2025 Farm Journal Corn and Soybean College: Making A Stand

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 22:38:21 GMT

A record-breaking harvest of corn or soybeans is built on the foundation of a good stand. That concept is the focus for the 2025 Farm Journal Corn and Soybean College.

Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie and team will be addressing some of the key agronomic practices and tools farmers use to accomplish high yields during the two-day event – slated for July 22 through July 23 – near Heyworth, Ill.

“We’re going to focus on what the elements of a good stand are in corn and soybeans and how you can achieve them through agronomic decisions and the tools you use,” Ferrie says.

The program includes a variety of both in-the-field sessions as well as inside, classroom sessions.

Planter Selection For Your Farm

One of the key topics being addressed this year for corn growers is the planter and how to select one that’s a good fit for your specific farm.

“There are so many different systems out there today, and when it comes to making planter purchases, add-on purchases and such, you have to think through the whole process and how they will work for you,” Ferrie says.

Farm Journal Field Agronomist Missy Bauer will also be on hand to help farmers identify the impact of planting practices on corn and soybean stands.

“Missy will be talking to us about how to identify a good stand and also what contributes to a poor stand,” Ferrie notes. “We’re going to talk about hybrid characteristics and different aspects of the rooting structure of corn. We’ll then blend that information all in with farmers’ tillage practices, including strip-till, no-till, and also cover crops.”

Success With Early-Planted Soybeans

On the soybean side of the two-day program, Ferrie and team will be addressing early-planted soybeans and how to build a systems approach to growing them – from variety selection and planting preparation through harvest.

“We want to talk about row spacing, population, soybean characteristics, when can we stress plants and when to not stress plants,” Ferrie says. “We want to help farmers adopt a systems approach to early soybeans versus just planting them early and then trying to treat them like you would normal beans.”

In addition to these topics, the in-field and classroom sessions at the event will address:

Science behind spray nozzles: selecting the right nozzles for the job and making sure they perform well in the field.

Establishing corn ear count: examining the differences in rooting depth and stand establishment across a variety of tillage practices.

Closing systems: analyzing a variety of systems in different agronomic conditions to demonstrate how such systems impact stand establishment.

Put everything together, corn edition: evaluating everything from hybrid characteristics, leaf orientation, ear flex and how plant height affects light interpretation to ear development and plant stress in conventional corn and short corn.

Put everything together, soybean edition: looking at planting date, variety characteristics, tillage system, plant nutrition, row spacing and population all play a hand in bean stand establishment, overall light interception and yield.

The two-day event brings together presenters, farmers, and industry personnel that are passionate about raising the bar in farming, Ferrie says. “This is an unsponsored event making more time for our agronomists to spend with attendees, getting their questions answered, and more time to spend in the field,” he says.

Day 1 of the Farm Journal Corn and Soybean College starts at 8 a.m., Tuesday, July 22, and runs through happy hour/dinner.

Day 2 starts at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 23, and sessions will go through lunch.

“We will finish the second day with a Q & A following lunch. Our agronomists will be available to answer questions until your questions run out, so be sure to come with your list,” Ferrie says.

Price: $625 (includes access to one-day virtual event in January 2026).

Get the complete agenda details and register here .

Man’s Best Friend Earns Top Honors at AFBF’s 100th Convention

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 05:21:43 GMT

Four-legged Woody saved the day when Joe Sheeran’s life flashed before his eyes. Pinned beneath a cow, he thought it was all over until his 8-month-old Australian Shepherd came to his rescue.

“She was on top of me, trying to kill me,” Sheeran explained to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). “Luckily, the little dog I told to stay right there came to the rescue. Woody got in that cow’s face and I was able to get up and walk off.

“If he wasn’t there I wouldn’t be here today.”

Woody spends much of his days on the farm herding cattle, sheep and ducks—a constant companion to Sheeran. He’s now eight years old and has a full resume of top honors in stock dog competitions around the nation.

“We’ve always had Australian Shepherds, but none like Woody,” Sheeran said. “He’s a very competitive and we’ve gone all over the country with him to stock dog trials. He’s taken it to the top and achieved about as much as you can achieve in stock dog trials.”

Now Woody has one more trophy to add: Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year. In addition to the trophy, his family received $5,000 in prize money, a basket of Purina products and a year’s worth of Purina dog food. Purina is the sponsor of this year’s prizes.

“You can’t beat an Australian Shepherd as a general farm dog,” he said. “I don’t really have to tell him a lot he understands the job and will just go do it.”

The AFBF contest awards the four runners-up with $1,000, a trophy and a basket of Purina products. This year’s runners-up include:

Clue, owned by Andrew and Cindy Deak of Florida
Shine, owned by Denny and Donna Ashcraft of Kansas
Finn, owned by Tim and Lisa Molinero of New Hampshire
Flint, owned by Rhett and Beth Crandall of Utah

Winners are selected based on their helpfulness to the famers and their family, playfulness and the role dogs play to make life better on and off the farm. To submit dogs to the contest, Farm Bureau members send in responses to a questionnaire, photos and video clips.

Other Events

2025 Farm Journal Corn and Soybean College: Making A Stand

Man’s Best Friend Earns Top Honors at AFBF’s 100th Convention