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Scientists say the New Frontier for Corn Research is Found in the Crop's Roots
Scientists say the New Frontier for Corn Research is Found in the Crop's Roots

Researchers and agronomists are using a creative way to study corn plant root structures and hope it will lead to a new understanding of how below-ground root systems can impact yields and plant stress.

4 Cool Things About Engine Coolant
4 Cool Things About Engine Coolant

Water alone will cool engines, but “coolant” improves cooling system performance.

Start Here When Building A Farm Shop
Start Here When Building A Farm Shop

The first steps when building a farm shop are site selection and site preparation. Here are the necessary considerations, a few of which are sometimes overlooked.

Three’s A Crowd: Hylio Secures FAA Drone Swarm, Night Flight Exemptions
Three’s A Crowd: Hylio Secures FAA Drone Swarm, Night Flight Exemptions

Spray drones are growing more ubiquitous and more scalable across agriculture. One company has unlocked the ability to deploy three at once and it’s a Smart Farming game changer.

3 Biggest Management Opportunities For Farmers With Technology
3 Biggest Management Opportunities For Farmers With Technology

“We are really in a second phase of ag tech,” says Ryan Raguse, co-founder of Bushel. “We aren’t in an overly mature state—we’re still somewhere in the middle ground."

Don’t Miss These Popular Smart Farming Week Stories
Don’t Miss These Popular Smart Farming Week Stories

As we near the finish line (but not the end of our journey) we revist five of your favorite Smart Farming Week stories.

The Conservation Cliff and Redirecting Climate Funds, Two of the Latest Controversies in Passing a New Farm Bill
The Conservation Cliff and Redirecting Climate Funds, Two of the Latest Controversies in Passing a New Farm Bill

Odds of a new farm bill in 2024 are declining, with Senate leadership continuing to spar over climate funding and redirecting climate funds into the commodity title of the new farm bill.

Is a Bottom in the Grain Markets Finally In?
Is a Bottom in the Grain Markets Finally In?

China canceled more wheat, but the grain markets seemed to shake off the negative news. DuWayne Bosse and Darren Frye make the case for why the lows in the grain markets may behind us.

The 4 Rs of Fertility
Farmer Asks How To Improve P and K On Rental Ground

A Minnesota grower asks Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist, how to improve upon the soil fertility on 90 acres he is renting for the first time this year.

There's a New Way to Cash in on Your CI Score on the Farm, Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act
There's a New Way to Cash in on Your CI Score on the Farm, Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act

The new 45Z tax credit passed in the Inflation Reduction Act, slated to take effect Jan. 1, 2025, means a farmer's carbon intensity score will soon be worth more, especially if your corn goes to an ethanol plant.

Technical Debt: Self Scout to Avoid Tech Pitfalls
Technical Debt: Self Scout to Avoid Tech Pitfalls

Take a reasoned, purposeful, and proactive approach to adding new technology.

7 Ways to Make Data Pay
7 Ways to Make Data Pay

Here’s how to get the biggest ROI from your layers of data — and use the information to spot issues in time to improve this year's crop.

Smart Seed Selection Tool Pledges to Close Yield Gap
Smart Seed Selection Tool Pledges to Close Yield Gap

Yield Optimizer is a digital tool that uses independent seed trial data to help farmers make seed selections with guaranteed yield performance. CEO Billy Rose tells how it gives farmers peace of mind.

‘Green Book’ Proposals Could Mean Substantial Tax Increases
‘Green Book’ Proposals Could Mean Substantial Tax Increases

Paul Neiffer, The Farm CPA, details some of the Biden administration's 2025 budget plans and how they could affect farmers if approved. Of the provisions, only one would potentially help farmers, he says.

Data Opens Up New Solutions At The Farm Gate
Data Opens Up New Solutions At The Farm Gate

Whether it's planting, spraying, soil sampling or harvesting, new tools are turning the information you collect into actionable insights.

4 Ways to  Focus a Tech  Audit
4 Ways to Focus a Tech Audit

When deciding what technology serves your goals, and to get the most bang for your buck, determine if you need to grow business revenue, increase productivity, reduce costs and/or stabilize daily operation.

Choose Wisely: Smart Strategies to Select the Right Corrections Service
Choose Wisely: Smart Strategies to Select the Right Corrections Service

There has been a recent wave of connectivity and guidance products released for farm machinery. Here are a handful of considerations to keep in mind before buying into a system for your fleet.

You Can't Afford to Be Complacent About Tar Spot
You Can't Afford to Be Complacent About Tar Spot

Just because tar spot was mostly a no-show in 2022 and 2023 doesn't mean that will be the case in 2024. Charting humidity levels can help predict if the disease will strike.

