Farm Journal was first published in March 1877 for farmers in the bountiful agricultural regions within a day’s ride of the publication’s office in Philadelphia.
Today the magazine is published 13 times per year and delivered to 335,000 readers across the country.
This year marked some intense challenges and opportunities for farmers. Enjoy this look back at the key issues farmers faced. You’ll see practical and actionable information about production agriculture, technology and policy. Here’s to a great 2021!
January
20 Mega Trends for 2020 and Beyond
Following a decade with the introduction of societal shifters such as the smartphone and the adoption of robotic milkers, 2020 could be the starting block for the fastest technological race in farming history. The combination of big data with cutting-edge science, artificial intelligence and cloud-connected technology has the potential to revolutionize our industry. We asked three farm futurists to share 20 of their predictions for the next decade.
February
Rural Town Renaissance
Osage, Iowa, is one example of a town that’s undergoing a major makeover, says Andrew McCrea, host of the “American Countryside“ radio broadcast and author of the book, “The Total Town Makeover.”
Mid-February
The Next Grain Demand Giants
U.S. agriculture has hung its hat on Chinese demand. The often touted “one in three rows of America’s soybeans go to China” statistic has lost its impact after nearly two years of a trade war and tit-for-tat tariffs with the country.
March
Farm Journal Test Plots: Starter Hits the Spot
Does the fickle weather have you wondering what you can do to start your crop off right this spring? Are you continuing to push the envelope on planting date? This winter, Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie has fielded a variety of questions on starter fertilizer – one way to weatherproof early season plant growth, especially when soils are cooler after planting.
April
How to Optimize Your Farm Shop
After years of planning, sketching, discussing and finally quoting prices, Dennis Ivers and his family finally built their “dream” shop. The third-generation corn and soybean farmer and his brother had ‘made do’ with the old shop long enough and four years ago built new.
May/June
COVID-19: Navigate A Way Forward
For months, COVID-19 has spread across the globe bringing with it waves of economic shutdowns, quarantines and hospitalizations. Now, this invisible foe is threatening to shove agriculture into a modern great depression.
July/August
Seed Empowers Every Input Decision
Imagine the day you can provide details about each specific field to your seed supplier and they take that information to custom-build the perfect hybrid or variety for each field. Sounds crazy, right? In reality, many seed companies can already do this.
September
Phosphorus Time Bomb for Agriculture? Myth and Reality
Whether a question of Peak Oil or Peak Phosphorus, “Peak” debates revolve around a simplified, general premise: After half the supply of a given resource is gone, the remainder produces an economic melee. Peak Phosphorus advocates (most visibly financier Jeremy Grantham) have been countered by the International Fertilizer Development Center’s (IFDC) report and estimate of plentiful rock phosphate reserves capable of producing fertilizer for the next several hundred years.
October
Flip the Script on Profitability
Adam Chappell was a slave to pigweed. In 2009, he was on the brink of bankruptcy and facing a go-broke or go-green proposition. Drowning in input costs, Chappell cut bait from conventional agriculture and dived into a bootstrap version of innovative farming.
Mid-October
A new wave of technology development is putting farmers in the driver’s seat. Examples include EarthSense, Rantizo, Rabbit Tractors, PumpTrakr, Zimmerman Manufacturing and GroGuru.
November
Retrofit and Refurbish: Learn the Basics of Customizing Your Planter
Farmers are no strangers to tinkering or accessorizing equipment. The big issue is always money. Does adding technology, attachments or upgrades increase the value of a planter? Any pickup truck enthusiast knows the return on accessories at trade in time is nil.
Mid-November
Strategies to Transfer Assets
Mark Hanna has peace of mind because he has a plan. The north-central Iowa farmer is on track to retire in four years, transitioning his farm to his two sons, Andrew and Philip.
December
Run With the Bulls: Take Charge of Your Crop Mix, Marketing
Now is the time to be aggressive — not in marketing, financial decisions or crop mix shifts — but in risk management. After years of stagnant prices, the tide has turned.
