at least a 300-bu. picket-fence stand.
Farmers can make a poor planting scenario better by teaching their planter how to dance across fields. The practice is particularly helpful in wet soils.
Iowa farmers say a foliar fungicide application can add more bushels per acre by preventing losses to disease pressure and minimizing the impact of environmental factors, such as heat stress and drought.