Latest News From Rhonda Brooks

New NCGA President, Iowa Farmer Chris Edgington, Assesses Goals and Priorities
New NCGA President, Iowa Farmer Chris Edgington, Assesses Goals and Priorities

Chris Edgington, a row-crop farmer based near St. Ansgar, shares his perspective on what drives most U.S. producers today.

Ferrie: 5 Things to Know about Spinners that can Help or Hinder Spreading Crop Residue
Ferrie: 5 Things to Know about Spinners that can Help or Hinder Spreading Crop Residue

How good a job you do spreading residue behind the harvester makes a big difference in how uniform your corn stand will be next spring and how uniform its growth and development will be.

Computer Connectivity And Carbon Contracts 
Computer Connectivity And Carbon Contracts 

The two go hand-in-hand in farm country.

Combining Ingredients To Tackle Tough Weeds
Combining Ingredients To Tackle Tough Weeds

Here’s a look at three products manufacturers plan to market for weed control in the near term. 

Put Anhydrous on Corn Acres this Fall. Consider P and K, too, says Fertilizer Industry Expert
Put Anhydrous on Corn Acres this Fall. Consider P and K, too, says Fertilizer Industry Expert

There doesn't appear to be much price relief on the horizon. Product availability could be limited as well, based on what China and Europe are experiencing.

Focus on MOA and SOA to Improve Weed-Control Outcomes
Focus on MOA and SOA to Improve Weed-Control Outcomes

Understanding the where and how of herbicide active ingredients can help you address weeds and manage your budget more effectively.

Ferrie: 3 Corn Harvest Takeaways to Consider when Planning for 2022
Ferrie: 3 Corn Harvest Takeaways to Consider when Planning for 2022

Too much rain fueled disease pressure, double fungicide applications actually paid for themselves in some situations, and hybrid diversification was and is critical to your overall yield success.

crops
Biostimulant Use gains Traction on U.S. Crop Ground, Report Says

These biological products have the ability to increase germination, improve nutrient uptake, enhance nutrient-use efficiency and increase tolerance to and recovery from abiotic stresses.

Ferrie: 4 Timely Harvest Reminders plus Yield Highlights for Illinois Corn and Soybeans
Ferrie: 4 Timely Harvest Reminders plus Yield Highlights for Illinois Corn and Soybeans

Plant health is making serious contributions to crop-yield outcomes this year. In some cases, the thanks is due to hybrid genetics while in others, timely fungicide applications paid for themselves.

AgriTalk: Clarity Needed on $3.5 Trillion Budget Reconciliation Bill
AgriTalk: Clarity Needed on $3.5 Trillion Budget Reconciliation Bill

On Tuesday, Bill Northey weighed in with some perspective on the budget reconciliation bill, which is part of the Biden administration's Build Back Better agenda.

Ferrie: Tar Spot is ‘Causing the Wheels to come off the Bus’
Ferrie: Tar Spot is ‘Causing the Wheels to come off the Bus’

The disease is shutting down corn crop growth prematurely in parts of Illinois, especially in fields with D hybrids. You may need to harvest those fields sooner than later.

3 Factors to Consider before you Pick Hybrids for 2022
3 Factors to Consider before you Pick Hybrids for 2022

Plan for a normal crop – hope for the biggest crop of your career – and then mitigate the risk of a drought or crop failure.

Ferrie: Disease Pressure is Bringing Corn to its Knees
Ferrie: Disease Pressure is Bringing Corn to its Knees

Check the stalk quality of D and L-1 hybrids. One has been hit by late-season disease, while high winds have taken a toll on the other.

Computer Connectivity and Carbon Contracts go Hand In Hand
Computer Connectivity and Carbon Contracts go Hand In Hand

Good data forms the framework for management decisions Lukas Fricke and his brother make on their Ulysses, Neb., farm operation, including the one they made recently to sign a carbon contract.

Ferrie: Severe Tar Spot is Shutting Down Corn, Encouraging Top Leaf Dieback
Ferrie: Severe Tar Spot is Shutting Down Corn, Encouraging Top Leaf Dieback

Cornfields that had promised above-average or record yields, prior to being affected, are now more likely to produce average results at harvest.

Tackle Tough Weeds in Pastures Like you Would in Corn and Soybeans
Tackle Tough Weeds in Pastures Like you Would in Corn and Soybeans

It costs beef producers about 45 cents a day to feed a cow or steer on pasture, making it the most cost-effective way to pack on pounds.

Highest Corn Yield Average Predicted for Indiana Ever?
Highest Corn Yield Average Predicted for Indiana Ever?

