Planting Equipment

Build A High-Yield Powerhouse From The Bottom Up

Tue, 05 May 2026 17:40:08 GMT

The planter monitor in your tractor cab insists the seed corn is tucked away at a 2.5-inch planting depth, but Randy Dowdy says to question that placement. The high-yield row-crop grower explains there is often a difference between what the planter monitor says and what the soil shows — and the gap between the two can rob farmers of yield potential before the crop ever breaks the soil surface.

“You have to distinguish between the planting depth and what we call the germination depth. It’s a potential problem we talk about all the time with our farmers in Total Acre ,” says Dowdy of his agronomic business he co-owns with David Hula, world champion corn grower.

Iowa State Extension defines planting depth as the placement of the seed corn in the soil, while germination depth (emergence) is where the corn nodal roots will form, regardless of the planting depth.

The discrepancy that can occur between the planting depth and germination depth often happens at the moment the seed trench is closed or shortly thereafter. The planter might place the seed at 2.5 inches, but the closing system can shift seed upward — especially in dry, loose soils. As the dirt settles the seed can end up germinating at a significantly shallower depth than the grower intended.

“When we check seed placement in an open furrow, there’s no doubt about it, we were planting at 2.5 inches,” Dowdy notes in a recent video. But as he moves behind the machine to inspect the closed row, the reality changes. In Dowdy’s field demonstration, the shift is dramatic, showing the seed is now sitting much closer to the soil surface.

“When we dig into that closed trench, we find that the seed is now sitting in the ground at about 1.5 inches to 1.75 inches, and that’s not what you want,” Dowdy says. Watch the video on Farm Journal TV .

The result of that shallow germination depth is a fundamental threat to corn, Iowa State Extension reports. Shallow germination can impact early root development and contribute to rootless corn syndrome, susceptibility to herbicide injury, poor drought tolerance and other issues that can impact growth and development throughout the season and, ultimately, reduce yield.

(Farm Journal TV)

To combat this, Dowdy’s philosophy is simple: trust what you learn using a shovel to dig behind the planter to locate the seed; don’t depend only on what the planter monitor in the tractor cab shows.

Dowdy and Hula advocate for establishing a consistent germination depth for seed corn across the field, ensuring that plants have the strong foundation they need to thrive.

“For proper root development, we like to maintain a consistent two-inch germination depth,” advises Dowdy, who’s based near Valdosta, Ga.

Dan Quinn, Purdue University Extension corn specialist, says the “most common seeding depths recommended for corn range between 1.5 and 2 inches deep, and these planting depths can work very well within most conditions, however, certain soil moisture conditions at planting may warrant further examination/change in seeding depth.”

This year, with dry soil conditions in the Southeast, farmers have had difficulty achieving a 2-inch planting depth consistently for good emergence. Dowdy’s directive to growers in dry ground is to account for the “settle” in soils at planting by adjusting planter settings to go a bit deeper with planting.

Iowa State Extension agrees, noting that a 3-inch depth is usually OK in drier soils. While deeper planting can take slightly longer to emerge, it can lead to more uniform stands compared to shallow planting.

“My advice in these (dry) conditions is to plant a bit deeper, knowing the ground will settle, and you’ll get better root development,” Dowdy says.

By prioritizing the physical reality of the seedbed over the digital feedback in the cab, Dowdy believes farmers can unlock better performance without any additional overhead. By doing so, growers “will do a better job, and you’ll have proper root development and help you on your yields for free,” he says.

You can hear more about how this season is shaping up for Dowdy and Hula on their latest edition of Breaking Barriers With R&D podcast with Chip Flory on AgriTalk. Listen at the link below:

How to Dial In Downpressure and Closing Systems for Perfect Stands

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 21:00:35 GMT

Among the recent strides in planter technology, adjustable downpressure is a game-changer, says Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie. It, along with today’s sophisticated furrow-closing systems, can set you up for picket-fence stands and photocopied plants, the foundation of ear count and yield.

Here are some tips to help you dial in the ideal settings for your field’s specific soils and conditions.

May The Force Be With You

“Placing seed at uniform depth requires sufficient downforce on the row units to firm soil with the depth wheels, so the seed trench walls stand up and seed can be placed at the bottom,” Ferrie says. “There should be enough downforce to keep units in contact with the ground 97% of the time.

“Insufficient downforce causes uneven depth of planting, which leads to uneven emergence, or dry soil sloughing off the top of the trench onto the seed,” Ferrie continues. “Too much downforce leads to sidewall smearing, which causes the furrow to crack open afterward. In tilled fields that get too mellow, you may need to apply upward pressure because the row unit full of seed is too heavy, causing sidewall smearing issues.”

Hydraulic downpressure control allows downforce to change in a millisecond, by row and by foot of travel. “That’s not too important in conventionally tilled soil where the field cultivator passes 4” deep in mellow conditions,” Ferrie continues. “But it’s very important in no-till or strip-till because soil firmness changes quickly because of soil type, whether you’re in the center or the edge of a strip, wheel tracks and other factors.”

To set downpressure initially, stop the planter with the units in the ground, then see if you can turn both depth wheels on a few row units.

“If you can only turn one of them with the planter in the ground, back off the downforce until you can turn both wheels. At that point, you are not holding planting depth. Add small increments of downforce until it’s difficult to make at least one of the wheels turn. Continue to check depth wheel setting in all soil types or changing conditions,” Ferrie says.

Continue to check behind the planter as soils and conditions change.

“If you find a seam indicating sidewalls are not being crushed, back off the downforce and see if it goes away,” Ferrie advises.

Precision Planting hydraulic downforce on a Case IH planter responds in milliseconds to maintain accurate seed depth in no-till and strip-till conditions.

(Crop-Tech Consulting Inc.)

Close the Deal

It’s necessary for your planter’s closing system to do three things:

Close the furrow from the bottom up, leaving the moist soil at the bottom and the drier soil at the top.
Crush the sidewall. “If you fail to crush the sidewall, it will result in a seam that will open up later,” Ferrie says.
Firm soil over the seed, so moisture can’t escape. “Moisture is needed for germination and for development of the first and second sets of crown roots,” Ferrie says. “If it rains a day or two after planting, all will be well. Rain will settle the trench and allow the seed to germinate uniformly. But if you get 30 mph or 40 mph wind and 70˚F to 80˚F temperatures, you can run out of water at planting depth in a few hours. If it doesn’t rain for three weeks, furrows that weren’t firmed will be too dry to form crown roots and you’ll have floppy corn.”

The Best System For You

There are many types of closing wheels, designed to close furrows from the bottom up, crush sidewalls and/or firm soil over the seed.

“Rubber-tire closing wheels’ main function is to firm soil,” Ferrie says. “Cast-iron wheels are designed to close the furrow from the bottom up and firm soil. Spoked wheels’ main function is to crush the sidewall.”

Spoked wheels with swept-back tines are good for sidewall crushing and more soil firming. Twisted tines provide sidewall crushing and bottom-up closing.

“Some closing systems are two-stage,” Ferrie explains. ”They have staggered closing disks or spoked wheels designed to close from the bottom up and crush the sidewall, plus a firming wheel. This has been Case IH’s system from the beginning. There are versions from other companies.

“Two-stage systems provide flexibility if you operate across multiple farming systems, such as no-till, strip-till and conventional tillage. They provide more firming in conventional tillage and more sidewall crushing in no-till.

“Today’s technology lets you adjust your planter to handle conventional, strip-till, no-till and cover crop conditions from the tractor cab,” Ferrie summarizes. “Planter setup is more complicated; but the improved ROI from multiple systems that fit each soil type make it worthwhile.”

No matter how much technology you have inside your cab or planter, Ferrie concludes, “It is still crucial for operators to ground-truth. Dig cross sections of the row, checking depth, sidewall smearing and furrow firming. Thanks to technology, you don’t have to spend as much time on your knees as your dad and grandpa did, but you still need to check each of your fields multiple times.”

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Crop-Tech Consulting Inc.

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Crop-Tech Consulting Inc.

Adjust Downforce to Fit Soil Conditions

A Farm Journal study in tilled and no-till conditions illustrated the varying amount of downforce required to keep depth wheels in contact with the surface, firming the soil so trench walls would stand up and seed could be placed at the bottom. In both situations, units exceeded the required 97% ground contact (top photo). In no-till, the average downpressure requirement was 130 lb./ft., compared to 63 lb./ft. in tilled soil.

“Hydraulic downpressure control is especially beneficial in no-till and strip-till because soil firmness changes quickly based on soil type, whether you’re in the center or the edge of a strip, wheel tracks and other factors,” says Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie. “But it’s also valuable in tilled soil, where you sometimes need to apply negative downforce (i.e., upward force), to take some of the weight off the planter units.”

(Crop-Tech Consulting Inc.)

If Your Seedbed Dries Out

“If a seedbed gets dry down to planting depth, it’s almost impossible to get a trench to stand up long enough to get seed to the bottom of the furrow and close it,” says Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie. “Dry surface soil will fall into the furrow before the closing system can operate.

