Crop Protection

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.

Killer Fungus That Just Won’t Die Threatens Brazilian Farms (1)

Bayer AG was ordered to pay more than $2 billion in damages to a California couple that claimed they got cancer as a result of using the company’s Roundup weedkiller for about 30 years.

Take a look behind the curtain at the company’s work to advance formulation science and the digital experience.