Ben Potter

Ben Potter writes about the many new on-farm technologies that make farmers better, faster, more efficient and more profitable. He has more than 9 years of experience writing for a cotton publication and an advertising agency serving agribusiness clients. This helped him build a strong foundation of agronomic and crop-protection knowledge for corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice, peanuts and a variety of specialty crops. Ben attended both the University of Missouri (journalism) and the University of Memphis (technical writing). Ben’s grandparents were corn and soybean farmers, and his father was a soil scientist with the USDA. Away from work, Ben keeps busy with a broad range of activities, whether it’s long-distance running, growing habanero peppers or spending quality time with his wife and two daughters.

Latest Stories
China drove a lot of the recent demand for sorghum, driving premiums as high as 20% above corn at times.
There’s little doubt that deploying cover crops can protect against soil erosion and bolster soil health. But new research from the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) looked into potential yield benefits as well.
Almost perfect – but not quite. That’s how many Midwest farmers would describe the weather so far in April. Temperatures have been amenable, but precipitation has put more than a few planting schedules on pause.
Does starter fertilizer pay? Several Extension agronomists aren’t completely convinced.
What can soybean farmers do to get the most out of their crop’s potential, given a late start? The United Soybean Board recently made the following six recommendations.
As farming equipment gets heavier, farmers look for ways that extra weight won’t end up crushing their yield expectations.
Add a pound of nitrogen, grow a bushel of corn. That simple rule of thumb that has governed thousands of fertility decisions over the years. But is it correct?
Worried about corn infected with mold or stalk quality issues? You’re not alone. But what to do now, with harvest rolling and grain put into storage? Is it too late to make a difference?
Record-breaking weather on Oct. 11 gives way to more “seasonally appropriate” conditions by Oct. 17.
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