“While this is a seedbed problem, not a planter issue, you can help the situation by changing your planter setup. Lower your row cleaner wheels to push the dry soil to the side and let you plant into moisture. This carries some risk: Your plants will be down in a little valley, so if you get a hard rain before or during emergence, the seed or seedling will be covered when rain washes the soil you pushed aside back into or on top of the row. But the only other option is to delay planting until it rains.”

The $10 Tool Randy Dowdy Uses To Grow Record Corn Yields

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 19:08:35 GMT

For high-yield corn grower Randy Dowdy, a successful harvest doesn’t start with the combine; it starts with a ratchet strap and an open furrow.

While many growers rely on high-tech in-cab monitors to guide their planting process, Dowdy argues the most critical data they need is found in the dirt behind the planter. By using ratchet straps to hold closing wheels up and out of the soil, he creates an “open furrow” that allows for a level of diagnostic evaluation he believes covered seeds cannot provide.

The Depth Deception

The logic behind this unconventional start to corn planting is rooted in the physical reality of soil settling. Dowdy, based near Valdosta, Ga., notes that even when a grower sets the planter for a standard two-inch depth, the final result often differs from what they were trying to achieve.

“Whenever the farmer goes back and looks at the plant, once it’s emerged, they find the germination depth is not the same depth as they planted,” he says. “Why did they not look at it and set it appropriately in the beginning? Chances are they can read that popsicle stick and measure depth. They know how to do that. But one thing I’ve found is that ground, when it’s been worked... it just settles.”

Whether a field is under conventional tillage, strip-till or no-till, the act of moving soil creates a “fluff” factor that can deceive even experienced corn growers. To compensate for this tendency, Dowdy advocates for planting slightly deeper in tilled or loose ground so the seed remains at the desired depth after the soil settles.

Open Furrow Diagnostics

To verify seed placement depth, Dowdy likes to use an open furrow for evaluation. He says this method allows growers to see exactly how the row unit is interacting with the soil environment without guesswork.

Randy Dowdy likes to check seed placement depth in an open furrow.

(Farm Journal)

“I don’t like to stand on top of my head and scratch for seed and all that garbage,” Dowdy says. “The first thing I want to do is make sure the row cleaners are set properly. I can do that better with an open furrow. I can look at spacing that way. I’m not standing on top of my head scratching, spending all this time trying to find it.”

The open furrow provides a clear window into the planter’s performance. Beyond spacing and row cleaner settings, it allows the grower to inspect for sidewall smearing—a problem that can severely limit root development if the soil is too tacky when the opening discs pass through. The visual check of an open furrow also tells the grower whether the down pressure is sufficient to maintain a consistent planting depth.

The Centering Challenge

Once the open furrow confirms that the row cleaners, meters, and depth settings are dialed in, the focus shifts to the closing system. Dowdy warns that even the best closing wheels can fail if they aren’t perfectly aligned over the seed.

He says standard V-press wheels are known to drift off-center. If they aren’t tracking directly over the seed trench, they don’t just fail to close the furrow—they actively change the planting depth at the final stage of the process.

“It doesn’t matter whose system it is, V-press wheels just do not like to stay centered,” he contends.

When the wheels drift off-center, they often pinch the furrow, leaving a raised ribbon of soil in their wake. This misalignment can create a less than desirable environment for the seed than what the grower intended.

A Systematic Start

Dowdy’s systematic approach—checking gauge wheels, setting opening discs, inspecting the open furrow, and finally calibrating the closing wheels—is designed to eliminate the variables that lead to uneven emergence. For Dowdy, the goal is to ensure that every seed is given the exact same opportunity to start strong, leading to the “picket fence” stands required for high yields.

By starting with an open furrow and systematically lowering the closing system only after everything else is verified, he says other corn growers can eliminate the guesswork that often leads to costly mistakes at planting.

“We’re not done, but this is the process of how we get started,” Dowdy says. “Next, we’ll let the closing wheels down, close that trench and see what we got.”

Now Could Be A ‘Powerful Time’ to Buy Late-Model Used Machinery

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 20:03:32 GMT

For many farmers, the current machinery market feels anything but stable. Yet according to Cory Nordhausen, vice president of sales for the western U.S. with AgDirect, this moment could actually provide a good opportunity for thoughtful buyers.

“I kind of feel like maybe we’ve reached a reset or a moment of stability in the equipment market,” he says.

Nordhausen isn’t suggesting that prices are low or that buying decisions are easy. Instead, he believes that the relationship between new and used equipment values, combined with evolving inventory levels, has created a window where strategic, well‑planned purchases could make sense.

From Shortage to the “Great Reset”

To understand where we are, Nordhausen says you have to look back at the challenges that started in 2020. It was an era defined by choked supply chains and empty dealer lots.

“Equipment was flying off the shelves. Dealership inventories became depleted, and just the lack of supply was there… you were still waiting on farm equipment for six, 12, 18 months in 2022,” he recalls.

As demand began to cool through 2023 and 2024, inventory began to build. However, Nordhausen believes the market has hit an equilibrium, particularly in the used segment. While it might feel like there is a surplus, the data tells a more nuanced story about high-quality, late-model iron.

“Stability is probably looking at just the value of used farm equipment in relationship to the price of new farm equipment,” Nordhausen explains. “What’s happened is a lot of that good one-to-three-year-old equipment that’s been in the auction space for the last couple of years, that’s come down significantly. I suppose you can look at planters, combines, tractors, and sprayers and say that there’s probably 40% less of that stuff in the auction space today.”

Are Prices Reaching A Bottom?

If the auction blocks are seeing 40% less late-model inventory, it suggests the “oversupply” phase is tightening. For farmers who have been waiting for used prices to bottom out, Nordhausen suggests that is in the process of happening now.

“We probably won’t see, unless something crazy happens, the price of used equipment going down much more,” he says. “Some of that good late-model, one-to-three-year-old equipment is starting to bring a little bit more money than it has. That’s simply due to supply and demand.”

Looking further down the road, the lack of new equipment sales in 2024 and 2025 has potentially created a “pipeline problem” for the future. If fewer new machines are sold today, he believes there could be a shortage of high-quality used machines two or three years from now.

Consider Labor Needs And Repair Costs

In this tight-margin environment, Nordhausen’s advice to farmers is to be thoughtful and strategic, as they focus on the big four items: tractors, combines, planters and sprayers. In the process of weighing whether now is the time to upgrade, he also encourages farmers to evaluate their labor needs and the cost of repairs.

“You have to look at, what piece of equipment are you going to buy that is going to bring the most efficiency to your farm? What’s going to save you the most time? What’s going to help you when you can’t get as much labor on your farm to run that equipment?” he asks.

Furthermore, he believes the “run it until it breaks” philosophy has some downsides.

“Repair bills are not going down. The price of parts is up. Shop rates in dealerships continue to increase year over year,” Nordhausen says. “One really has to find that balance of ‘how much money am I going to stick into that used piece of equipment on my farm’ versus when’s the time right to trade it.”

Financing as a Strategic Purchasing Lever

When margins are compressed, liquidity is king. It’s why Nordhausen says he views financing not just as a way to pay for a machine, but as a way to protect a farm’s balance sheet.

“You can amortize those payments out… and save some of that liquidity off your balance sheet so you can go use that in other places,” he says.

While the standard industry structure remains a five-year term with 20% down, Nordhausen would also encourage farmers to evaluate leasing.

“On the lease you have a large balloon on the end—we refer to it as a residual—and that lowers each annual payment... really allowing you to get that cost per hour, cost per acre down,” he says.

He acknowledges there is a trade-off, however: “There is a little bit of a penalty to pay, because you pay a little more interest because you’re carrying more principal. But if you’re purely looking at cash flow, that’s a very strategic way to get the payments lower.”

Weigh The Various Options With A Sharp Pencil

Nordhausen encourages farmers evaluate buying opportunities carefully, specifically when it comes to low-interest or 0% incentives.

“I think you’ve got to do the math, right? Just because you see 0% interest, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting the best deal,” he cautions. “There’s probably a cost to you on the other side of it baked into the price.”

To counter this, he suggests farmers use tools like the AgDirect mobile app to calculate the “true cost” of buying down a rate. Armed with the math, he believes a farmer can have more negotiating power at the dealership.

“If you’re more interested in just a low cash price, you can offset that, saying, ‘I don’t need 0% interest. What’s your best cash money deal?’”

Another consideration – as dealerships become more cautious about taking in trades to manage their own inventories, more of the action is moving to auction platforms and private-party sales. Nordhausen notes that AgDirect has seen “huge momentum” in these channels over the last decade.

Looking Ahead: Plan Now for Tomorrow’s Needs

Nordhausen believes farmers should be thinking two to three years out about their equipment needs.

With fewer new units being sold now and late‑model used inventories tightening, he sees a real possibility of higher used prices if commodity markets would strengthen. “With the lack of used inventory that we built in ‘23, ‘24 and ‘25, there might be a higher demand. And what happens with demand—prices go up.”

His central message to farmers: use this “reset” period to upgrade strategically, align purchases with both efficiency gains and cash‑flow realities, and above all, he adds, do the math before you sign.

