Corn
Slugs are an accepted part of the bill for many agriculture operations, but as numbers rise, particularly in the Midwest, producers are reckoning with a new level of damage. A mild slug presence, sheltered by increasing no till acreage, can usher in a wave of replants, major yield loss and expensive bait control.
Numerous companies are pushing for elbow room at the ag data table, but long-term contracts may be cause for pause for many farmers.
The eastern half of the U.S. is plagued by 50 million acres of fragipan soil. Light in color, fragipan often starts at 1’ to 2’ below the surface and roughly averages 2’ to 4’ in thickness.
What Crop Tour years cling tightest to Chip Flory’s memory? Good, bad and unforgettable, Flory knows there is a meticulous method to the madness of Crop Tour.
Meet three farmers who are stepping back from a complete focus on bulk commodities and carving out personal brands to directly connect with consumers.
Smartphone video rolling, a Mississippi farmer was surprised to find a beaver hammering a quarter-acre of soybeans in broad daylight.
Randy Dowdy, Perry Galloway, David Hula, Kevin Matthews and Matt Miles have consistently produced some of the strongest yields in the history of agriculture. The five friends are separated by 1,000 miles of farmland, yet share a belief that today’s competitor may be tomorrow’s helping hand.
In 2014, Nathan Reed fought for financial breath even after skinning inputs one by one. No matter how he shifted the figures, the pencil always pointed to the glaring expense of biotech seed. With an eye on cost control, he began switching portions of his ground to non-GMO production supported by a minimum till cover crop scheme, and the change led to farm-wide profitability.
U.S. agriculture has a tremendous amount of skin at stake in an off-the-radar fight that may impact the future of groundwater regulations at federal, state and private levels.
When Jack Shoup refused to pay late fees to the Iowa Soybean Association on tardy checkoff payments as the first purchaser of grain at Dinsdale Elevator, he drew a straight line in his Reinbeck dirt and prepared for a legal battle.
Rob Sharkey’s Shark Farmer podcast is finding a hungry audience in agriculture and beyond, attracted by the take-no-prisoners attitude of his weekly show.
Dee River Ranch features a whole-farm irrigation system fed by a 110-acre reservoir. Five 150-hp pumps supply water to 18 pivots and one corner unit across 2,800 acres of corn and soybeans. The results since 2011? Corn profits ranging from $144-$1,093 per acre over non-irrigated ground, and soybean profits hovering between $115-215 per acre over non-irrigated ground.
Macronutrients and tissue testing are gospel in many parts of agriculture, but receiving a consistent, positive yield return on foliar-applied nutrients isn’t backed by replicated research, according to University of Arkansas Extension personnel.
Z-Trap 1 is an electronic insect trap allowing for remote monitoring of pest problems. The automated process of capturing and counting insects carries the potential for labor savings and greater accuracy of pesticide applications.
Randy Dowdy shattered soybean records in 2016 after a 171.7 bu. per acre yield with a UniSouth Genetics 74A74 variety. Dowdy’s corn was also exceptional, with four separate AgriGold varieties each significantly surpassing the 450 bu. per acre mark. Here’s how he did it.
A field of weeds can pay better than a field of corn, and costs almost nothing to produce. No inputs, no sweat equity, no management, no harvest, but plenty of profit in a scheme plucking millions from the pockets of U.S. taxpayers. Percy Carroll and a growing number of Texas farmers say a crop insurance racket is hiding in plain sight.
Ducks are a hunter’s sweetest dream, but can be a farmer’s nightmare akin to flying time bombs expelling rapid-fire payloads of resistant weed seed. Wonder where the next pigweed outbreak will come from? Listen for quacks and honks, and look up. Waterfowl may be a significant source of resistant weed spread.
Hell or high water, producers are often forced to chase markets. However, solid data stacked over multiple years shows the peaks and troughs of a consistent crop rotation system.
Sunlight into energy means fuel for plant growth – the crucial role of phosphorous in crop fields. Cell elongation and division may be the proper scientific description, but a simplified explanation is a better fit: Phosphorus cranks up plant horsepower.
Timing and location are crucial when applying phosphorus to crops. Depending on soil type and condition, application should parallel plant needs to utilize space and tools available.
Good data is the cornerstone of zone management. Management zones must be identified and not created, advised presenter Isaac Ferrie at the 2015 Farm Journal Corn College in Heyworth, Ill.
Peter Blezard believes the most significant technological leap in agriculture for 100 years is waiting on the cusp of farmland -- nitrogen fixation. If he’s correct, agriculture may have an opportunity to reduce nitrogen fertilizer use by 50% in all major global food crops within a decade.
With three modes of action that provide corn rootworm control, Bayer’s SmartStax Pro will hit the market at a time when corn rootworm resistance is top-of-mind.
With enthusiasm from favorable market prices at a high, many farmers are wondering if it’s time to consider corn-on-corn or soybean-on-soybeans. Ken Ferrie says important to understand the agronomic challenges of each.
Ethanol demand continues to be a question in 2021. USDA cut its ethanol demand estimate in the latest WASDE report, a move with which some analysts disagree. USDA’s Chief Economist explains the latest adjustments.
USDA’s crop reports made major changes, with the historic cut to corn yield drawing scrutiny. What was the reasoning behind the large adjustment to corn yield this late in the year? USDA’s Chief Economist explains.
Climbing corn prices is a welcome sign for farmers, but not good news for ethanol plants already strained. As ethanol demand struggles to recover, one Iowa plant says it will cease ethanol production for good.
While biologicals aren’t new to the ag industry, there is still trepidation about them. Farmers wonder if they work and what they actually do—all of which impacts their likelihood of trying these products.
Information from end-of-season yield map meetings can give you the insights you need to make valuable adjustments to your 2021 cropping plans and improve your growing season and yield outcomes.
Corn, wheat and soybeans saw a price pop this week on news China made a big purchase of U.S. corn. USDA confirmed China bought 686,000 MT of corn for delivery to China, 371,000 of which was in purchases of old crop.