10 Easy Ways to Take Your Crop-Scouting Practices to the Next Level
10 Easy Ways to Take Your Crop-Scouting Practices to the Next Level

In a year with razor-thin margins, at best, corn and soybean growers can use a variety of new technology and tried-and-true agronomic tools to score higher yields this season.

Autonomy In Ag Is Firing On All Cylinders Right Now, And It Looks Different Depending On Where You Live
Autonomy In Ag Is Firing On All Cylinders Right Now, And It Looks Different Depending On Where You Live

In the West, automation is geared toward smaller, driverless equipment. In the Midwest, major manufacturers have introduced their largest horsepower combines and tractors yet, all with autonomous capabilities.

Space Weather: Start Planning Today for Tomorrow’s GPS Outage
Space Weather: Start Planning Today for Tomorrow’s GPS Outage

Minor space weather events have temporarily knocked out corrections signals over Canada and The Dakotas in the past. Would your farm be ready for a more severe outage?

Break Down The Barriers In The Biological Space
Break Down The Barriers In The Biological Space

The NewLeaf Symbiotics team says reluctance to try biologicals is often a result of feeling overwhelmed by the options available, making education key as the space continues to grow.

Next-Gen Spotlight: Technology Is This Illinois Farmer's Forte
Next-Gen Spotlight: Technology Is This Illinois Farmer's Forte

As someone who enjoys technology, Kaden Sweeney says he's geared toward numbers. New this year, the family operation plans to control the grain cart from the combine for ease and efficiency.  

A Kick-Start For Corn: When to Use Plant Growth Regulators
A Kick-Start For Corn: When to Use Plant Growth Regulators

If weather stresses have you looking for ways to give your crop a stronger start this spring, consider whether a plant growth regulator could be part of the solution, especially in high-yield environments.

Here's How to Bridge the Data Gap With Your Ag Retailer
Here's How to Bridge the Data Gap With Your Ag Retailer

Being in control of your data means having full access. Do you receive a digital file of all field activity by a third party? Now’s the time to have a conversion with your ag retailer about data delivery back to you.

8 Field Activity Data Types You Need to Collect Now
8 Field Activity Data Types You Need to Collect Now

Data — a word that packs a punch but can be hard to define. From planting to irrigation, it's necessary to have a digital record of these field activities to participate in sustainability and crop traceability programs.

Gripp Garners Top Honor at Top Producer Summit 2024
Gripp Garners Top Honor at Top Producer Summit 2024

The 2024 AgLaunch startups bravely pitched straight to the farmer masses at the event. While truly an impressive class, only one would be chosen for the coveted top honor.

Use Technology to Build the Perfect Furrow
Use Technology to Build the Perfect Furrow

Your technology investment will maximize corn yield on every soil type.

6 Tech Tools and Trends To Watch In 2024
6 Tech Tools and Trends To Watch In 2024

There’s a bumper crop of agronomic, machinery and business advancements to help elevate your efficiencies and profitability in 2024. Here are a half dozen examples of the trends coming to your farm gate.

India Strikes Trade Deal With European Countries While U.S. Trade Policy Is Stuck In Neutral
India Strikes Trade Deal With European Countries While U.S. Trade Policy Is Stuck In Neutral

India and four European countries, namely Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, have finally signed a free trade pact after 16 years of negotiations. The impact could come in job creation.

Spring Weather, Drought Concerns and Price Impact Northern Plains Planting Decisions
Spring Weather, Drought Concerns and Price Impact Northern Plains Planting Decisions

Weather and prices are dictating acreage decisions in the Northern Plains this spring. So what are producers planning to plant?

Caitlin Clark Just Broke the All-Time Scoring Record, But This Female Athlete May Be the Greatest of All Time
Caitlin Clark Just Broke the All-Time Scoring Record, But This Female Athlete May Be the Greatest of All Time

Babe Didrikson was talented in the game of basketball as well as baseball, track and field and golf. It's been nearly a century since she passed away, but her accomplishments still astound Texas visitors today.

Feeling Economic Pressure? Technology Can Help Lessen the Blow
Feeling Economic Pressure? Technology Can Help Lessen the Blow

“It’s in these challenging markets farmers need to think about driving more efficiency using technology,” says Darryl Matthews, a recently retired tech executive. Certain technologies can provide a short-term ROI.

Soil Genomics Company Catalogs More Than 24 Million Microorganisms
Soil Genomics Company Catalogs More Than 24 Million Microorganisms

Biome Makers said it pairs artificial intelligence with its soil database to decode soil biology and provide growers with more actionable information.