John Deere Unveils New High-HP 8-Series Tractors Alongside Key Planter and Combine Updates

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 00:36:15 GMT

John Deere is pushing its flagship 8 Series tractor into new territory, launching a ground‑up redesign that aims to give farmers 9 Series power in an 8 Series body — without sacrificing the maneuverability growers rely on for planting and row-crop work.

“We’re really excited to introduce this new line of 8R and 8RX tractors,” said Michael Porter, marketing manager during a media event at the company’s Austin, Texas, facility. “Our customers have been asking for a tractor that really fits this gap where we need the power of our 9 Series but still delivering the maneuverability and comfort of a row crop tractor.”

Bridging the Gap Between 8R and 9R
Until now, Deere’s 8R lineup topped out at 410 hp, with the 9 Series picking up from there. The new high‑horsepower 8R and 8RX models (444, 490 and 540, wheels and four‑track machines) slide in squarely between those platforms.

The goal: pull ever‑larger planters, high‑speed tillage tools and big manure tankers while still feeling like a row‑crop tractor.

“This needs to feel like an 8 Series,” Porter said. “It needs to turn super tight, feel nimble and not feel like a bigger tractor.”

JD14 Engine and ‘Punching Above Its Weight’
At the heart of the new tractors is the JD14 engine, borrowed from the 9 Series and dropped into an all-new 8-Series frame. Deere pairs that with an updated power strategy Porter says fundamentally changes how these tractors perform under load.

“We’re introducing what we call peak power IPM (Intelligent Power Management),” he said. “We’re taking our max engine horsepower and adding IPM to it to get an additional 40 horsepower on top of that which allows the 8R and 8RX 540 to max out at 634 hp under some conditions.”

Porter says the result is a machine that “punches outside of its weight class when it comes to power and performance, able to pull massive implements like DB90 planters, high-speed tillage tools
and large grain carts.

“This tractor has no problem pulling a 90‑foot high speed planter at 10‑plus mile an hour speeds,” Porter said, adding it can cover 1,200 acres a day under favorable conditions.

Off‑Board Electric Power at 56 Volts
Beyond raw horsepower, Deere is baking in electrical capability that ties tractor and planter more tightly together.

“This is also going to unlock our new [56V power] offboarding option,” Porter said of the Electronic Variable Transmission (EVT). “You’ll have one plug… that’ll power our electric row units straight from the tractor, really showcasing that ultimate planting solution.”

Instead of separate PTO or hydraulic power generators for modern electric planters, Deere’s vision is simple: plug the Deere planter into the Deere tractor and go.

Although the new 8R machines are visibly larger, Deere redesigned the frame, steering and ballast system around one non‑negotiable: “One thing we were not willing to sacrifice is the nimbleness and the feel of our row crop tractors,” Porter said. “We wanted it to turn like an 8 with the power of a 9.”

New John Deere Operator Experience
The new tractors are the first to receive Deere’s completely redesigned cab, CommandARMand drive controls, which will roll out across the 8 Series.

Highlights include:
· Push‑button start and a standardized left‑hand reverser
· A new seat with expanded adjustments, optional heating and massage, and ventilation
· Integrated wireless phone charger
· A new convenience display
· Simplified, highly configurable paddle switches and buttons on the CommandARM

Deere is also unifying drive controls into three new drive strategies (CommandX, CommandX Plus, and CommandX Pro). This suite allows operators to tailor their driving experience. Each level builds on the previous one unlocking additional features and customization to help meet each farmer’s needs.

To determine which new 8-Series tractor model will best fit your farming operation, contact your local John Deere dealer or visit deere.com.

New Planter Enhancements

John Deere is introducing several new planter enhancements – all designed to help farmers meet key agronomic success factors, including uniform emergence, uniform spacing, correct seed population and nutrient availability. Advancements in planter technology have been made in furrow application, furrow depth and residue management, uptime and logistics.

“Farmers look for agronomic success at planting as their entire season depends on it,” said Anthony Styczinski, marketing manager, planters and air seeders. “Increased input and seed costs demand we do everything we can to give the seed the best chance.”

Correct fertilizer application at the time the seed hits the ground is a part of the equation to give the seed the best possible start. Model year 2027 John Deere planters will have an option for a dual-product fertilizer system that allows operators to carry and apply product in-furrow and/or off to the side.

(John Deere)

Fertilizer Application Enhancements
Correct fertilizer application at the time the seed hits the ground is a part of the equation to give the seed the best possible start. Model year 2027 John Deere planters will have an option for a dual-product fertilizer system that allows operators to carry and apply product in-furrow and/or off to the side to give the corn plant the right nutrients at the right time of the growth stage, leading to higher corn yields.

The dual-product system includes both ExactShot and ExactRate. ExactShot is John Deere’s in-furrow application that delivers nutrients directly to the seed where they are used most efficiently. ExactShot saves up to 66% of in-furrow nutrient input. The second part of the dual system is ExactRate, which applies high-value fertilizer off to the side.

The combined system includes dual liquid tanks, and a dual set of stainless-steel fertilizer lines with pumps relocated under the tanks. Both liquid tanks have fertilizer-level sensing, making it easy for the operator to know how much product is available in each tank.

Another update is a new agitation system that keeps certain chemicals suspended and separated in the tank to ensure even product coverage. An auxiliary tank option enables the use of high-value micronutrients, biologicals, fungicides, and insecticides.

The dual fertilizer system is available from the factory on model year 2027 1775NT – 16/24R, and DB60 – 24R planters.

Furrow Optimization
“The importance of consistent seed depth and a clean furrow are critical to getting that seed off to the right start,” Styczinki said. “Studies show that uniform emergence can improve yield up to 20 bushels per acre, emphasizing the need to optimize the furrow as much as possible.”

New this year to John Deere planters is ExactDepth, an electric depth control that supports an in-cab on-the-go range of depth adjustments and individual row unit depth calibrations. ExactDepth also allows operators to optimize depth with prescriptions for each field and/or subfield zones.

Furrow residue has shown that one day of delayed corn emergence can reduce plant yield by 6%, on average. John Deere’s FurrowVision solution helps operators identify when residue is impacting the furrow, allowing them to manually optimize row cleaner settings. This system features three in-furrow cameras mounted on the planter that provide real-time sectional views of the furrow, as well as depth measurement readings, residue detection filter and additional quality map layers in the John Deere Operations Center.

Another new feature to improve furrow quality is Downforce Automation powered by FurrowVision, optimizing downforce settings and making it easier to create the best furrow in every field. Downforce Automation optimizes the amount of applied downforce by taking into consideration ground contact, soil resistance and furrow health as measured by FurrowVision.

Planting Logistics
Tight planting windows demand keeping the planter rolling as much as possible. Logistics is a new feature available through the John Deere Operations Center for those with the G5 Advanced license. Logistics provides real-time monitoring of equipment location, work status and product levels, keeping everyone on the farm informed and updated.

Combine and Front-End Equipment Updates

John Deere is making a wide range of updates and enhancements to its model year 2027 X9 and S7 combines and front-end equipment. Utilizing the latest in predictive and automated technologies, these new features promise to help farmers harvest under more diverse and dynamic crop conditions, utilize the automation across more crop types, and minimize the level of intervention required by the operator.

For model year 2027, Predictive Ground Speed Automation features Green Crop Detection. This new feature uses enhanced processing power and a highly trained algorithm to accurately detect green crops within an otherwise-mature stand. The result: The combine can adjusts its ground speed in response to a wider range of crop conditions, improving overall harvest efficiency.

(John Deere)

“These updates will enable our customers to achieve three critical goals: getting their crops out during tight harvest windows; helping less experienced operators perform better in the field; and achieving an efficient, high-quality harvest,” said Nathan Kramer, John Deere harvesting marketing manager.

The new model year 2027 combine features include:

Harvest Settings Automation updates
Harvest Settings Automation helps operators get into the field faster by automatically setting concave clearance, fan speed, rotor speed, sieve clearance and chaffer clearance, all based on the combine model, crop type and geolocation. After the operator inputs limits for grain loss, foreign material and broken grain, the system automatically adjusts the five combine settings to stay within the selected limits.

Harvest Settings Automation is currently available for corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, canola and rice. For model year 2027, Harvest Settings Automation will add lentils, peas, rye, triticale, oats and sunflowers to the list of crops from which producers can choose.

Predictive Ground Speed Automation updates
First offered for model year 2025, Predictive Ground Speed Automation controls the combine’s ground speed based on crop height and biomass measurements taken pre-harvest from satellite scans and from on-the-go measurements made by cab-mounted cameras.

Predictive Ground Speed Automation uses terrain maps to automatically adjust combine speed for sensitive areas like waterways, ditches, and terraces. Cab-mounted cameras add real-time detection of conditions such as down crops or dense weed patches, allowing precise ground speed regulation through these areas for optimal performance.

For model year 2027, Predictive Ground Speed Automation features Green Crop Detection, a new feature that uses enhanced processing power and a highly trained algorithm to accurately detect green crops within an otherwise-mature stand. Green Crop Detection allows Predictive Ground Speed Automation to adjust the combine’s ground speed in response to a wider range of crop conditions, improving overall harvest efficiency.

