Breaking Barriers with R&D
Lifelong farmers and founders of Total Acre, Randy Dowdy and David Hula share their Breaking Barriers agronomic insights to challenge farmers to think differently. While known for growing record-breaking corn and soybean yields, their primary focus is maximizing profits on every acre. Learn from the duo to focus on continual, measurable improvement on your farm.
A detailed “farming playbook” can help guide essential input investments and maximize ROI.
Commodity prices have not kept pace with rising costs, leaving many row crop growers struggling to keep their operations on positive footing headed into the new year.
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.
Corn yield champs say annual soil testing is the best way to make sure fields are up to the goal of delivering profitable high yields every season.
Planting more cover crops this fall is one way corn and soybean growers are addressing their 2026 nutrient needs and looking to trim expenses in the process.
Herbicides and defoliants are commonly used by farmers in southern regions to quicken the harvest period and reduce the risk of shatter loss and poor test weights. Now, Midwest growers and researchers are looking at how to use the practice.
The crop took it on the chin this season, with some Iowa farmers reporting huge yield losses as harvest gets underway. A one-time fungicide application helped, but it wasn’t enough to buck severe disease pressure, allowing it to return.
A prematurely collapsing ear shank stops grain fill, leading to yield reductions that can reach as high as 40%.
Marion Calmer is renown for his corn harvesting innovations. The fourth-generation Illinois farmer also has a wealth of practical knowledge about how to take more beans to the bin — and freely shares some of his insights and ideas here.