Crop Protection
Preemptive control of heavy-hitting diseases like white mold, frogeye leaf spot, Cercospora leaf blight and others is now possible thanks to specially designed soybeans that act like an early warning system, enabling proactive fungicide treatments and yield protection.
Syngenta’s latest innovation knocks out corn rootworm and addresses a host of other yield-robbing pests in a variety of crops.
In many areas of the Corn Belt, farmers experienced 10-to-50-bu.-per-acre yield losses from disease pressure this year, says Ken Ferrie. In a period of tight margins, timely treatment decisions were more crucial than usual.
Going into the final weeks of the year, many growers across the country are shouldering significant financial strain from land rent payments, rising input costs, and efforts to stay in business and viable until commodity prices improve.
The companion piece to the Senate’s Fertilizer Research Act of 2025 has the same, ultimate goal: to provide U.S. farmers with more clarity on the pricing of crop nutrients, lawmakers say.
The fungal disease has spread to fields in at least seven states since 2018, including three new ones just this year. Once established, the pathogen is nearly impossible to eradicate, Extension plant pathologists report.
Number of bushels per acre is high on their list of priorities, but it’s not necessarily their No. 1 concern going into 2026.
Both products have been registered for use by the EPA, with one of them featuring a novel active ingredient.
A new report spotlights how agricultural acquisitions and business strategy linked to the Chinese government have amassed production and power, and it’s being called into question by policy thinktank America First Policy Institute (AFPI).
Agronomists answer farmer questions about the role of nitrogen and other nutrients in lessening the potential impact of yield robbers such as southern rust and tar spot in corn.
As a handful of corporations influences more of the agricultural supply chain, row crop growers say they are left with fewer input choices, higher prices and diminishing control over their own operations.
AgZen’s first product, RealCoverage, can be bolted onto any sprayer and is the world’s only sensor and AI-based system that measures and optimizes the number of drops of crop protection products applied to crops.
The latest FBN report gives price and supply outlooks for five active ingredients: glyphosate, glufosinate, 2,4-D ester, atrazine, and S-metolachlor.
As farmers are harvesting their fields and thinking about their results, it is a great time for retailers to build their equity with their customers and humbly remind growers of how their recommendations helped grow a successful crop.
“We’re doubling down, allotting capital on digital innovation for FBN’s future,” says Diego Casanello, CEO of FBN.
The microbial product works as part of an integrated strategy to address SCN, the No. 1 yield-reducing pest problem in soybeans. Farmers routinely see yields cut by 5 bushels or more per acre in affected fields.
Lukas Koch is CEO of Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems, which spun out of an ag retail business. From bigger, faster drones that could fly farther, Koch shares more about what the future of application via drone looks like.
Company leaders say the separation will unleash two distinct market leaders that are both farmer-centric, with technology and innovation at their core.
Survey results from University of Illinois ag economists show how farmers are making corn and soybean nutrient plans for 2026 and what current price trends are for N, P and K.
There are no easy answers to address the cost of fertilizer and other inputs, but having conversations with suppliers and financial providers now can help you leverage your buying power and minimize potential impacts from marketplace uncertainties.
While application season is still weeks away, retailers and other suppliers are encouraging farmers to reserve product now.
If the legal challenge succeeds, the federal court decision would result in making the technology unavailable for sale or distribution to U.S. farmers.
The online platform currently has about 500 programs and service providers in the Midwest participating and is a free resource for farmers, ranchers and their advisers.
On the heels of Crop Tour, Pro Farmer projects corn yields at 6.1 bu. below USDA’s August estimate, while soybean yield numbers are nearly aligned.
Recently, a trio of product announcements were made relevant for ag retailers.
The Minnesota corn crop is going for gold. Pro Farmer Crop Tour scouts expect the crop will reach a record 202.86 bu. average, if it can outpace southern rust and tar spot. Scouts peg the Iowa corn crop at a 198.43 bu. average, but it also faces disease challenges.
Iowa could be the nation’s top state this year for corn and soybeans, but both crops are in a race to beat disease pressure that’s gaining momentum. Illinois corn continues to ride the struggle bus, while the soybean crop there is positioned to deliver high yields.
There is still up to 55% of the kernel dry weight left to be accumulated by many corn hybrids at this point — starch that can contribute significantly to grain fill and higher test weights.
With at least four weeks left in the growing season, Ferrie encourages farmers to stay ahead of heavy disease pressure in fields, particularly in what he calls D hybrids — those that punch their yield card late-season.
The White House said on Monday to not expect public release of the Make America Healthy Again policy recommendations on Aug. 12