Rhonda Brooks

Agronomy Editor, Farm Journal

Rhonda Brooks is the Agronomy Editor for Farm Journal and AgWeb, covering all aspects of crop production. A Missouri native with a background in agricultural communications, she has previously worked on multiple Farm Journal brands.

Latest Stories

Succession Planning

The Value of Teamwork

Sometimes the best way to know where you’re going is to identify where you’ve been.

November 17, 2020 09:19 PM

Rhonda Brooks

$100 Ideas

Six Ways To Make Safety A Priority

Two file cabinets, one red, the other yellow, stand along an open wall in J. R. Simplot’s office in Fresno, Calif. They are a silent testament to Paul Simpson’s ever-vigilant attention to details, both large and small, that play a role in the company’s emergency action plans. Simpson, the company’s director of retailer operations in California, chose the colors to give employees a visual reminder or clue to the cabinets’ contents. The red file cabinet holds a variety of safety data sheets. The yellow one holds documents on Simplot environmental, health, safety and security policies and procedures. Everything is clearly marked and filed alphabetically. “If a regulator walks through the door and wants to review a document we’re supposed to have on file, our employees know exactly where to locate it,” Simpson says. As a result, employees don’t have to resort to searching stacks of folders, fumbling through drawers or skimming papers posted on the wall. That’s not all. Simpson has a comprehensive plan in place to address a variety of challenges, and employees receive regular training on how to respond to each one.

November 17, 2020 08:02 PM

Rhonda Brooks

$100 Ideas

Net Farm Income Inches Up 3% to $63.2 Billion

Farmers looking for any sign of an economic bright spot for 2017 learned of a modest one yesterday. Net farm income is expected to inch up a slight 3% over 2016 and reach $63.2 billion this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Economic Research Service (USDA-ERS) November Farm Income Report. The small improvement is the first farmers have seen in the last several years but is still less than half the amount farmers saw in 2013, when net farm income reached a record $129 billion.

November 17, 2020 07:56 PM

Rhonda Brooks

$100 Ideas

Pastureland Values Reach New High

The average value for U.S. pastureland rose 1.5% this year to $1,350 per acre, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2017 Land Values Summary reported in August. The new value reflects an increase of $20 per acre from 2016 and a record high since the USDA began keeping records. By comparison, the average acre of cropland is worth $4,090, a level unchanged from 2016 and the third highest on record.

November 17, 2020 07:51 PM

Rhonda Brooks

$100 Ideas

Upcoming Webinar Addresses Financial Upsides To Using Solar Panels

If you’re looking at various energy options as an alternative to electricity, consider the time might be right to use solar panels to power your farm. A six-part webinar series later this month will help you evaluate Photovoltaic (PV) panels and whether they could be a good fit. The panels “convert sunlight into electricity and are installed on a roof or placed on the ground,” according to Extension

November 17, 2020 07:50 PM

Rhonda Brooks

$100 Ideas

New Air Boom Option for High-Capacity Nutrient Applicator

Farmers and applicators looking to cover more acres with dry fertilizer might want to check out the new AB485 air boom option for the John Deere F4365 high-capacity nutrient applicator.

November 17, 2020 07:48 PM

Rhonda Brooks

$100 Ideas

Ohio Father-Son Farming Partners Say Crops Look Good Despite Rough Start

The Hiler family is spending the week at Soybean College after a rough start in their fields this spring.

November 17, 2020 01:26 AM

Rhonda Brooks

$100 Ideas

Interns See Bright Future in Agriculture

Corn College is one of several projects these two Michigan teens have worked on this summer

November 17, 2020 01:26 AM

Rhonda Brooks

$100 Ideas

Revamped Seed Treatments

Along with new products, corn and soybean growers can anticipate having access next year to revamped seed treatments that are packed with new benefits.

November 17, 2020 01:26 AM

Rhonda Brooks

More than half of farmers said they'd stick with what they did last year.

Crop Production

Farmers Share Their Cropping Intentions for 2018

As farmers look for ways to improve their profitability in 2018, one of the areas many are evaluating is their crop mix.

November 16, 2020 11:33 PM

Rhonda Brooks