Pro Farmer scouts pegged the Indiana average yield estimate at 193.48 bu. per acre on Tuesday, just slightly below USDA's prediction of 194 bu. per acre.

Ferrie: Southern Rust is in some Illinois Corn at R4 Stage, 30 Days from Finish Line
Ferrie: Southern Rust is in some Illinois Corn at R4 Stage, 30 Days from Finish Line

Crops across much of the state look good heading into the home stretch but still need to be monitored for insects and disease.

Farm Journal Field Days Head to the Mississippi Delta
Farm Journal Field Days Head to the Mississippi Delta

Join the Jack family at Silent Shade Planting Company, Belzoni, Miss., on Aug. 25 to learn more about row-crop production in the Delta. A variety of speakers and topics are planned.

Crop Tour Preview: 70% of Nebraska Corn in Good to Excellent Condition
Crop Tour Preview: 70% of Nebraska Corn in Good to Excellent Condition

Drought is deepening in Nebraska, but corn and soybean crops are hanging tough so far.

Crop Tour Preview: Illinois Corn A Tale Of Extreme Variability
Crop Tour Preview: Illinois Corn A Tale Of Extreme Variability

On August 17, Pro Farmer scouts will be walking Illinois corn and soybean fields checking crop conditions and making annual yield projections.

Ferrie: Got Northern Corn Leaf Blight? Call Your Retailer
Ferrie: Got Northern Corn Leaf Blight? Call Your Retailer

Disease pressure is building in parts of Illinois. Also, check out the agenda and register for Farm Journal Corn & Soybean College, set for Aug. 3-4.

Bayer to pull Glyphosate from U.S. Lawn and Garden Markets
Bayer to pull Glyphosate from U.S. Lawn and Garden Markets

Ongoing litigation contributed to the company's decision. However, farmers and retailers will continue to have access to glyphosate for weed control, company officials say.

Clarity in Carbon Marketplace Needed, say Iowa State and EDF Reports
Clarity in Carbon Marketplace Needed, say Iowa State and EDF Reports

Soil carbon sequestration can become an important mitigation strategy if there is agreed upon, credible, cost-effective and consistent measurement, reporting and verification behind the credits, according to researchers.

Grassley: Beef Producers Face a “Very Unfair Situation”
Grassley: Beef Producers Face a “Very Unfair Situation”

The senator supports legislative action because of concerns that small producers are losing money on cattle due to being unable to spot market.

4 Questions Farmers are Asking about Carbon Markets
4 Questions Farmers are Asking about Carbon Markets

As growers wade through the ever-deepening amount of carbon information available in the marketplace, they are asking for answers to these common questions.

pickup trucks
Automaker Revs Up Its Truck Production Plans

Ford, Chevy and GMC pickups have sat idle on dealer lots across the U.S. as manufacturers have scrambled to find the materials needed to finish them.

4 Active Ingredients, 3 Sites of Action in New Corn Premix Herbicide
4 Active Ingredients, 3 Sites of Action in New Corn Premix Herbicide

Syngenta says the long residual control offered by Acuron GT will allow farmers and retailers to apply it in a post application before weeds can emerge and compete with the crop.

Ferrie: Check Corn Pollination, Prepare to Spray if Heavy Pest Feeding is Underway
Ferrie: Check Corn Pollination, Prepare to Spray if Heavy Pest Feeding is Underway

In soybeans, look for white mold issues this week. Initial symptoms generally develop in the R3 to R6 production stages.

New Corn Herbicide and Soybean Insecticide Under EPA Consideration for 2022 Season
New Corn Herbicide and Soybean Insecticide Under EPA Consideration for 2022 Season

Corteva Agriscience has a robust number of products it expects to introduce to U.S. farmers between now and 2023 for use in more than 10 crops.

Cupping Soybeans: Iowa Farmers Question the Cause, Some Point Fingers
Cupping Soybeans: Iowa Farmers Question the Cause, Some Point Fingers

While a rush to judgment is underway, Extension and company representatives say report suspected herbicide drift damage to state pesticide agencies.

Ferrie: Soybeans to The Rescue After ‘Monsoon’ Hammers Fields
Ferrie: Soybeans to The Rescue After ‘Monsoon’ Hammers Fields

Bean planting populations of 190,000 to 220,000 in washed out areas can help keep weeds from taking over.

Spring Wheat Crop Quality Tumbles, Some Farmers Abandon Fields
Spring Wheat Crop Quality Tumbles, Some Farmers Abandon Fields

​Hard Red Spring wheat ratings in the good to excellent categories dropped from 20% to 16% this week, compared to a five-year average of 66%. ​

Ferrie: 5 Next Steps for Corn And Soybeans Under Water or Affected by Heavy Rainfall
Ferrie: 5 Next Steps for Corn And Soybeans Under Water or Affected by Heavy Rainfall

Corn subjected to heavy rainfall can still deliver a significant yield response to a nitrogen application -- in some cases, up to 60 bu.

