Corn
Corn planting is now 2% ahead of the five year national average, while soybeans are currently 4% ahead, according to the April 22, 2024, USDA Crop Progress report.
Growing degree days (GDDs) are a more reliable method to predict corn emergence and development than calendar days. Start calculating GDDs daily the day after planting. Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie explains.
As drought deteriorates across the U.S., it’s a positive signal for growing a big crop in 2024. And analysts say if weather continues to fuel this year’s crop, December corn futures could fall into the $3 range by fall.
NEW YORK, April 19 (Reuters) - The EPA will temporarily expand sales of higher-ethanol blends of gasoline this summer.
Residue might hamper uptake, surface cover slows soil warming and most cover crops raise the carbon penalty. Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie shares timing and placement tips for phosphorus, sulfur and nitrogen.
Don’t let the rush to plant cause you to be filled with regret and utter these five words at some point: “I wish I had waited.” Chilled seed corn struggles to emerge and grow. It can cost you 10% of your stand.
After years of letting negativity and discouragement hold him back from full-time farming, the first-generation Kentucky farmer decided to take a leap of faith.
In addition to traditional row crops and cattle, Lindsay Baneck operates a direct-to-consumer produce business in Wisconsin. These days, her goals are geared toward success and sustainability.
More than 20 farm groups support the new Federal Agriculture Risk Management Enhancement and Resilience Act. The bill does not require choosing between enhanced crop insurance coverage and commodity support programs.
USDA reports 3% of the country’s soybean crop is in the ground, the same as this time last year but two points ahead of the average pace. In all 10 states are reporting progress, and planting is ahead of average.
It’s a tale of two extremes this year. Some farmers report they can’t find soil moisture to plant into, while others are struggling just to get into their fields. Agronomist Ken Ferrie weighs in on both scenarios.
Along with too much moisture, high numbers of corn flea beetles are posing an early-season concern. Ferrie advises checking your Stewart’s wilt bacteria rating on hybrids. There’s no treatment option for infected corn.
One of the biggest benefits from waiting to plant corn until conditions are ideal, is the crop emerges more uniformly and forms those picket-fence stands that deliver huge yields, says Agronomist Missy Bauer.
What’s the key to growing big yields? According to the reigning national corn yield contest champ, David Hula, you can’t have 300-bushel-per-acre yields if you don’t start with 300-bushel-per-acre stands.
The second USDA Crop Progress Report of the year shows farmers are already ahead in planting the 2024 crop with six states pacing ahead of the five-year average.
Bryce Driver died a day before Easter, leaving behind a wife, a pair of seven-week-old babies, and a crop in the field.
As most of the U.S. is still prepping for spring planting, USDA’s weekly crop progress report shares Texas growers have already planted more than half their corn acres.
Some Illinois farmers started planting soybeans in late March. Ken Ferrie offers tips to help you weigh the risks of planting now. Plus, be aware that poor saturated cold scores are impacting some seed corn hybrids.
Judge for yourself: Travis McCormick’s DOES IT PAY fungicide trial reaped a major yield increase.
USDA says farmers intend to plant 90 million acres of corn this year, which is lower than the trade expected prior to USDA’s big Prospective Plantings report.
Jerry Gulke discusses an unusual trend in the markets.
USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says areas that have been experiencing snow drought this winter, such as Minnesota and northern Iowa, could potentially see more snowfall in the next few weeks than they have all winter.
According to the company, the use of PhotoSeed technology has the potential to lower a crop’s carbon intensity score.
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.
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.
It’s been said high-yielding corn needs 25" of moisture per acre per year. In 2023, when Mother Nature didn’t cooperate, management strategies to retain moisture coupled with new traits made a difference at harvest.
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.
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.
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.
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.