John Deere is also launching Precision Upgrade Combine Automation Packages allowing customers that purchased the Select Technology Package with a MY25 or newer S7 or X9 from the factory to upgrade to Premium or Ultimate Technology Packages. Farmers who purchased the Premium Technology Package from the factory now have the option to upgrade to the Ultimate Technology Package.

Other MY27 features include:
Tru-Threshconcaves with remote concave and separator grate adjustment. New half-length concaves allow modular installation, improved durability and are compatible with new model year 2027 X9 combines.

HarvestLab Install Ready. All model year 2027 X9 combines will feature factory pre-cut openings in the clean grain elevator suitable for HarvestLab mounting making installation easier.

JDLink Boost. Both X9 and S7 combines can come equipped with a JDLink Boost receiver from the factory providing satellite connectivity in areas with limited or no mobile connectivity.

Power folding ladder. All model year 2027 John Deere X9 and S7 combines will feature a new power folding ladder option similar to those available on select John Deere sprayers.

New 35’ (10.7m) unloading auger. The new unloading auger on the X9 offers an additional 4ft (1.22m) of clearance between the header and unloading auger, enabling the use of wider headers.

New 550-bushel grain tank capacity. The optional 550-bushel grain tank on the X9 allows for longer time between unloads, more capacity when opening fields, and includes heavy-duty final drives.

To learn more about the new John Deere planter options, combine enhancements and front-end equipment updates contact your local John Deere dealer or visit deere.com.

Don’t Cut the Backstop: Dowdy And Hula Weigh In on Crop Insurance, Budgets

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 21:47:22 GMT

When Randy Dowdy picks up the phone to call his crop insurance agent this time of year, it’s not to see if he can shave premiums — it’s to make sure one tough season can’t threaten the future of his farm. He and fellow national yield champion David Hula want more farmers thinking that same way. They are optimistic that with some attention to the details, growers can put their operations on stronger footing.

Dowdy and Hula hold to a simple, practical blueprint: run the farm with the same financial discipline as any other serious business. That starts with a written budget and continues with a crop insurance plan that’s built around each of their farms’ true risk—not just what feels comfortable when the premium bill arrives.

Dowdy farms in Georgia, where tropical systems are a fact of life, not a rarity.

“For us, it’s not a matter if we’re going to get a hurricane or tropical storm, it’s how many we’re going to get and will we be on the edge or will we be Bullseye central,” he says. “I can’t sleep at night knowing I’ve got $800,000-plus at risk and not have some kind of backstop on it.”

That backstop for both growers is crop insurance. Hula is concerned by how often it’s still treated as a soft target when growers start trimming expenses.

“Growers, if they’re doing budgets—which I know most growers don’t do a budget, unfortunately—but they need to do a budget,” he says. “The sheer cost of production is so high and the risk is there. We all got to service debt. We cannot afford to cut out crop insurance.”

A Working Budget, Not a Guess

Both Dowdy and Hula believe that most operations are simply too big and too leveraged to rely on “gut feel” budgeting. When total corn production costs push into the $600 to $1,000 per acre range, they say every line item needs to be accounted for and challenged.

Hula encourages farmers to use this time of year – winter meeting season – as a springboard to upgrade their financial discipline.

“Growers need to try to capture at least three things when they go to these winter meetings,” he says —whether it’s “something new to try or somewhere to help fine‑tune their budgets.”

For him, that starts with knowing where dollars actually move the needle: fertility, seed, planter performance and risk management. A written budget that ties realistic yield expectations to actual costs per acre then becomes the framework for his every decision – from which hybrids to plant to what coverage levels to buy.

Crop Insurance as a Strategy

Dowdy and Hula say crop insurance should be viewed as the core of a risk management strategy designed around each operation’s exposure.

Dowdy explains how he has traditionally built his coverage and how that thinking is evolving.

“In a normal year we do enterprise [coverage], and normal insurance gets us to that 75% or we buy up 80%,” he says.

After talking with his crop insurance agent, Dowdy is now also considering the benefits of Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) and Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO).

“He’s talking about the SCO version of it, getting coverage to 86% and then you can go with the ECO version to get it up into that 90‑plus‑percent range. And it’s affordable,” Dowdy says.

For Dowdy, the insurance structure matters too. While enterprise units can help manage premium costs, he believes his farming geography demands a more granular approach.

“We may farm ground 60 miles apart,” he says. “I’ll buy optional units just to keep individual farms’ coverage because of the proximity. I go ahead and spend that $75 to $80 an acre, and it helps me sleep at night knowing I got that coverage.”

His takeaway: Don’t stop at the base policy without taking a deeper look. Sit down with your agent and run the numbers on unit structure, SCO and ECO to find a package that realistically protects your cost of production, not just your comfort level with the premium.

Managing Quality and Catastrophic Risk

The risk picture doesn’t end with yield outcomes. Dowdy stresses that in his environment, a lack of crop quality can be just as damaging as outright yield loss.

With his full‑season beans often ready for harvest in late August or early September—smack in the middle of hurricane season—the window for disaster is wide open.

“If it’s 90 degrees outside and it’s hot and wet, those beans will rot right before your eyes,” Dowdy explains. “It’s a quality issue as much as it is just a wind issue.”

Corn brings its own headaches when storms hit hard late in the season.

“If corn goes down, you aren’t going to get it all,” Dowdy says. “Now, there’s some manufacturers that say, ‘you can use our head, we’ll get it all.’ I call BS on that. I don’t want to have to deal with the process of trying to pick it up and harvest it anyhow.”

Dowdy and Hula’s recommendation: build quality risk directly into your budgeting and insurance conversations. Know how your policies treat quality issues and lodging, and be realistic about what you can—and can’t—salvage when a storm hits.

Population and Fertility: Trimming Where It Makes Sense

While Dowdy and Hula believe crop insurance is the wrong place to cut, they both say there are smart, numbers‑driven opportunities to manage input costs—especially in seed and fertility.

“For me, the take‑home that I’ve seen is in fertility management—let’s fine‑tune that,” Hula says. That doesn’t mean making across‑the‑board cuts; it means using precision.

“Use soil tests, yield maps and response history to put fertility where it pays and pull it back where it doesn’t,” he adds.

On seed, Hula thinks 2026 could be a year to rethink planting high populations.

“A lot of times we think we’re going to push our crop a little bit more, and maybe plant a little bit thicker,” he says. “This might be the year just to dial it back a bit… just dial it back 2,000 plants per acre. You’re not going to see a big change in harvestability, you’re not going to see a big change in the end result of yield, but you can see a little reduction in cost.”

Dowdy agrees with the direction—but wants growers to test populations boldly enough to get clear answers.

“I’m going to take it one step further,” he says. “When you do 2,000, I just can’t see enough response. I’m going to go to at least 4,000 less plants so I can say, ‘did I move the needle, yes or no?’”

Dowdy uses a simple benchmark to judge whether the population used is delivering ROI.

“What needs to drive people is, are you making 10 bushels a thousand?” he says. “If you’re not making 10 bushels a thousand based off your planting population, we need to consider, are we planting it too thick? Are we just doing that much of a poor job on getting simultaneous emergence? Why not fix that piece first, and then consider the reduction in population.”

The Planter: One Chance to Get It Right

Hula reminds growers that an expensive mistake is a poorly maintained planter. He believe economic pressure should drive you to the shop, not away from it.

This time of year, Hula is disassembling, inspecting and rebuilding his planter, replacing blades and wear parts and checking every row unit. The goal is simple: give every seed the best chance at uniform emergence and early vigor.

“It seems like we talk about the planter and planting a lot, but that’s what gets everything started,” he says. “You can only do that right one time.”

Dowdy and Hula share more recommendations on their podcast Breaking Barriers With R&D and in their discussion on AgriTalk. Catch their conversation at the link below:

Unlocking More With Less Through Precision Agriculture

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 19:07:38 GMT

Increasing productivity while also using less fuel, water, inputs and time may sound like a dream at today’s farmgate, but a new report called “The Benefits of Precision Ag in the United States” says that very dream is very much a reality for many farms and fields across the U.S.

The report, published collaboratively by Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, CropLife America and National Corn Growers Association, is a follow-up to the landmark 2020 study that first analyzed the potential of precision agriculture technologies to allow farmers and ranchers to do more with less.

It studies precision ag technologies like auto-guidance, machine section control, variable rate application, fleet analytics and telematics and precision irrigation in U.S. production of crops including corn, soybeans, cotton, peanuts, wheat, sorghum, potatoes, sugar beets, hay and alfalfa.

Quantifying the Impact: Inputs, Resources and Yield

Compared to the study five years ago, the trend of precision agriculture adoption is upward, with farmers reaping the benefits in quantifiable ways, according to Austin Gellings, senior director of agricultural services, AEM.

“The industry continues to see an improvement in input efficiency as a result of precision agriculture,” Gellings says. “Compared to five years ago, we have continued to see productivity increase while the comparative amount of herbicide, fertilizer, fuel and water used on a per unit basis continues to decline.”

