Crops
After several years of volatility for U.S. growers, prices and acreage of industrial hemp appear to be stabilizing or even rising modestly, according to the 2025 National Hemp Report.
A handful of rain-free days were a perfect recipe for spring planting — and farmers took full advantage of the opportunity. This week’s USDA crop progress report puts corn and soybean acres just ahead of last year’s pace.
Farmers can make a poor planting scenario better by teaching their planter how to dance across fields. The practice is particularly helpful in wet soils.
High winds have posed plenty of problems for farmers trying to spray, and even plant, this spring. NOAA says it’s one of the windiest starts to the season on record, but the bigger question is how long will it last?
Iowa farmers say a foliar fungicide application can add more bushels per acre by preventing losses to disease pressure and minimizing the impact of environmental factors, such as heat stress and drought.
David Cogen partnered with John Deere during the 2024 growing season to till, plant, spray and harvest a small field at Deere’s Boundurant, Iowa, test farm. In the process, he says he learned a lot about farming and how difficult it truly is.
On average, ag aviation makes at least one application to approximately 127 million crop acres, or one-third of the cropland in the U.S.
Maximizing ROI is Brian Scott’s No. 1 goal as he evaluates planting populations on his northwest Indiana farm. In 2024, the sweet spot was 100,000 seeds per acre, which cost $53 per acre in seed and yielded 76 bu. per acre.
Could 2025 set a new record for planting pace in Iowa? Ogden, Iowa farmers Ward and Bryant Hunter say they’ll finish planting corn on Thursday – marking the earliest finish ever on their farm.
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When is it necessary to replant soybeans? Get down to the root cause (no pun intended) of why you’re seeing poor stands and learn how to manage it.
Farmers in the upper Plains, northern Plains and Northeast came up short on snow for the 2024/25 season. In some cases, they experienced the winter that wasn’t, now sitting 10" to 30" short on normal snowfall.
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Weed escapes impact critical growth stages and deprive your crops of life-sustaining nutrients. Learn how to manage early- and late-season weeds.
One solution to low prices is producing more bushels. Take a minute to think through some of the best management practices outlined here that will help you accomplish that.
Randy Hughes is continually refining his fertility program and has seen yields improve 40 bu. to 50 bu. per acre over the past six years. Hughes chats with corn yield champs David Hula and Randy Dowdy about the importance of being a lifelong student of the crop.
As of April 13, USDA says 13 states have started planting corn and 10 are working on soybeans. The report calculates 4% of corn and 2% of soybeans are in the ground so far.
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Nutrien Ag Manager Todd Harris Prioritizes Connections With His Team and His Customers
A new article from Purdue says making smart input decisions is about much more than price. Here are 12 factors to consider.
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Ask yourself these four questions to determine when to apply post-emergence herbicides for maximum weed management.
Farmers who are seeing this issue show up in their seed sample test results might want to consider not using starter in-furrow this spring. There are good options off the seed, Ken Ferrie reports.
As the trade war heats up, the reality is China is still the top export destination for U.S. farmers, even if the country isn’t buying as many soybeans as 2018.
You want nutrients where corn roots can “luxury feed” on them without expending energy going and looking for them, say yield champions, David Hula and Randy Dowdy. They share some tips on how to accomplish that and make the most of your fertilizer dollars this season.
Don’t let the calendar, coffee shop talk or what your neighbors are doing dictate when you head to the field. Farm Journal field agronomists offer these four tips to help you get your best start ever with #planting2025.
USDA says Texas farmers have 59% of their crop in the ground, identical to 2024. One key difference from last year: Illinois has yet to register any discernible corn planting progress, according to the first report of the 2025 season.
Cheap cotton prices and dwindling demand are just part of the problem. Input costs have climbed and there’s no safety net to be found from a new farm bill. One Georgia farmer says the current farm bill is irrelevant and worthless, and if a new one doesn’t get passed this year, the cotton industry is doomed.
While macronutrients and micronutrients such as zinc, iron, and manganese contribute to high yields, yield champs say don’t overlook the importance of having soil pH in place first.
Many seed beans were hammered by heat and drought at harvest last year, leading to variable seed quality this season. Knowing your warm/cold germ scores and using seed treatments at planting can help you get the crop off to a stronger start, especially early soybeans.
Farmer sentiment took a hit this month, with Purdue’s latest Ag Economy Barometer showing a 12-point drop due to concerns over trade policy, tariffs and profitability.
Legendary Stan DeBoer, rebel with a cause, set the table for today’s American farmer.
For high-yielding corn and soybean crops, there are some baseline fertility requirements you have to fund. But that doesn’t mean you can’t fine-tune practices and products and save some money. Here are four suggestions from high-yield champs David Hula and Randy Dowdy.
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Weed escapes mean reduced yield. Use Status® herbicide early to control weeds and improve corn yield. With these tips, get it right from the start.