Corn
Now’s the time to start making notes of tar spot pressure, field by field and hybrid by hybrid, says Missy Bauer, Farm Journal field agronomist.
Both Dan Basse and Chip Nellinger say considering how dry it’s been, crop yields could be falling, and USDA may be forced to make more cuts to the national yield forecasts in upcoming reports.
Ken Ferrie expects yields to climb as Illinois farmers start harvesting more of their May-planted corn. Looking ahead, he says farmers will see some challenges from herbicide carryover in 2024.
Bitter blossoms sweet at Miles Farms. From father to son to brother to grandson, an annual sweet corn field has produced 1 million ears for the public.
Energy costs are high, so a simple solution would be to cash in on Mother Nature’s free drying services this fall. Unfortunately harvest decisions are rarely simple.
Mizzou’s Ben Brown says the 81.2 million bushels new crop export sale marks the largest week of sales for the 2023/24 marketing year to date and double the previous record weekly volume for the year set last week.
Some farmers in central Illinois are making yield estimates of 250 to 270 bushels per acre. Ken Ferrie says in many of those cases a more realistic estimate, though disappointing, would be in the 170 to 220 range.
The past four days of high heat and no moisture have taken a toll in the state with some farmers predicting corn yield lows of 140 bu. per acre. Some still anticipate 200-bu. plus yields. All they need is some rain.
Brazil briefly wore the global corn export crown in 2012 because of the U.S. drought. With the ability to churn out three corn crops per year and a supply deal with China, Brazil might be set to maintain that title.
Conditions are right for the disease to break loose in parts of the Midwest. If it does, agronomists recommend three steps farmers can take to prioritize affected cornfields for harvest to minimize yield loss.
A fast-moving storm flattened crops on June 29, but the rain gave much needed relief to area crops and hope to farmers struggling to stay optimistic. Pro Farmer Crop Tour provides insights on how those crops look now.
First thing Tuesday, Pro Farmer Tour scouts saw Nebraska irrigated corn with 208 to 250 bu. yields. But a lot could change as they head into dryland corn. In the eastern Corn Belt, scouts are evaluating Indiana crops.
A heat dome will consume the Plains and Mississippi Valley into the South this week with “oppressive and dangerous conditions” expected at least through midweek, the National Weather Service reported early Monday.
Out of the gate this morning, scouts saw a high of 208 bu/A for corn and a low of 92 bu/A. In the West, the initial report is positive for South Dakota with “better than last year” the key phrase scouts are repeating.
As scouts set out on the the 2023 Pro Farmer Crop Tour, Iowa will be closely watched as it’s the only state where Crop Tour covers all the state’s counties. Brian Grete says Iowa has a lot of question marks this year.
Corn growers in 13 states have confirmed tar spot outbreaks now. Iowa leads the pack with the disease reported in at least 36 counties. Indiana is a close second. “It’s starting to explode,” one agronomist says.
Some of the research now underway at the facility is focused on improving germplasm performance, launching stacked, next-generation differentiated traits and demonstrating regenerative agriculture cropping systems.
USDA’s first farmer survey-based yield estimate offered few surprises, but analysts warn the estimates might already be out of date due to rain that fell after Aug. 1. USDA also made more cuts to demand.
What’s often called the “white combine” is hammering western Kansas this year, an ugly reality for an area that’s finally receiving rain after nearly five years of drought.
While the storyline for much of the growing season has been record production, now farmers are faced with an even bigger problem.
Selling a crop that’s not yet in the ground can be intimidating. But if you don’t get a head start on pricing your crops, you might miss good marketing opportunities.
Missouri Farmer Discovers Startling Reality of Drought: Entire Cornfields Never Pollinated This Year
Drought is creating a dreary outlook for Missouri farmers, but it wasn’t until mid-July that some realized just how bad it was. Farmers in pockets of severe drought now say they have widespread pollination problems.
A boy’s intentional burial beneath Illinois farm dirt is a bizarre, standalone tale in the annals of grim agriculture incidents.
Using the same amount of fertilizer -- but at different times and more than one way during the season -- can help you harvest more bushels and improve your bottom line. Check out our two brief videos to learn more.
Farmers can use humidity charts for their area to assess when the disease could hit their corn crop as well as the optimum time to make a fungicide application, says Missy Bauer, Farm Journal Associate Field Agronomist.
From growing tensions between Ukraine and Russia to forecasts for hot and dry weather across the Midwest, grain prices have been on a volatile run. Analysts think the volatility could heat up again next week.
With corn harvest complete, is your grain sitting unsold in the bin or have you sold it?
On the low end, expect to invest at least $50 an acre in the Midwest and $85 in the South for products. Some corn and soybean farmers are evaluating adjuvants and management practices that could help trim expenses.
There is now a dollar value assigned to grain carbon intensity scores below 29 in the form of tax credits to biofuel plants that buy grain as part of their decarbonization efforts.
Despite rains the last couple of weeks in parts of the Corn Belt the latest drought monitor shows drought continues to grip a huge part of the Midwest, including Nebraska>