The report details its findings of the current savings of critical inputs through precision agriculture, as well as what is possible through increased adoption, including:

An estimated 4 billion pounds of fertilizer application was avoided due to precision agriculture technologies, with an estimated 7 billion pounds of additional fertilizer that could be avoided with broader adoption
An estimated 54 million pounds of herbicide was avoided due to precision agriculture with an estimated 66 million pounds that could be avoided with broader adoption

The report didn’t stop with analysis of inputs, though. The research found similar savings in terms of fuel and water use as well, including:

147 million gallons of fuel saved, the equivalent of 283,000 cars off the road annually or 26,000 fewer flights
Water use has decreased an estimated 5% as a result of precision agriculture, or the equivalent of an estimated 824,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of water saved

The savings are helping to unlock an increase in overall productivity fueled by two decades of growth in U.S. corn and soybean yields, the report states.

Critically, the report not only highlights the strides made by adoption of precision agriculture, but what is possible with continued increases.

“The study references savings that could be achieved as a result of precision agricultural technologies if we were to reach full adoption, which we defined as 90-95% adoption,” says Gellings. “These numbers are not necessarily targeted goals, but rather a guiding light for the potential that remains within our industry.”

Quantifying the Impact: On-Farm Pain Points

Gellings encourages farmers to examine their operations for adoption opportunity.

“It is about identifying what the needs of your specific operation are and then identifying the proper technologies that can help you,” he says. “What are the biggest pain points that your operation faces? Once you pinpoint that, it is then about identifying what technologies address those needs while also fitting into the workflow of one’s operation.”

The report shares anonymous grower insights into how that analysis has paid off for their operation through precision agriculture technologies.

In the report, a Kansas farmer growing wheat, soybeans and alfalfa on their operation said, “We’re spraying less chemical, [targeted spray application technology] is saving us money, and it’s better for the environment.”

“We ran through our herbicide costs we were going to have and dropped them by two-thirds. That is going to make our sprayer payment.”

Similarly, a Minnesota corn and soybean farmer had this to say:

“We looked at what we were spending on postemergence weed control and felt we could justify [targeted spray application technology] if we sprayed only 50% of our acres post. In the end, we only sprayed 11% of our corn acres with postemergence herbicide and averaged only spraying 20% of our soybeans with both applications.”

Quantifying the Impact: Agriculture’s Solution Through Precision

The organizations behind the report are hoping that it will serve as a catalyst into conversations with policymakers and consumers around stewardship within the agriculture industry.

“When it comes to all of the conversations that are happening, whether it be healthy food, the environment, or a number of other issues, the solution at the end of the day tends to already exist and that solution is farmers,” says Gellings. “Farmers have, for generations, done what they believe is best for the land and the communities that they live within and serve.”

“Precision agriculture and all of the technologies that come with that term are nothing more than a tool to help them accomplish that goal at the end of the day,” he says. “None of these will be the silver bullet to solve any and all issues, but when chosen based on the needs and capabilities of a farm and then paired with the other proper practices and inputs, they can help farmers get ahead.”

The report is available for free download through AEM.

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New Seed Tender Built for Narrow Planting Windows

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 17:55:50 GMT

Spring planting windows aren’t getting any wider—and labor isn’t getting any easier to find. That’s the reality the new 60-Series Seed Runner from Unverferth Manufacturing is built to address.

“The planting window can be very narrow some years, so our goal with this seed tender is to give farmers more operational efficiency so they can get the job done faster and with less downtime,” says Andy Unverferth, director of marketing for the company.

Smarter Technology, Faster Turnarounds

The new 4960, 3960, 3760 and 2760 models boast hopper capacities of 500, 400, 375 and 275 seed units and bring operational efficiency to the next level with the innovative CAN bus communication system, electronically carbureted Honda engine and redesigned hydraulic system, Unverferth reports.

Key upgrades to the 60-Series include:

CAN bus communication system for integrated machine control electronically carbureted engine with a 15% increase in fuel efficiency and redesigned hydraulic system that allows operators to run multiple hydraulic functions simultaneously with seamless precision.
An auto-tension belt conveyor uses a spring-loaded tensioner that automatically keeps the belt in proper tension for reduced maintenance requirements and has a convenient gauge for quick tension reference.
A standard five-function wireless remote controls the conveyor on/off, conveyor raise/lower, hopper door open/close, engine start/stop and engine throttle. The remote features a weight readout for units equipped with scales, controls the conveyor speed, turns the LED work lights on/off, and operates optional accessories such as the talc and graphite applicator, hydraulic jack, hydraulic roll-tarp, and tank shaker kit.
A new DG3520 scale package is standard on DXL and XL models (optional on 3760 and 2760 models) and features a split-screen display, automatic conveyor shutoff for unloading a predetermined weight of seed, field calc function and Bluetooth connectivity so the user can operate limited wireless remote functions from a mobile device if the remote is misplaced.
Hopper access doors allow the operator to easily reach inside of the hopper for complete cleanout at the end of the season or between seed varieties.
New limited Midnight Edition Seed Runner tenders are available for DXL and XL models and feature a midnight metallic gray paint scheme, specialized decal package, aluminum wheels and upgraded standard features.

When it comes to raw speed, Unverferth says the unload rates on the 8-inch conveyor are about 45 bushels per minute. “So there is a faster filling process to get the planter going again,” he adds.

Available For The 2027 Planting Season

Unverferth says dealers can start entering orders this coming May for the new tender, which will be available for the 2027 planting season.

Available options and accessories for the new 60-Series Seed Runner seed tenders include new six- and seven-function wireless remote kits, talc and graphite applicator, hydraulic jack kit, new hydraulic roll-tarp operation, and tank shaker kit.

For more information about the new 60-Series Unverferth Seed Runner tenders, farmers can check with their nearest Unverferth seed tender dealer or visit UMequip.com.

A High-ROI Strategy for Corn Planter Upgrades and Stand Success

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 19:24:00 GMT

During a recent Farm Journal Corn College session, Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie tackled some of the tough questions growers have about closing systems and stand evaluation. From why social media trends shouldn’t dictate your equipment budget to the “ground-truthing” techniques that reveal hidden planting errors, Ferrie breaks down how to ensure your planter setup delivers a true return on investment this spring. Here are three questions Ferrie answered in detail:

1. Question: “Where would you rank the value of updating the closing wheel system compared to other planter attachments?”

Answer: Ferrie says before ranking anything, you need to know what problem you’re trying to solve. Today, you can easily spend as much on planter attachments as you did on the planter itself. So, every attachment needs a clear purpose and a clear return.
Whenever a farmer asks him about new attachments, Ferrie always asks a question of his own: “What do you hope this investment will do for you?”

“Too often, the honest reply is, ‘I don’t know, but I saw it on social media or at a farm show and it looked interesting,’” Ferrie notes.

He explains if you’re routinely evaluating corn stands and can see that your current closing system is not doing the job — there’s poor trench closure, sidewall smearing issues, uneven emergence — then upgrading that system can offer a strong ROI. But if your real limiting factor is row-unit downforce, leading to uneven depth and sidewall smearing, then changing the closing wheels won’t move the needle like fixing the downforce will.

Ferrie says if he had to pick “the top advancement” for corn stand establishment, it would be hydraulic downforce systems that both push and lift, and adjust on the go.

“Those systems, both in conventional and no-till situations, have done a lot to improve stands by maintaining consistent depth and reducing sidewall problems,” he says.

2. Question: “How can I evaluate my stand to identify if my closing system is an issue?”

Answer: Ferrie says good stand evaluation doesn’t start weeks after crop emergence. Instead, it starts at the planter.

“Ground-truthing your planter performance at planting can prevent a lot of stand issues later on,” Ferrie says. “This practice needs to be done on multiple rows across the planter, and in multiple soil types within the field.”

Ferrie’s recommendation: stop the planter several times in each field, get out and dig a cross-section across the furrow. In that crosscut, you’re looking for several problems that might need to be corrected.

(Crop-Tech Consulting)

A “perfect” cross-section, Ferrie says, is one where there’s no evidence of sidewalls standing, and no dry soil or air pockets are surrounding the seed.

He also reminds growers that the first 12 hours after planting, when the seed imbibes water, are critical. Dry soil around the seed in that window of time will delay water uptake and slow emergence.

Once the corn crop is out of the ground, shift your evaluation process to stand uniformity. At this point, Ferrie recommends doing plant counts and writing your observations down for future reference.

“Pay special attention to plants that are more than one collar behind their neighbors,” he says. “Those lagging plants should be dug up and examined.”

(Crop-Tech Consulting)

3. Question: “Can you put too much downforce on cast iron closing wheels?”

Answer: Yes, you definitely can, particularly in tilled or strip-tilled fields. Ferrie explains that excessive downforce on cast iron wheels can cause unnecessary compaction that young plants must fight through. The wheels can cut a deep trench in the furrow and push soil up into a ridge between the wheels.

This can create emergence problems in a couple of ways. If the spike doesn’t emerge dead center of the furrow, it may come up early off to the side, or it may attempt to leaf out underground if enough light filters down into the trench.

For plants that do emerge dead center, there’s another risk. As they break through that crown of soil pushed up by the closing wheels, they tend to set their crown roots about three-quarters of an inch below that raised ridge, Ferrie notes. If a heavy rain comes after emergence and flattens that ridge, those plants are effectively left with shallow crown roots — shallow corn that is more vulnerable to stress.

