Crop Conditions
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.
David Cogen partnered with John Deere during the 2024 growing season to till, plant, spray and harvest a small field at Deere’s Boundurant, Iowa, test farm. In the process, he says he learned a lot about farming and how difficult it truly is.
Could 2025 set a new record for planting pace in Iowa? Ogden, Iowa farmers Ward and Bryant Hunter say they’ll finish planting corn on Thursday – marking the earliest finish ever on their farm.
Farmers in the upper Plains, northern Plains and Northeast came up short on snow for the 2024/25 season. In some cases, they experienced the winter that wasn’t, now sitting 10" to 30" short on normal snowfall.
One solution to low prices is producing more bushels. Take a minute to think through some of the best management practices outlined here that will help you accomplish that.
Randy Hughes is continually refining his fertility program and has seen yields improve 40 bu. to 50 bu. per acre over the past six years. Hughes chats with corn yield champs David Hula and Randy Dowdy about the importance of being a lifelong student of the crop.
Farmers who are seeing this issue show up in their seed sample test results might want to consider not using starter in-furrow this spring. There are good options off the seed, Ken Ferrie reports.
Don’t let the calendar, coffee shop talk or what your neighbors are doing dictate when you head to the field. Farm Journal field agronomists offer these four tips to help you get your best start ever with #planting2025.
USDA says Texas farmers have 59% of their crop in the ground, identical to 2024. One key difference from last year: Illinois has yet to register any discernible corn planting progress, according to the first report of the 2025 season.
While macronutrients and micronutrients such as zinc, iron, and manganese contribute to high yields, yield champs say don’t overlook the importance of having soil pH in place first.
Many seed beans were hammered by heat and drought at harvest last year, leading to variable seed quality this season. Knowing your warm/cold germ scores and using seed treatments at planting can help you get the crop off to a stronger start, especially early soybeans.
Eric Snodgrass, Nutrien’s principal atmospheric scientist, breaks down what the next few days of heavy rains mean for drought risk and what planting windows could look like in the weeks ahead.
Brian Naber says growing up in a farming family in southwest Minnesota helped prepare him for the rigors of leading the company through the ag industry’s current economic and regulatory challenges.
Add several thousand ears per acre to your yield results and boost ROI by getting your planter ready for the field. Be sure to download our free planter prep checklist.
ENSO-neutral means conditions could be close to average, but Eric Snodgrass, Nutrien’s principal atmospheric scientist, says that doesn’t mean the weather will be normal this spring and summer with growing concerns about drought.
When growing soybeans, the first thing farmers need to explore is where they can get those “free bushels,” says Randy Dowdy. One of the most important factors to consider is planting date, specifically the need to plant early.
Ken Ferrie says to batten down the hatches for this season by picking the right hybrids, placing them on the right fields and giving them the right management. He outlines the steps you can take now to do just that.
About 45% of U.S. corn production acres and 36% of the soybean ground are dry. The western Corn Belt needs moisture, in particular. A big, wet snowstorm could help, says Eric Snodgrass.
At the height of the recent cold wave in January, subzero temperatures were noted across the Great Plains and as far south as the northern Panhandle of Texas. According to USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey, temperatures dipped to -20°F and below across the Northern Plains.
A new map from the SCN Coalition can give you an idea of whether the pest is in your county. Soil testing this spring will confirm whether the pest is in your fields, dinging yields and dollars.
Ken Ferrie advises farmers to plant no more than a third of their acres to a new corn product, if they don’t have significant experience with it. He says to bank on proven winners in the field for next season.
Our brief video takes you through evaluating stand losses from pest pressure, disease issues and dry conditions in a central Illinois cornfield. These insights can help you plan for next season’s bumper yields.
Severely bruised corn stalks can limit the plants’ ability to translocate water and nutrients and even cause the growing point region to die.
As the 2024 growing season starts to wind down in the Midwest, the weather to this point has been “uneventful,” describes Brad Rippey, USDA meteorologist.
Corn yield estimates in South Dakota are less than 1 bu. per acre lower than 2023 tour estimates while soybean pod counts are up. Ohio’s corn yield estimates are slightly lower than last year and soybean pod counts came in 1.84% lower.
With eyes on the forecast for July, one ag meteorologist says it looks fairly favorable for much of the Midwest, but there are a few wild cards.
There’s a big crop in the field for many Midwest growers, and it requires fuel. N supplies ears with the energy they need to add kernels all the way to their tips and to pack on weight.
On the heels of Crop Tour, Pro Farmer projects corn production below and soybean production above USDA estimates. Here’s the yield breakdown for seven Midwest states.
The fourth and final day of the 32nd Pro Farmer Crop Tour wrapped up on Thursday, Aug. 22, with numbers from Minnesota and eastern Iowa samples combined for full Iowa results.