Crop Production

The Climate Prediction Center says there’s a 71% chance of La Niña conditions developing from October through December, while also issuing a La Niña Watch. However, one meteorologist expects La Niña to make a quick exit.
Planting more cover crops this fall is one way corn and soybean growers are addressing their 2026 nutrient needs and looking to trim expenses in the process.
Company leaders say the separation will unleash two distinct market leaders that are both farmer-centric, with technology and innovation at their core.
In the heart of California’s Central Valley, generations of farm families are facing a new kind of crisis: what farmers argue is a man-made drought. It’s mounting water regulations that could determine whether the most fertile farmland in the nation survives.
Survey results from University of Illinois ag economists show how farmers are making corn and soybean nutrient plans for 2026 and what current price trends are for N, P and K.
There are no easy answers to address the cost of fertilizer and other inputs, but having conversations with suppliers and financial providers now can help you leverage your buying power and minimize potential impacts from marketplace uncertainties.
While application season is still weeks away, retailers and other suppliers are encouraging farmers to reserve product now.
Use one or more of these tips to reduce expenses, reallocate resources and build a fertility program that works well for your farm and gives you some peace of mind in the process.
Yes, phosphorus is expensive. But before you decide to not use it or arbitrarily pull back, try to weigh the decision based on facts and not emotion.
The amount of damage that can occur in crops depends largely upon these factors — how cold it gets and for how many hours, and the plants’ stage of development.
The recent “Currents of Change” analysis reported high nutrient levels in central Iowa’s watersheds. Iowa ag has worked on the issue for decades, but nutrient movement often comes down to weather.
Will this be the summer of drought that never fully materialized for these two crops? While there are areas of dryness, both continue to flourish. Here’s a look at how August weather is expected to finish out this week across the country, as September comes into view.
On the heels of Crop Tour, Pro Farmer projects corn yields at 6.1 bu. below USDA’s August estimate, while soybean yield numbers are nearly aligned.
“I’d hate to be the farmer who, because of a later-season application, meant an entire bin of soybeans was going to be condemned.”
The Minnesota corn crop is going for gold. Pro Farmer Crop Tour scouts expect the crop will reach a record 202.86 bu. average, if it can outpace southern rust and tar spot. Scouts peg the Iowa corn crop at a 198.43 bu. average, but it also faces disease challenges.
The Minnesota corn crop may break records while Iowa crops face disease challenges.
Iowa could be the nation’s top state this year for corn and soybeans, but both crops are in a race to beat disease pressure that’s gaining momentum. Illinois corn continues to ride the struggle bus, while the soybean crop there is positioned to deliver high yields.
Illinois soybeans are far better this year verses last year, says one scout, and the Iowa corn results are a big shocker given the amount of disease pressure.
Pro Farmer Crop Tour scouts take into account the lows and highs found out in the field as they encounter variability.
Crop scouts in Indiana and Nebraska peg corn more than 10 bu. higher than the three-year average and soybeans above average.
While some scouts saw a big corn crop in the making in South Dakota, yield and pod counts came in below Pro Farmer Crop Tour numbers from 2020. Results from the eastern route peg corn at 185.69 bu. per acre, beating the tour record of 185 bu. set in 2021.
Pro Farmer Crop Tour’s first night reports record yield potential in South Dakota and a more variable crop in Ohio.
A crop-protection startup is using AI and machine learning to identify and develop new active ingredients it says will help farmers solve issues like weed resistance faster and more economically.
Sponsored
Reviton® Label Expansion Offers Growers Expanded Control Options
Sponsored
John Deere offers a suite of support tools that help you stay ahead of breakdowns and behind the wheel.
Icafolin-methyl represents the first new weed-killing chemistry in more than 30 years.
Last week during the USA Pulses Summit in Spokane, Wash., the group set a lofty goal: to double production and demand by the year 2030. That includes specialty crops like dry beans lentils and chickpeas.
Portions of the central Plains, the Upper Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic will be in a heat dome by Tuesday. But first, those regions will see thunderstorms and heavy rains this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
Both diseases are showing up earlier this summer than last year, according to Daren Mueller, Iowa State University plant pathologist. He says a new interactive tool from the Crop Protection Network can help farmers locate these diseases, and others, faster.
This year’s program features all new agronomic content to help farmers grow and harvest high-yielding crops. Two of the key sessions: selecting a corn planter that’s right for your farm, and developing a systems approach to success with early-season soybeans. We look forward to seeing you there!
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