Be sure to check out Ferrie’s latest Boots In The Field podcast, where he offers additional answers to farmers’ planter and planting questions. Listen to it at the link below:

Test Plot Research Shows Narrow-Angle Row Cleaners Add $22 Per Acre

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 23:24:36 GMT

After four years of rigorous on-farm research, Farm Journal Field Agronomist Missy Bauer has successfully identified hardware and technology changes that can help growers looking to maximize the potential of their 15" soybeans.

Through replicated trials conducted from 2022 through 2025, as part of the Farm Journal Test Plot program, Bauer’s team demonstrated how narrow-angle row cleaners are key to overcoming the “residue hurdle” in narrow-row systems.

By using narrow-angle row cleaners, farmers are able to achieve more uniform stands and more robust early-season growth. The research shows these advantages translated into an average yield increase of 2.14 bu. of soybeans per acre, delivering an average $22-per-acre increase.

Multiyear Research Assessment

Bauer’s team compared Martin-Till narrow-angle row cleaners against no-residue management in diverse environments in south-central Michigan. The study parameters included:

Technology. Row units equipped with Martin-Till ACCR 1345 row cleaners, compact, parallel-link row cleaners designed for high-speed planting and narrow rows. They were paired with the Precision Planting CleanSweep system for cab control.

The research study used row units with Martin-Till ACCR 1345 row cleaners paired with Precision Planting CleanSweep.

(B&M Crop Consulting, Inc.)

“I’m a proponent of the cab control because of how challenging, physically, it would be, and time consuming, if you had to adjust each row manually on your bean planter,” Bauer says. “The ability to easily adjust the cleaners is crucial for adapting to varying field conditions.”

Duration. Multiple replicated trials over a four-year window (2022 through 2025).

Tillage Systems. Evaluations were done across multiple no-till and vertical tillage plots and one conventional tillage plot.

Yield Data. The study results were collected with a calibrated yield monitor, weighed with a scaled grain cart and analyzed across the fields’ management zones.

“Residue Toss” Dilemma

Traditional row cleaners have a 60-degree angle intended for 30" rows. In a 15" configuration, however, these wider angles often prove ineffective and frequently lead to plugging.

“With the traditional 60-degree angle in 15" soybeans, the residue just gets thrown too far and is always covering up the other row, even at slow speeds,” Bauer explains. “The back row will cover up the front row.”

The pitch on narrow-angle row cleaners contains the residue within a tighter path, preventing the neighbor-row interference that compromises uniform emergence and early growth.

Early Planting Advantage

Bauer’s research suggests the benefits of narrow-angle row cleaners are amplified as growers plant earlier. While the four-year average yield bump from the research was 2.14 bu., April-planted soybeans saw an average response of 2.61 bu. per acre.

“As we continue to push planting dates, row cleaners will probably be increasingly important,” Bauer says.

In the cold, damp soils typical of early spring, she notes clearing the furrow of residue is essential for capturing sunlight and ensuring uniform emergence, the foundation of high-yield soybeans.

Soybean Row Cleaner X Planting Speed Study - May 1, 2024

(B&M Crop Consulting, Inc.)

Practical Limits

One of the biggest questions growers with high-speed planters often ask is: How fast can I go and still keep residue where it belongs?

To answer that question, Bauer conducted a speed study with a Case IH 2150S high-speed, front-fold Early Riser planter and Yetter narrow-angle row cleaners in no-till.

“In this part of southern Michigan we have a lot of rocks in our fields, so typical planting speeds are 4 to 5 mph,” Bauer says.

The study was conducted at a starting speed of 4.2 mph and then increased to 5, 6, 7 and 8 mph.

“We’re going to suggest a maximum speed might be 6.5 to 7 mph for running a high-speed planter, if you’re using the row cleaners and are concerned about covering rows back up,” Bauer says.

Bauer notes wheel design plays a vital role, finding traditional Finger wheels offer a less aggressive touch and Sharktooth wheels deliver more throw. She says a hybrid Sharktooth Finger design from Yetter emerged as a top performer.

Bauer’s recommendation to farmers: “Test speed in your own conditions,” she says. “Performance could depend on soil type, residue quantity, planting conditions and row cleaner wheel type.”

Yetter Shark Tooth Finger Row Cleaners

(B&M Crop Consulting, Inc.)

Is the Investment Justified?

Equipping a planter with row cleaners is a significant capital expense, particularly in a lean commodity market. Hardware and installation costs can vary widely by planter and configuration.

However, test plot data suggests narrow-angle row cleaners are a high-probability investment. With a nearly $22-per-acre increase, many operations can achieve a one-to-two-year payback on investment.

Combined with earlier emergence, better stand uniformity and more reliable residue management in 15" soybeans, Bauer’s research suggests narrow-angle row cleaners are not just a useful tweak; they’re a system change that can help growers make 15" soybeans perform up to their full potential, especially for those who want to plant early.

Thank You to Our Plot Partners
This research on narrow-angle row cleaner use in 15" soybeans is made possible by: Case IH, Great Plains Manufacturing, Martin-Till, Pleasant View Ag, Precision Planting, Unverferth Manufacturing Company, Yetter Farm Equipment and B&M Crop Consulting.

4 Ways to Cut Costs Without Bleeding Bushels

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 20:48:36 GMT

As farmers stare down another tight-margin year, David Hula and Randy Dowdy’s key message is straight-forward: don’t wait for the markets to force your hand this year — get out in front of upcoming decisions now.

The two high-yield corn and soybean growers are personally dissecting every acre and every product, looking for places to trim costs on their own farms without trimming bushels. As they do, they’re looking for ways to protect the practices that make money while being brutally honest about addressing the ones that don’t deliver.

Here are four takeaways from their latest Breaking Barriers With R&D podcast:

1. Fertilizer Use Deserves More Scrutiny

Hula is tightening his fertility program this year. Phosphorus (P) is “on the chopping block” in some fields, especially where years of chicken litter use have built up soil reserves. He’s also rethinking how much P he needs to buy and where it’s placed. At the same time, he’s clear that his core program will remain in place.

“The starter has been a key play for us,” Hula says. “I have said time and time again, if my starter, and that’s the side placement, stops working, we’re going to stop the planters.”

Hula is also sharpening his pencil on his overall nitrogen strategy, pushing himself to match rates to realistic yield goals instead of falling back on what he calls application habits.

“Look at your NUE, or look at how many pounds you’re doing; we’re going to fine tune that by looking at what our realistic yield goal is,” he says.

Dowdy adds a different fertilizer consideration for farmers: salt management. He is scrutinizing every fertilizer pass not just on nutrient content, but on how it affects root development in corn, especially.

“We buffer salt every time we put out fertilizer,” Dowdy says.

2. Make The Planter Work Harder And Better

Dowdy refers to the planter as one of the biggest sources of “free bushels” on the farm—bushels that come from doing the planting basics at a very high level.

“If farmers are going to spend any extra time and cut back on anything, they don’t cut back on the planter, what it takes to get free bushels,” he says.

An effective planter pass starts long before the first seed hits the ground, Hula adds. He jokes that he wants to see the planter as being “Randy ready” before spring planting begins by replacing any worn parts and calibrating meters.

Once they’re in the field, both growers put precision ahead of speed. Dowdy says too many growers are still sacrificing free bushels by chasing acres at 8 to 10 mph instead of prioritizing singulation and even emergence. To him, the goal is simple: every seed in the right spot, at the right depth, on the same day, so the crop comes up in as uniform a stand as possible.

3. Know What You Need From Fungicides And Herbicides

On fungicides, Hula’s advice is blunt: if you farm in an area threatened by Southern rust, tar spot or other disease issue, budget as if it’s going to show up this season.

“That application has got to be in your budget, because you can’t service debt if you don’t have bushels,” Hula says.

He also says that he has seen too many growers lose 20 to 60 bushels per acre by not budgeting for a second, later season fungicide application.

Herbicides, by contrast, are where he and Dowdy both see room to tailor and trim. Dowdy talks about moving away from a one‑size‑fits‑all “Cadillac” program and instead aligns his spend in a field with actual weed pressure.

“Maybe, if you’ve been on a Cadillac treatment, go site‑specific… I’m trying to save dollars too, but yet, I know the value of keeping bushels,” Dowdy says.

4. Evaluate How You Manage Field Borders

Hula says his outside passes along tree lines and ditches – where wildlife, compaction and shade detract from yield potential – are no longer treated like prime ground. At the borders of fields, Hula pulls back on planting population and fertilizer, then gradually ramps them up as he moves into the field.

“With technology today, you know that the first pass, the first 40 foot, we just drop population back. The next pass… we raise population a little bit, and then we’ll go to what the field’s geared towards,” he says.

Lime and potash still go on—pH still gets corrected, and basic fertility is maintained—but those border rows aren’t treated like top-producing acres. They’re the logical place to save on high-tech seed costs, Hula adds.

Hear the latest Breaking Barriers With R&D to learn more about Hula and Dowdy’s recommendations at Farm Journal TV and the YouTube link below.

Don't End Up In The Ditch! Update Your GPS Guidance Lines For 2026

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 16:53:33 GMT

Farmers who use a local RTK network or state-run Real Time Network (RTN) — Iowa and Ohio both offer these signals — for auto steer and GPS guidance systems will need to recapture new GPS coordinates for field boundaries and A-B lines before spring planting.