Ferrie: Downed Corn and Still Need to Apply N? Consider Your Options
Ferrie: Downed Corn and Still Need to Apply N? Consider Your Options

Evaluate hail-damaged soybeans, too, before applying post herbicides or a rescue treatment.

Rootless Corn Syndrome Cause and 'Cure'
Rootless Corn Syndrome Cause and 'Cure'

Along with that issue, Ken Ferrie addresses corn rootworm and other pests and diseases that he's observing and addressing in the field now.

Sidedressing Corn? Consider Including Sulfur to Improve ROI
Sidedressing Corn? Consider Including Sulfur to Improve ROI

To get the best return-on-investment from your nitrogen (N) applications in corn consider pairing them with sulfur.

$4 Billion Initiative Will Create A More Resilient U.S. Food System, Vilsack Pledges
$4 Billion Initiative Will Create A More Resilient U.S. Food System, Vilsack Pledges

The dollars tagged for such purposes are part of the Build Back Better program, the Biden administration’s COVID-19 relief plan.

Overturning Current WOTUS Would Show ‘Lack of Common Sense,’ Grassley Says
Overturning Current WOTUS Would Show ‘Lack of Common Sense,’ Grassley Says

“I like to say you’re going to have to have a permit to do normal farming decisions,” he told Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk.

Embattled Waters of the U.S. to be Redefined for Agriculture – Again
Embattled Waters of the U.S. to be Redefined for Agriculture – Again

The EPA and Department of the Army announced a plan on Wednesday to initiate a new rulemaking process to restore the protections that were in place prior to the 2015 WOTUS implementation.

Improvements in Soil Erosion, GHG Reductions and Water Use Efficiency, Detailed by NCGA Farmer-Leaders
Improvements in Soil Erosion, GHG Reductions and Water Use Efficiency, Detailed by NCGA Farmer-Leaders

The organization unveiled a new report on Tuesday, showcasing corn growers' sustainability accomplishments and goals.

Ferrie: Stop Yield Loss from the Carbon Penalty and Ugly Corn Syndrome
Ferrie: Stop Yield Loss from the Carbon Penalty and Ugly Corn Syndrome

One problem is soil temperature related while the other occurs at a specific growth stage. Both can take a bite out of bushels available at harvest.

Data suggests you can capture higher sorghum yields by using narrow rows.
Strong Prices, Lower Seed Costs Spur Surge in Sorghum Acres

Total U.S. sorghum acres are projected to reach 6.91 million acres this season, according to the most recent USDA Prospective Plantings Report. Acres could go even higher, as Kansas growers are just starting to plant.

9 Questions to Ask Before Jumping into the Carbon Market
9 Questions to Ask Before Jumping into the Carbon Market

Farmers' questions answered about the carbon market and how it works.

Ferrie: 3 tips to address ugly corn syndrome, replant decisions and insects
Ferrie: 3 tips to address ugly corn syndrome, replant decisions and insects

This week, farmers in the Midwest are reporting crop extremes. Some say they have their best crops in recent memory, while others are making replant decisions.

Diflufenican: New AI for Corn and Soybean Growers Targets Pigweed, Waterhemp
Diflufenican: New AI for Corn and Soybean Growers Targets Pigweed, Waterhemp

The molecule will give farmers a new tool in the ongoing battle to control these two broadleaf weeds, especially those populations with resistance to current, commonly used chemistries.

Bayer_Cross_4
Bayer Says Judge’s Ruling Won’t Affect Roundup Availability for Farmers

The company says a U.S. judge's rejection of its class-action proposal will have no impact on its commitment to Roundup or Roundup Ready and their availability for farmers and retailers.

EPA Officials: Agency Deviated from 'Typical Procedures' in 2018 Dicamba Registration Decision
EPA Officials: Agency Deviated from 'Typical Procedures' in 2018 Dicamba Registration Decision

A report issued on Monday describes at least three ways EPA stumbled in its policies and practices.

Ferrie: To Replant or Not Replant Soybeans? Consider These 3 Scenarios
Ferrie: To Replant or Not Replant Soybeans? Consider These 3 Scenarios

If you still have 80,000 to 90,000 viable plants after a frost, you'll likely be money ahead to leave that crop in the field.

Tractor Planter Planting
Close to 90,000 Farmers Share Planting Details for USDA-NASS Crop Acreage Reports, Agency Says

The undertaking is so big that the agency employs two different surveys.