Crop Conditions
With summer patterns running up to four weeks behind schedule, meteorologist Don Day urges growers to plan in short windows for the second half of the growing season.
Promising new technologies are entering the market, but large-scale corn and soybean farmers often face a frustrating bottleneck.
Ken Ferrie lays out a strategy for farmers struggling with ponded corn acres after rains soak parts of the Midwest.
NOAA officially declared El Niño on Thursday and says the climate pattern has a 63% chance of reaching “very strong” status by fall, potentially shaping U.S. weather through harvest and winter.
After a historic 10-month stretch of dryness, improving moisture conditions are helping crops and pastures, but long-term drought impacts continue to linger across parts of the High Plains and West.
From canola to hemp, recent history shows new crops only stick when margin and infrastructure line up for years—not seasons.
Nitrogen availability, root development and residue load determine whether crops stumble or race through June.
Meteorologist Eric Snodgrass says warmer Pacific waters - not just El Niño - could drive a wetter, stormier summer across much of the Midwest and central U.S.
Sidedressing is often the best opportunity in-season to address corn nutrient needs, but Ken Ferrie urges caution if you plan to go with “blind sidedressing” before the crop emerges or at spike. He offers three considerations.
Agronomist Phil Long explains the critical gap between air and soil temperatures and why the “heat engine” for corn and soybeans has stalled in some areas.
Record corn yields have risen 10x in 100 years. David Hula says continued genetic gains, along with a deeper understanding of what’s happening underground, could push yield potential far beyond what most farmers expect.
Tim Webster and Steve Crothers share their cropping plans, telling Ken Ferrie they hope to bounce back this season from record low rainfall and extreme heat in 2025.
Illinois grower Stephen Butz is uber-focused this season on removing the hidden barriers that have kept his bean crops from reaching their true potential.
University of Illinois researcher details scenarios in corn and soybeans where biological products can provide value.
Irrigation experts explain how tracking daily “deposits and withdrawals” can prevent costly watering mistakes and protect yields during critical growth stages.
Ken Ferrie warns that anhydrous ammonia won’t help young plants fight the carbon penalty this spring. He details how to bridge the nitrogen gap and protect your yield potential.
Before you leap, check out these essential management steps from Missouri farmer Todd Gibson and Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie to help you mitigate risks and protect ROI.
By digging deeper into the details, farmers can use the information to make more informed input decisions and drive better yield outcomes.
As planting dates shift earlier, the nutrient is delivering significant yield responses and surprising protection against sudden death syndrome.
NOAA and CPC issue an official El Niño watch with a 62% chance of forming by late summer. Meteorologist Drew Lerner explains why it’s coming sooner than expected, but warns the extreme forecasts may be overstated. What it could mean for global crops this year.
Barbell, beer can and banana are descriptive names for abnormal ear shapes that show up every season and cause yield losses — problems growers could avoid more often by tuning into three factors researchers refer to as GEM.
Bigger roots, higher populations, and easier in-season access mean fertility programs should look different for these new hybrids.
Working with Mother Nature may require adopting a new mindset, but for some farmers these four practices could be the ‘missing piece’ in having a sustainable, long-term weed management plan.
Swapping your fluency agent for a value‑added product could turn a routine step at the planter into real ROI.
New research shows that pairing hybrid root architecture with your tillage system and residue management is a way to grow more bushels.
High-yield growers David Hula and Randy Dowdy say three things deserve your sharpest focus now: your planter, fertility program and seed.
Crown rot is showing up more frequently in Midwest cornfields. Plant pathologists say it’s likely a multi-pathogen disease and offer five practical ways to address it this season.
Ignore the hype of unproven products and practices. Research shows that doubling down on five core fundamentals will deliver the best ROI.