That’s because The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) will soon replace two outdated reference frames, NAD 83 and NAVD 88, with a new corrections datum. The shift could knock your current A-B lines and GPS field boundaries off by anywhere from 1 to 4 meters, according to a pair of Iowa State University Extension precision ag specialists.

The Ohio State University Extension and FABE professor Dr. John Fulton issued a similar warning last fall at the Ohio Farm Science Review.

Iowa State University precision ag engineer Luke Fuhrer and digital Extension specialist Doug Houser say farmers using a major commercial satellite RTK network, such as those offered by John Deere and Trimble, should be OK for 2026.

Farmers who need to make quick updates to field boundaries or A-B lines, or check on the potential impact to existing telematics data this winter, are being told to use the free NGS Coordinate Conversion and Transformation Tool (NCAT) to shift their GPS coordinates from NAD 83/NAVD 88 to NATRF2022.

Fuhrer and Houser also want you to consider:

Physically recollecting GPS coordinates for field boundaries, control points or benchmarks using a system aligned to the new datum.
Recalculating your historical data using updated reference points or transformation software.

Example Scenario

(John Deere/Mel Koltai)

The Iowa State researchers share the following scenario as an example of a farmer who will need to make updates before spring planting:

“A farmer in eastern Iowa has been using a local RTK base station tied to NAD 83 to map field boundaries with sub-inch accuracy to avoid a neighbor’s fence line.

“After 2026, the new NATRF2022 datum will shift those GPS-defined boundaries by several feet. While the fence hasn’t moved, the guidance lines will now show up partially in the neighbor’s field. Without correction, auto-steer will drift across actual property lines.”

Before spring 2026, Fuhrer and Houser want this farmer to:

Back up all current GPS files and data.
Talk to his/her equipment dealer about firmware updates or new coordinate system support.
Use NCAT or dealer-provided tools to test a few key points and see how much they move.
Consider a quick resurvey for high-value areas.

For more info, check out the NGS “Get Prepared” resource here .

Machinery News: JCB Fastrac 6000 Tractor, Väderstad and Valley Debut New Products, Unverferth Acquisition

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:18:33 GMT

JCB Launches New Fastrac 6000 Series Tractors

(JCB)

British machinery manufacturer JCB says its new Fastrac 6000 Series tractors provide farmers with a feature-laden, highly productive power unit suited to a multitude of field and transport tasks.

Some notable features on the new machines include:

Two models will be available in the series, the 6260 (284 hp) and 6300 (335 hp)
25,240 lb. rear lift capacity plus a four-speed PTO shaft; optional 11,023.6 lb. front lift and 1000 rpm PTO.
A new chassis design combining sculptured front casting and rear fabricated structure, new engine and powertrain combinations for optimum power, torque and fuel efficiency, and a new central tire inflation system (CTIS).

The Fastrac 6000 Series will be available in North America in Q2 2026.

Learn more about the Fastrac 6000 Series at jcb.com/en-US/ .

Implement Innovator Väderstad Launches Trio of Products

E-Connect

(Väderstad)

Väderstad announces its new digital machinery telematics platform, E-Connect, as well as a next generation row unit for Tempo planters and a new front tool option for its disc cultivators Carrier XL 425–725.

The manufacturer says E-Connect provides farmers with a digital tool to monitor and manage Väderstad-branded machinery in real-time, with comprehensive visibility into fleet activity and machine performance. Users can track fieldwork progress, analyze operational efficiency and make informed decisions based on accurate, up-to-date data. The platform also integrates with several major Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS).

In 2026, Väderstad will also introduce its next-generation row unit for the Tempo planter. The new row unit comes with a long list of new features, including:

Planting depth setting from a prescription map
Easier seed tube change
Easier switch between crops
Upgraded seed meters with one-handed seed meter opening

And its new third disc axle configuration, available for Carrier XL 425–725 tillage tools, increases disc density from two rows to three, reducing the disc spacing to just 3.3". The company says this results in 50% more tillage tool contact to the ground, delivering highly intensive mixing, crumbling and residue management.

All three solutions will debut at Agritechnica 2025. You can learn more here .

Valley Irrigation Launches Brand Agnostic Pivot Control Panel

(Valley Irrigation)

Valley Irrigation introduces the ICON+ Smart Panel, the newest addition to its ICON family.

Valley says the new digital control panel combines simplicity with essential functionality while offering a balance of performance and affordability. Valley says it shares the proven capabilities of the ICONX panel while delivering essential control at the panel and advanced management from any electronic device. Farmers can remotely manage an entire fleet of pivots, regardless of the brand or age of the equipment.

The ICON+ Smart Panel is available through authorized Valley Irrigation Dealers. To learn more visit valleyirrigation.com/icon or contact your local dealer.

The company also announced the Valley Irrigation Grant, a $100,000 initiative designed to help growers tackle their most pressing water challenges through smart farming innovation.

Two North American farmers will be awarded in-kind grants through the program, $75,000 for the grand prize and $25,000 for the secondary prize, redeemable for Valley equipment, technology and services through their local Valley dealer.

Applications are now open at valleyirrigation.com/grant and will be accepted through Dec. 15.

Unverferth Acquires Premier Tillage

Minimizer Blade Plow tillage tool.

(Premier Tillage)

Unverferth Manufacturing Co. has acquired the Premier Tillage lineup, including its popular, weed-eradicating Minimizer blade plow tillage tool.

Unverferth says the addition of Premier Tillage products strengthens its commitment to providing a full range of equipment solutions that enhance efficiency, productivity and agronomic performance.

Production of the Minimizer blade plow tillage tool will be moved to the Unverferth production facility in Lexington, Neb. Premier Tillage was founded by Dan Chupp in 1985 and is based in Quinter, Kan. The acquisition ensures Premier Tillage customers will continue to receive product support, now backed by Unverferth’s dealer network.

Learn more at umequip.com .

Your Next Read: Central Iowa Farmer Says Corn Yields Are 30 to 40 Bu. Per Acre Lower Than Last Year

John Deere Layoffs Continue Amid Sales Downturn, 142 Iowa Employees Notified

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 22:38:28 GMT

Farm equipment giant John Deere has confirmed it is laying off 101 employees at its Waterloo Operations (last day on October 17) and 41 employees at the Des Moines Works (October 31) plant, according to an official statement emailed to Farm Journal.

It is a little over a month since the last round of layoffs , which affected over 200 employees across factories located in the Quad Cities region of western Illinois and eastern Iowa.

Deere says in the statement: “Production schedules at each John Deere factory vary to align with seasonal farming needs. When fewer orders come in, each factory adjusts accordingly.”

Despite the layoffs and an overall tough farm economy that some think will stretch well into 2026, Deere still intends on moving forward with its $20 billion investment strategy here in the U.S., according to the statement.

During John Deere’s earnings call in August, the company issued a warning that tariff costs could total $600 million for fiscal year 2025. The company’s share price dipped 6% immediately following that call. Deere’s net income for Q3 also sank 26%, and its total net sales decreased by 9% compared to Q3 in 2024.

At the beginning of August, John Deere addressed long-standing Right To Repair concerns with a new digital diagnosis and repair product for John Deere machines and Hagie STS high-clearance sprayers. That tool costs $195 per tractor for farmers and $5,995 per year for independent service technicians.

And in May, Deere acquired Minneapolis-based drone and sensor provider Sentera . Financial terms for that deal have not been disclosed.

John Deere also just dropped a new commercial featuring injured San Francisco 49ers quarterback and Iowa State Cyclone Brock Purdy cooking meals for farmers with tractor influencer @JustAJacksonThing. You can check that out below.

Additional Information

Deere shares the following bullet points regarding compensation benefits available to laid off employees:

Affected employees are eligible to be recalled to their home factory for a period equal to their length of service. Those laid off are automatically placed in seniority order for openings they are qualified to perform at the factory.
Weekly supplemental unemployment benefit (SUB pay), dependent on number of years of continuous employment.
Transitional Assistance Benefit (TAB) pay, which may cover up to 50% of their average weekly earnings for up to 52 weeks. 
Profit sharing, calculated based on hours worked, average earnings and the company’s profit margin.

Healthcare benefits employees can receive during a layoff include: 

Employees can keep healthcare coverage for at least six months, or as long as they are eligible for SUB pay.
Weekly Indemnity (WI): Employees who become disabled while on layoff can get WI benefits for the same duration as their SUB pay.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Employees and their household members can access EAP services for the duration of their recall rights. EAP provides up to eight sessions of in-person or virtual therapy per year.

Other benefits laid-off employees may receive include: 

Life insurance
Legal assistance
Tuition reimbursement and job-placement assistance.

Your next read: Why a Farmer on the Brink of Suicide Chose to Keep Going

Clicking On Used? Navigate Online Farm Equipment Auctions Like A Pro

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 18:05:14 GMT

Whether you’re ready to sell some used farm equipment for positive or negative reasons , there are several things to be aware of before diving into the auction market at its absolute peak , which is normally from November to March.

