Agronomy
World-record corn growers David Hula and Randy Dowdy share three essential practices that don’t cost a dime but could take your final yield numbers this fall from just OK to great.
Working with Mother Nature may require adopting a new mindset, but for some farmers these four practices could be the ‘missing piece’ in having a sustainable, long-term weed management plan.
As herbicide resistance builds, Extension urges farmers to diversify control tactics and use as many tools as possible this season.
Drift reduction adjuvants help keep products where you want them in the field and deliver measurable yield results.
To keep expenses in check, high-yield growers are rethinking everything from fertilizer use and planter prep to pest programs and how they manage field borders.
Swapping your fluency agent for a value‑added product could turn a routine step at the planter into real ROI.
New research shows that pairing hybrid root architecture with your tillage system and residue management is a way to grow more bushels.
New high-speed disk models offer autonomous operation while See & Spray provides new upgrades, delivering more ways for farmers to manage heavy residue and stubborn weeds.
A new multi-year AI partnership between Syngenta and SAP SE aims to modernize supply chains and speed up product development to help farmers better navigate production and market volatility.
High-yield growers David Hula and Randy Dowdy say three things deserve your sharpest focus now: your planter, fertility program and seed.
Crown rot is showing up more frequently in Midwest cornfields. Plant pathologists say it’s likely a multi-pathogen disease and offer five practical ways to address it this season.
Ken Ferrie gives some practical tips on how you can rely more on facts and less on your gut to reduce management mistakes and achieve better cropping outcomes.
Prioritizing projects with a clear path to fast returns and lower costs can help you weather current economic challenges, say ag industry experts.
Ignore the hype of unproven products and practices. Research shows that doubling down on five core fundamentals will deliver the best ROI.
A detailed “farming playbook” can help guide essential input investments and maximize ROI.
Planning for next season? Review the expert insights and recommendations from farmers and field agronomists on how to reduce costs and strategically reallocate resources.
With the outlook for high input costs and low commodity prices, the impulse for farmers is to cut their spend on products across the board for 2026. There is a more effective approach that will deliver better results and ROI, say Extension field agronomists.
A new report details the need for more ag funding to address existing weeds, insects and diseases as well as agronomic problems that have yet to reach U.S. shores.
Syngenta’s latest innovation knocks out corn rootworm and addresses a host of other yield-robbing pests in a variety of crops.
Several years of low commodity prices, high input costs and thin margins have taken a toll on soil stewardship in some parts of the country. As a result, farmers need to use caution and do their homework before renting ground that’s coming available in their area for 2026.
In many areas of the Corn Belt, farmers experienced 10-to-50-bu.-per-acre yield losses from disease pressure this year, says Ken Ferrie. In a period of tight margins, timely treatment decisions were more crucial than usual.
Because every growing season is unique, agronomists are encouraging corn growers to make a management plan for the “driver diseases” they’re most likely to encounter in fields next year.
The companion piece to the Senate’s Fertilizer Research Act of 2025 has the same, ultimate goal: to provide U.S. farmers with more clarity on the pricing of crop nutrients, lawmakers say.
The fungal disease has spread to fields in at least seven states since 2018, including three new ones just this year. Once established, the pathogen is nearly impossible to eradicate, Extension plant pathologists report.
Number of bushels per acre is high on their list of priorities, but it’s not necessarily their No. 1 concern going into 2026.
Both products have been registered for use by the EPA, with one of them featuring a novel active ingredient.
Farmers wanting to hang onto the soil moisture in their fields are struggling to address compaction and ruts where there has been little to no recent rainfall. Anhydrous ammonia applications are also difficult to get sealed in fields where moisture is minimal.
As crops go into bins, growers will be looking to maintain quality until their marketing opportunities improve. Some ongoing management practices are vital to the process.
While many farmers in the state were delighted by the results the 2025 season delivered, that wasn’t the case everywhere. In some areas, Mother Nature delivered a series of agronomic problems that dominoed and turned a potential bin buster crop into one that was average at best by harvest.
Agronomists answer farmer questions about the role of nitrogen and other nutrients in lessening the potential impact of yield robbers such as southern rust and tar spot in corn.