Crops
Using crop diversity, conservation tillage and a contract-first mindset, the Ruddenklau family works to keep their operation moving forward.
Spotty spring rains have slowed planting in southwest Iowa, leaving farmers slightly behind. Despite delays, strong planning, good moisture, and a favorable forecast has Pat Sheldon optimistic for the 2026 crop season.
The problem is making it difficult for farmers to know which herbicide chemistries will still work in their fields.
Randy Dowdy explains the importance of germination depth — how it can set up your corn crop to deliver more bushels without adding any costs in the process.
Sponsored
Gray leaf spot starts before you see it. Are you scouting early enough to catch it before it moves up the canopy?
Sponsored
The Most Powerful Dicamba Formulation* Returns for the 2026 Season
Ken Ferrie uses a green-yellow-red “signal light” system to help farmers evaluate their planting decisions in the week ahead.
Sponsored
Late-season weed escapes in soybeans and corn create next year’s headaches. Here’s what to do.
With one survey showing 48% of Midwest corn and soybean growers are unable to afford traditional fertilizer sources, Extension and industry are responding with nutrient options that can lend support.
Once considered a Texas problem, the pest is on the move. Rice experts urge growers to prepare for it now.
Sponsored
Soybean aphids and bean leaf beetles can arrive early. Learn when to scout and when to treat.
Record corn yields have risen 10x in 100 years. David Hula says continued genetic gains, along with a deeper understanding of what’s happening underground, could push yield potential far beyond what most farmers expect.
With cold, wet weather moving across parts of the Corn Belt, agronomists advise farmers to be ready to check high-yielding genetics for crown and stalk rot.
Centuro A-PRO is a more concentrated formulation of the original Centuro, containing a higher concentration of the active ingredient, Pronitridine.
Farm Journal Field Agronomists are launching the 2026 season, planting fields and starting to test the soybean innovations and management strategies that will deliver answers and insights farmers need.
To raise your total farm yield average, Connor Sible recommends starting the planting process in your lower soil-testing fields, once they’re fit, and then transitioning to planting higher soil-testing ground.
Sponsored
Damping-off can wipe out young cotton stands fast. Identify common seedling diseases and reduce risk before planting.
It can take a few days to assess actual damage results following a frost. Ferrie offers four recommendations on how to do your initial evaluations.
Sponsored
Cotton pests can impact yield and fiber quality. Learn how IPM strategies help growers protect crops all season long.
Tim Webster and Steve Crothers share their cropping plans, telling Ken Ferrie they hope to bounce back this season from record low rainfall and extreme heat in 2025.
Illinois grower Stephen Butz is uber-focused this season on removing the hidden barriers that have kept his bean crops from reaching their true potential.
Temple Rhodes explains how moving away from front-loaded fertilizer use to what he calls a “layered, systematic approach” — using nitrogen, phosphorus and biologicals — is helping him build corn yields despite increased regulatory demands.
Research shows skipping the right tank-mix partner can reduce control of tough broadleaf weeds and grasses by 25% to 90%.
Sponsored
Sulfur deficiency can be tricky to spot. Here’s how to diagnose and protect yield.
University of Illinois researcher details scenarios in corn and soybeans where biological products can provide value.
Matt McCarthy just started planting this week. He kicks off our Plant Your Independence Tour. Our team will follow 6 Midwestern growers through the planting season and make a stop at a different farm each week.
Sponsored
Sidedressing corn? Apply N by V8-V9 for best results. Learn how late applications might reduce yield.
Irrigation experts explain how tracking daily “deposits and withdrawals” can prevent costly watering mistakes and protect yields during critical growth stages.
As the Iran war drives fertilizer prices up 40%, the Trump administration is warning against price gouging. A new survey shows only 60% of corn farmers have secured their nitrogen needs for 2026.
Purdue’s Dan Quinn explains how using strategies like moisture-seeking planting and the critical N:S ratio are keys to higher yields.