Farm Journal: Mid-February 2012

Magazine Features

• How Much Is Enough?
  
  02/11/2012
  Adequate life insurance ensures financial security.
• Prep for Perfect Planting
  
  02/11/2012
  Picket-fence corn requires planter parts to work in sync.
• I Have a Job
  
  02/11/2012
  Agriculture feels the sting of an inaccurate charge.
• Flag the Technology
  
  02/11/2012
  A simple bicycle flag helps avoid herbicide mistakes.
• Go 'Round, Up and Down
  
  02/11/2012
  Cycle opportunities are to be found in the troughs.
• Open Sesame
  
  02/11/2012
  This ancient crop offers new opportunity for farmers.
• A Weak Link
  
  02/11/2012
  One out of five truck trailers is not properly hitched.
• To Till or Not to Till
  
  02/11/2012
  Producers who are sold on less tillage are beginning to tangle with resistance issues.
• Tough Crop Fights Stress
  
  02/11/2012
  Corn crop produces surprising yields in difficult year.
• Take the Risk Out of Manure Fertilizer
  
  02/11/2012
  Manage the unknowns to provide your crops with the necessary nutrients.
• Cold Snaps Shock Corn
  
  02/11/2012
  Today’s soil temperature might not be as important to corn seeds as tomorrow’s soil temperature.
• Now Ear This
  
  02/11/2012
  Orientation of corn ears is not a primary selection factor.
• Refiner's Feed
  
  02/11/2012
  New ethanol technologies create nutrient differences in distillers’ grains.
• Early to Rise
  
  02/11/2012
  Growers dare to boost soybean yields by planting early.
• Miracle Fixes
  
  02/11/2012
  Simple and versatile define farming’s go-to tools and products.
• Wider Reach Saves Time
  
  02/11/2012
  Triple-mounted mowers increase mowing swath.
• 300-Bushel Bonanza
  
  02/11/2012
  Attention to detail pumps up yields in a poor year.
• Herbicide Hangover
  
  02/11/2012
  Don’t get burned by carryover this spring.
• More Wheat Acres Planted for Cash Flow
  
  02/11/2012
  Global stocks, however, are already full.
• Disease Defense
  
  02/11/2012
  Don’t let Fusarium head blight take a toll on yields.
• All Eyes to the Sky
  
  02/11/2012
  Climatologists anxiously track weather patterns.

Web Extra

• I Studied Agriculture & I Have A Job
  
  02/09/2012
  Access our Facebook page as well as read blogs, articles and other comments in response to the Yahoo story.
• Facts about Distillers Grain, Ethanol Plants, Corn Oil
  
  02/09/2012
  Learn about the uses of corn oil and to view a map of ethanol plants that sell distiller grain products.
• Triple Whammy Lowers Wheat Price
  
  02/08/2012
  Marketing expert Kim Anderson analyzes the two-week drop in wheat prices.
• Wheat Fusarium Head Blight Tool
  
  02/08/2012
  Use this online tool to assess your fields’ risk for Fusarium head blight.
• Groundwater and Soil Moisture Conditions
  
  02/08/2012
  See the soil moisture maps generated every Tuesday by the National Drought Mitigation Center.
• Hitch Safety Manual
  
  02/08/2012
  This publication identifies the critical factors that keep trailers properly attached to trucks.

Columnists

• Leave a Legacy: The Character of a Leader
  
  02/11/2012
  These 12 farmers exhibit leadership characteristics that helped them grow a farm operation and secure a lasting legacy.
• The Bottom Line: Is Growth an Objective or a Result?
  
  02/11/2012
  Working capital is the first shock absorber to get you through the financial bumps.
• John's World: Old! Unimproved! Completely Unchanged!
  
  02/11/2012
  There are artifacts of our culture that seem immune to change.
• Outlook: Planting Is Top of Mind
  
  02/11/2012
  Spring weather will have the final say on the number of planted acres we have, which means there is potential for volatility in the spreads, basis and carry incentive.
• In the Shop: Goops and Glops
  
  02/11/2012
  Every farm shop has an assortment of concoctions designed to help with repairs around the farm. The trick is to use the right goop or glop in the right place in the right way.
• Editor's Notebook: The Gap Between Us, Town People
  
  02/11/2012
  Here’s a list to make you smile on a cold February day: the differences between country kids and town kids, as relayed by my daughters.

Test Plots

• Right Rate, Right on Time
  
  02/11/2012
  Starter test plots dial in early season nutrient needs.

I Built the Best

• Trailer Speeds Spraying
  
  02/11/2012
  Farmer-built rig features big tanks, handy hose roll-up.

Corn Navigator

• Calcium Basics
  
  02/11/2012
  This little-understood nutrient holds the key to soil health, which lays the foundation for high yield.

Departments

• $100 Ideas: Near and Far
  
  02/11/2012
  Despite the fact that Terry Wellmann of Hampshire, Ill., lives a state away from his family’s south-central Minnesota farm, he can still keep tabs on grain drying.
• Close Cut
  
  02/11/2012
  Powered by a 400-hp MAN engine, the Krone BiG M 420 is designed to perform in dense crops and on slopes.
• Compact Utility Tractor Duo
  
  02/11/2012
  The Mahindra 6010 HST Cab and 6110 Shuttle Cab are four-wheel-drive and designed for general chores around the farm.
• Two-Point Hitch Option
  
  02/11/2012
  The ProTrakker 400DX hydraulic hitch automatically adjusts to steer pull-type implements.
• Tailgate Talk: Share Your Top Basketball Teams and Win
  
  02/11/2012
  Enter to win tickets to the big game in the "Road to No. 1" contest.
• Wheat Prices Retreat
  
  02/11/2012
  It’s a triple whammy that has slammed wheat prices in recent weeks, according to Oklahoma State University Extension.
• Warm Temperature Won't Harm Wheat Crop
  
  02/11/2012
  As long as nighttime temperatures are below freezing, wheat will retain its winterhardiness, says a Kansas State University agronomist.
• New Varieties: Prosper and Ideal
  
  02/11/2012
  Wheat growers have two new wheat varieties on the table this year.
• Wheat Investments Continue
  
  02/11/2012
  Dow AgroSciences is making sure wheat gets a firm foothold in its seed portfolio.
• Wheat, Wildlife Lessons in Sustainability
  
  02/11/2012
  Bayer CropScience and Ducks Unlimited have teamed up with a new program that creates duck habitat out of winter wheat fields.
• Herbicides By the Numbers
  
  02/11/2012
  Simplify the chore of herbicide rotation by using the numbers that are located on most herbicide labels.
• Low Interest Rates to Continue
  
  02/11/2012
  In late January, the Federal Reserve announced it will leave interest rates unchanged for 2012—and keep them at low levels through late 2014.