From a bottle hunter and a pair of plows crafted by John Deere himself to record yields and the return of monster buck antlers, enjoy some of the fan favorites on AgWeb from the past year.
1. Lost and Found: Bottle Hunter Digs Extraordinary Farmland Treasures
Tom Askjem is a time traveler. Every May to November, he disappears into the bowels of the earth, descends to depths of 13’-plus and returns to the surface with treasure — bottles and glassware from farming’s past. After 1,800 pits and hundreds of thousands of relics, the North Dakota farm boy is equal parts archeologist, thrill seeker and mole.
2. SOLD! 115 Acres of Missouri Farmland Just Sold For $34,800 Per Acre, Smashing the Previous Record
Move over Iowa, there’s a new record farmland sale on the books. After a 15-minute bidding war between two area farmers, the gavel fell at $34,800 per acre. The recent sale beats out the previous record set on Nov. 10, 2022, when 73 acres in Sioux County, Iowa, sold for $30,000 per acre.
3. Game Wardens Steal Private Landowner’s Trail Camera, Lawsuit Explodes
Three game wardens entered Josh Highlander’s private land, proceeded to his food plot and stole his game camera without warrant or consent. He is fighting back via a major constitutional lawsuit.
4. Holy Grails of US History, Two Plows Forged by John Deere Hide on Iowa Farm
A pair of steel moldboard plows crafted by the hands of John Deere and bought directly from the American titan’s Illinois shop in 1839 and 1840 sit behind unassuming garage doors on Sam Shaff’s Iowa farm. Purchased by his great-great grandfather, the 1839 specimen was the first Deere plow on Iowa farmland, and possibly the first to break dirt on the far side of the Mississippi River.
5. Young Farmer Breaks Soybean World Record With Stunning 206-Bushel Yield
In 2023, Alex Harrell, a southwest Georgia farmer, harvested 206.7997 bu. per acre — the highest-yielding soybeans in history. “It was surreal sitting in that cab watching the yield monitor,” Harrell explains. “Long story short, this comes down to late-season management.”
6. Derecho Packs Punch of 100 MPH Winds, Flattens Cornfields and Crushes Grain Bins Across the Midwest
Hurricane-force winds swept from northern Missouri and Iowa east to Illinois and Indiana on Thursday. The derecho brought damaging wind gusts but also much-needed rain. Ken Ferrie, who was in the middle of the storm, shares a damage report and Brad Rippey, USDA meteorologist, discusses the scope and scale of damage.
7. Skeptical Farmer Burns Ag’s Playbook, Steers Turnaround On 2,000 Acres
Double-cropping on 16” of annual precipitation, table sugar in-furrow, drastic synthetic fertilizer reductions and 14 to 18 crops per season, Roy Pfaltzgraff has engineered a remarkable turnaround on 2,000 dryland acres in Colorado.
8. Corn Yield Record Shattered By Farmer’s 459.51 Dryland Bushels
In 2022, Russell Hedrick averaged 268 bu. per acre dryland corn, including 40 acres that averaged 368 bu. per acre and a contest spot that tallied 459.51 bu. “It’s not about nutrient amounts — it’s about placement and balance,” says the North Carolina farmer. “We use half the fertilizer of what many other guys use, but we still push yields without tossing the kitchen sink at the crop.”
9. Monster Buck Antlers Stolen from Teen Deer Hunter Recovered After 14 Years
When 14-year-old Dave Richmond’s monster buck was stolen, he searched 14 years for the pinched antlers, never giving up hope on a spectacular rack.
10. What in the World is Going On With Glyphosate Prices?
Suppliers and retailers continue to cut glyphosate prices in the U.S. as the industry grapples with a surplus in supply. With no resolve in sight, one inputs analyst thinks glyphosate prices could remain low through 2023.
