Sonja Begemann

Sonja Begemann provides information about seeds, chemicals and anything that affects crop production. A recent graduate of the University of Missouri (Science and Agricultural Journalism), Sonja is excited to help provide farmers with information they need to know. She has a strong background in row crop production and learned valuable agronomic skills in corn, soybeans, sorghum and alfalfa. Her roots in agriculture began with both of her grandparents, who were corn and soybean farmers and continued to grow throughout her childhood on a small family farm where she raised chickens and pigs for 4-H and FFA. When Sonja looks to relax she enjoys spending time with friends and family, cooking and doing anything outside.

Latest Stories
The right or wrong seed choice sets your yield and profit potential from the get-go. While it might seem like old hat, remember the basic nuances and more technical deails before locking in your seed choice.
Precision farming tools, from automation to variable rate technology (VRT) and others, are giving farmers new ways to make and save money.
The Indiana Pesticide Review Board voted Aug. 30 to place all agricultural-use dicamba products under restricted use for the state. This means only certified applicators will be able to apply the product, if the rule passes a couple more steps.
Arkansas farmers might not have 2018 access to dicamba products in-season for over-the-top use in corn and soybeans if the ban passes a few more steps. The Arkansas State Plant Board recently approved of regulatory changes concerning the product’s potential use in soybeans and cotton.
As yield results start rolling in from the 25th annual Farm Journal Midwest Crop Tour (formerly Pro Farmer), farmers are watching markets in anticipation. Slight shifts from USDA Aug.1 predictions could impact corn and soybean prices.
More than 2,200 complaints with dicamba named as the suspect have been filed in the U.S. since the beginning of the 2017 season. In perspective, if various Extension experts’ estimate of 3.1 million U.S. acres of damage is accurate, that represents 3.5% of planted soybean acres, as of press time.
Do your soybeans stack up? Get to scouting to check for yield potential and identify areas of weakness to target next year.
As complaints about dicamba damage continue to trickle in, farmers, applicators, manufacturing companies and state employees are trying to get a handle on what’s going on.
With complaints rising across the countryside, certain U.S. states are taking action to manage suspected dicamba damage. Restrictions and out and out bans limit farmer and applicator options this season.
As farmers prepare for the first year of over-the-top dicamba application, questions cloud the horizon.