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The environmental aspect of crop production is as key as the agronomics and economics
Farmers from across the country saw their fair share of surprises this year, both pleasant and not so pleasant. Learn what farmers had to report from the combine seat on AgWeb’s Crop Comments section and the weekly Farmer Forum segment on “AgriTalk” the first two weeks of October.
That patch of woods on the back of your property could increase your land’s revenue this year. Not only does high-quality timber garner attractive prices, woodland management also increases the health of the stand and wildlife benefits. “As a landowner, you have three options,” says Hank Stelzer, associate professor and state forestry Extension specialist at the University of Missouri.
“You invest a lot of time studying inputs like seed and chemicals, but sometimes not in drying and storage,” says Kenneth Hellevang, North Dakota State Extension agricultural engineer and professor. “It makes sense to invest as much or more time in storage to make sure you can maintain the grain we worked hard to produce.”
Commodity prices have been challenging, but according to recent projections they likely won’t get any worse.
Looking for Clues to Fate of Fertilizer Rally Amid Surplus)
A pest boss—one member of a farm’s management team in charge of everything involving weeds, insects and diseases—earns his keep by preventing surprises. “That’s his job—to never be caught off guard,” says Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie. “A pest boss usually treats a problem while other farmers are still talking about it.” That’s a tall order, considering how many insects and diseases can attack crops. But good pest bosses approach it systematically, Ferrie explains. They know what pests are likely to occur and when to expect them. They know how they will control them, where they will obtain pesticides and who will apply them. They target their scouting and know when to treat. Good records of every field make the task easier in successive years.
Researchers have discovered that waterhemp, and possibly other weeds don’t respond to rotating herbicides each year as they originally thought.
By partnering with Planet, aerospace and data analytics company, Farmers Edge will offer satellite images more frequently—every one to three days.