Crops

It’s not disease hurting the Illinois corn and soybean crop this year. It’s dryness and drought. Ashland, Ill., farmer Brent Johnson says just two weeks into harvest, the dry finish to summer is eating into both his corn and soybean yields.
The challenge of harvesting high moisture and high disease pressure corn is not one that all farmers have faced in their lifetimes. Here’s some quick pointers to keep in mind as you tackle a tough crop to harvest and store.
Sponsored
Can you harvest corn after a frost? Yes, with the right approach. Learn how.
Sponsored
Learn how selecting the right soybean variety ensures strong stands, disease resistance and high yields.
Sponsored
Improve field management, input choices and yields with these six practices to help leverage yield data.
The crop took it on the chin this season, with some Iowa farmers reporting huge yield losses as harvest gets underway. A one-time fungicide application helped, but it wasn’t enough to buck severe disease pressure, allowing it to return.
Sorghum advocates are using crop benefits to boost conservation, productivity and profitability for grain farmers.
The crop is drying down rapidly, given the weather conditions across much of the country. Agronomists are concerned farmers will combine fields too late and advise starting at 13% moisture or even higher.
Sponsored
Worried about soybean shatter loss? Learn what factors to watch for.
Market analysts says the September WASDE did not fully account for the disease pressure and dry finish in the East in both the corn and soybean crop.
Sponsored
Herbicide resistant weeds are on the rise. Learn how proactive, diversified approaches to weed management can halt resistance and preserve herbicide efficacy.
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.
Tom Ritter was just weeks away from his 51st harvest, but an everyday task on the farm of cleaning out a grain bin with a vac turned fatal as a shelf of corn caved in on him in the bin.
Agronomic specialists are encouraging farmers to make their corn harvest plans now, prioritizing which fields to combine first and so forth. Evaluating how well the crop is standing on a field by field basis can help you plan the process and minimize having to pick up down corn.
Steve Censky, CEO of the American Soybean Association says, “China imports more soybeans than the rest of the world combined and so you can’t make up the loss of the China market by gaining a little bit here or there.”
High disease pressure and moisture variability could make for a tricky fall harvest season in the Midwest. Lean on these crucial combine settings adjustments to help you hang onto as many kernels as possible.
Sponsored
It’s time to test soil for soybean cyst nematode. Take advantage of SCN Action Month this October to learn about SCN mitigation.
Kernel depth and fill contribute significantly to yield in newer hybrids. It’s one reason a ‘Hail Mary’ fungicide pass might still offer ROI and keep corn standing until combines roll.
Sponsored
Considering soybean seed treatment? Learn about common types and how they can maximize emergence, strengthen plants and reduce pest pressure.
Infection may not directly impact herd health, but it can have implications for nutritional management.
Even with talk of shrinking soybean yields due to the dry weather pattern that shut out rain for much of the Midwest and Mid-South in August, one fact remains: China still isn’t buying U.S. soybeans.
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.
A prematurely collapsing ear shank stops grain fill, leading to yield reductions that can reach as high as 40%.
Sponsored
The top priority is to provide customers value with every decision.
The corn crop faced tight tassel wrap and other pollination challenges in 2025. Here’s what one Kansas farm does to minimize risk and safeguard yield potential.
Sponsored
Defining the Dairyland Seed Difference
Levels of concern could be elevated if the precipitation forecast doesn’t change.
The new facility will produce 950,000 short tons of ammonia annually, and it’s been a project discussed for over a decade.
The onset of drought and disease are causing growing concerns about the size of the U.S. corn and soybean crops this year. Analysts caution while the crops may be going backward in terms of yield, it’s possible USDA actually raises its yield estimates in the September report.
The Midwest crop is being pushed into black layer (R6) prematurely in some areas in ways that are easy to confuse with normal drydown factors.
Get News Daily
Get Market Alerts
Get News & Markets App