Prioritize Technology That Works For You So You Can Farm Smarter
Prioritize Technology That Works For You So You Can Farm Smarter

“Smart farming means making your life more efficient, so you don’t have to focus on the mundane but instead on making the best product possible,” says Nebraska farmer Lukas Fricke. “We only have so many hours in a day.”

11 Key Takeaways From Biden's State Of The Union Address
11 Key Takeaways From Biden's State Of The Union Address

President Biden delivered a defiant argument for a second term in his SOTU speech Thursday. From the economy to his thoughts on infrastructure, the border and climate, there were several key takeaways for agriculture.

2023 Crop Production Déjà Vu? USDA's Latest Report Shows Brazil's Crop Isn't A Disaster, Despite Crippling Drought Early On
2023 Crop Production Déjà Vu? USDA's Latest Report Shows Brazil's Crop Isn't A Disaster, Despite Crippling Drought Early On

USDA cut its estimate for Brazil’s soybean production by 1 MMT in the March WASDE report, which was less than what the trade expected. USDA didn’t make any cuts to Brazil’s corn.

Data From New Trials Boasts Yield Boosts With Biologicals
Data From New Trials Boasts Yield Boosts With Biologicals

Two new studies from Locus Ag and Pivot Bio found the use of biological products consistently increased yields in a variety of crops across a range of growing conditions.

A Potential Simple Fix for Overheating Engines
A Potential Simple Fix for Overheating Engines

Don’t pull the radiator until you’ve replaced the radiator cap.

Ferrie: Four Ways to Scratch the Planting Itch Without Regret
Ferrie: Four Ways to Scratch the Planting Itch Without Regret

Don't take equipment to fields too soon and create headaches that will linger all season. While you wait for the right timing, consider doing prep work and projects that can help set you up for yield success.

Farmers Share Biological Experiences Through New Mosaic Initiative
Farmers Share Biological Experiences Through New Mosaic Initiative

Through the Frontier Fields program, a select group of farmers will document their experiences with a biological product over the course of a year.

Fallout From Falling Net Farm Income and Stubborn Interest Rates: Ag Economists Reveal What’s Now at Risk in 2024
Fallout From Falling Net Farm Income and Stubborn Interest Rates: Ag Economists Reveal What’s Now at Risk in 2024

The latest Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor projects a major drop in net farm income this year. Economists are also growing more pessimistic about the potential for interest rate cuts in 2024.

10 Tips to Shorten Your Cover Crop  Learning Curve
10 Tips to Shorten Your Cover Crop Learning Curve

Farm Journal Test Plot research proves practices that reduce soil disturbance and sequester carbon perform best in a vertical farming system, as opposed to horizontal tillage, which creates yield-limiting soil layers.

Will Europe's Farmer Protests Make Their Way To The U.S.?
Will Europe's Farmer Protests Make Their Way To The U.S.?

Steve Cubbage says the upcoming farm bill could decide if the U.S. gets a taste for Europe's recent farmer protests.

This 87-Year-Old's Powerful Business Sense Helped Create a Booming Meat Processing Business in Iowa
This 87-Year-Old's Powerful Business Sense Helped Create a Booming Meat Processing Business in Iowa

Edgewood Locker got its start in rural northeast Iowa in 1966. The business now spans over three generations, and it's largely thanks to Joan Kerns who helped start the family business that's now seen phenomenal growth.

If This Tax Provision Expires, Total Federal Estate Taxes for Farm Estates Would Double to $1.2 Billion
If This Tax Provision Expires, Total Federal Estate Taxes for Farm Estates Would Double to $1.2 Billion

The 2017 Tax Act temporarily raises estate tax exemption, impacting farm estates. If it expires, large farms with gross cash income between $1M and $5M would see the largest increase, rising from 2.8% to 7.3%.

2024 Commodity Classic: 3 Farmers Talk Technology and Equipment
2024 Commodity Classic: 3 Farmers Talk Technology and Equipment

Four-dollar corn dominated discussions, but farmers remain open to new innovations and machinery as spring planting and the promise of a new production season beckons.

Images From the Smokehouse Creek Fire
Images From the Smokehouse Creek Fire

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension photographer Sam Craft was in the Texas Panhandle documenting the aftermath of the largest wildfire in Texas history, and the aid and support for fire victims.

Trade Groups Criticize USDA’s Final P&SA Rule
Trade Groups Criticize USDA’s Final P&SA Rule

Meat and poultry industry trade groups were quick to criticize USDA's announcement of changes to the Packers and Stockyards Act claiming the changes add unnecessary regulations and costs.

Bayer Says “Not Now” For Division Split Or Sell Off
Bayer Says “Not Now” For Division Split Or Sell Off

“We are a high-impact, mission-driven, life-science company with three strong businesses, but we have four challenges that urgently must be addressed,” said Bill Anderson.