Big Iron Auctions/Sullivan Auctioneers co-founder Mark Stock , who has been in the business for 41 years, says the first thing sellers need to do is to get in touch with your preferred auction platform. Giving advance notice is one of the many keys to a good experience selling at auction.

“If the seller can contact us by the middle of September, that’s great,” Stock says. “My advice for buyers is make sure you look at all the photos [in the auction listing], and then call the owner [before you bid]. We always publish the owner’s name and phone number, which is something most auction sites don’t do. So, call those sellers and ask questions.”

The latest auction update from Machinery Pete Facebook:

Stock also emphasizes going through those images with a fine-tooth comb. He wants new-to-the-market buyers to understand transparency is not some pie-in-the-sky, unrealistic expectation to have. There are plenty of auction companies that prioritize a truly open-ended process.

“We do a good job of showing everything that’s good and also everything that’s bad about that piece of machinery. That’s how we try to earn the buyer’s respect,” he says. “And the sellers, they don’t want to have someone mad after the end of the sale because they didn’t let the buyer know about something.”

The explosion of online equipment auctions, a space where Big Iron is currently one of the biggest players, has proven to be a bit of a double-edged sword in more ways than one. While it’s true today a farmer in Arkansas can jump on their phone and buy a used, $300,000 combine from the seat of the dentist’s chair, some bad actors have tried to weasel into the fray. Selecting a reputable auction company you’ve researched and feel good about working with can help ease any anxiety about getting wrapped up in something nefarious .

“It’s just one example, but we UCC (Uniform Commercial Code) search everything because we want the transaction to be seamless,” Stock says. “And then if there is a loan [attached to] payoff, we work with that creditor to make sure that loan gets paid off before the buyer takes possession. We handle all that stuff so there’s no surprises.”

Kinze Manufacturing founder Jon Kinzenbaw’s antique tractor collection in Williamsburg, Iowa.

(Big Iron Auctions)

When asked what’s coming up from Big Iron, Stock says the digital auction platform has a “really big fall catalog” coming out soon and to check out BigIron.com for more info. On November 4, there is a notable sale for precision ag and farm machinery history buffs. Bidding for that sale opens October 19.

“John Kinzenbaw, the founder of Kinze Manufacturing, has a huge tractor collection, and he’s going to sell off over 100 of those tractors to the highest bidder here in November,” Stock says.

Greg “Machinery Pete” Peterson will be in attendance, too.

Your next read: 29-Year-Old Used Case IH Skid Steer, 2000 John Deere 8310 Draw Strong Bids

First Look: Fendt’s New Autonomy Ready Vario Tractors, Split Fold Optimum Planter

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 17:51:57 GMT

AGCO is not sitting idly by waiting out the new farm equipment sales downturn. The manufacturer is launching new Fendt-branded machines with integrated technology for row crop farmers.

That means new for Model Year 2026 is a massive 1000 Vario Gen4 high horsepower tractor series featuring four models (426 hp to 550 hp) already setup for autonomous tasking via factory-integrated PTx OutRun autonomy kits. And its Optimum 12-row, Precision Planting tech-packed planter represents a significant milestone for the German brand: It’s the first Fendt stack-fold planter to hit the U.S. market.

(AGCO/Fendt)

We’ll start with the new 1000 Vario Series tractor (shown above), which Fendt says is powered by a 12.4-liter MAN engine featuring DynamicPerformance. The new adaptive power feature reportedly optimizes the engine’s horsepower output and improves fuel efficiency.

Fendt is also saying its Gen4 tractor “raises the bar” with new cab improvements and smart farming tech integrations that help operators feel less fatigue and get more work done.

Most notable overall though is factory integrated autonomous tillage and grain cart robotics. The technology was previously marketed by PTx Trimble as a retrofit-only kit, but now it’s available from the factory on select Fendt 2026 tractor series.

“For farmers that are struggling with labor, efficiency or just trying to do timely operations on their farm to enhance their agronomic outcomes, we’re announcing both Fendt tractor integration and tillage,” says Bryce Baker, North America tactical marketing lead, PTx. “So with that, OutRun becomes a retrofit, mixed fleet, multitask autonomy system with more to come in the future.”

(AGCO/Fendt)

Arthur Santos, marketing manager, Fendt, says the top takeaway he is excited to share about the new Optimum stack-folding planter (shown above) is how it enables ultra-precise seed placement in raised bed farming.

Stack-fold planters, Santos adds, are popular with farmers in the Mississippi Delta, across the southwest in Oklahoma and Texas, as well as in different pockets of Nebraska.

“Everything revolves around seed placement, right? And farmers understand that. Farmers can see how the row unit technology is important, but sometimes farmers don’t focus that much on where the row unit is, that environment that you create for the row unit technology,” Santos says. “This is what the Optimum planter will bring. That tool bar flex placing the row unit where it needs to be, and that adjusting hitch placing the row unit where it needs to be. That row unit technology can’t do its job if it’s not placed where it needs to be.”

Santos also points to the row units themselves on the new 12-row, split fold planter offering. He says the units are equipped with a full-suite of PTx-Precision Planting row unit technology.

“We’re taking the best of the best of the Precision Planting row unit technology — V-Set 2 meters, V-Drive, DeltaForce hydraulic downforce, Speed Tubes, and the latest FurrowForce and Reveal tech — and we’re putting it on a planter right onto the frame,” he says. “This is what will distinguish Fendt planters from any other planter, we’re taking that amazing row unit technology that all the brands are chasing and we’re bringing it right to the frame.”

Order writing for the 1000 Vario Gen4 tractor will open up later this year with first deliveries taking place sometime in 2026, AGCO reps state. And Optimum will be rolled out for interested buyers with an initial presale offering in spring 2026.

Fendt is also adding dry fertilizer spreading to its Momentum 30' planter for model year 2026, and the AGCO/Fendt RoGator 900 Series sprayer is also getting a suite of upgrades.

And last but not least, Fendt’s FarmEngage FMIS machinery data platform is now included with all new machinery purchases for three years at no additional cost. The program costs $600 per farm license if purchased a la carte and offers API compatibility with John Deere’s Operations Center and CNH’s FieldOps platform, along with other popular farm management digital tools from Raven, Topcon, and AgLeader.

PTx will also offer a Starlink mini connectivity bundle through its dealer network in the coming months, PTx representatives add.

To learn more about AGCO/Fendt’s 2026 Model Year updates and releases, reach out to your local Fendt dealer.

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Will 2027 Be The Big Bounce Back For New Equipment Sales?

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 14:17:32 GMT

With new farm equipment sales tracking downward as we venture into the used equipment auction busy season, more farmers are looking to late-model used machines. High interest rates for financing new equipment, as well as low commodity prices, are also factors driving interest in used machines.

Considering basic supply and demand principles, it makes sense Casey Seymour and Machinery Pete are seeing less late-model equipment inventory at auction than last year, and what is available now is starting to increase in price. They discuss the trend on a recent episode of the “Moving Iron” podcast.

“I mean, [John] Deere just laid off more people last week, and that was not unexpected, because you have one, now two, and we’re drifting into three years of lower sales of new [equipment]. There’s just less one-, two- and three-year-old units available — whether on the [dealer] lot, at auction or for sale privately,” Pete says.

(BrockAuction.com)

Pete says a recent auction transaction in western Iowa illustrates his point: a 2022 New Holland CR780 with 400 sep hours (pictured above) sold for $195,700. That’s in the ballpark of 54% of the total cost of a brand new CR7. With commodity prices where they are, Pete thought he would see a lower price come in on that machine, but it was only $7,000 off the all-time average auction price.

Seymour thinks dealers will start to move more equipment off their lots to the auction market if interest rates don’t go down, considering there are real, direct costs associated with machines sitting on the lot.

But even if Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell drops interest rates considerably — as President Donald Trump has been asking for months — Pete isn’t convinced farmers will rush to buy new equipment.

“We were already pretty iron-heavy going into this downturn. Farmers have a lot of iron,” Pete explains. “I think we could drift through ‘26 in the same belt tightening [mode], and then maybe we get into ‘27, and now its four years [into the downturn]. Does that become the point where we see more [buying] activity out of [farmer] need?”

Additional Industry Trends

Shawn Hackett, president and CEO, Hackett Financial, is spending his week closely following the results of Farm Journal’s Pro Farmer Crop Tour.

He doesn’t expect a big increase in projected corn yields coming out of the eastern Corn Belt, but he does anticipate some “really, really big numbers” from the western Iowa and eastern Nebraska portions of the tour.

“I think they’re going to come up with a crop yield somewhere around 185 to 186 (average bu./acre), and I think that is a more rational starting place for the crop based on what was planted,” Hackett says. “While that’s not going to create a problem for corn supplies anytime soon, it would move the carryout bushels and would more than justify a mid-$4 (corn) market.”

Aaron Fintel, used equipment specialist with 21^st Century Equipment and CEO of High Plains Wholesale, says the two biggest needle movers in his area are two late-model John Deere machines: the 8RX tractor and S700 series combines.

Used forage harvesters are also starting to demand large dairy farmer and custom harvester businesses’ attention, he adds.

“It’s a market that used to be really wild and crazy in August and April. If you’re in the chopper business, it’s now become a more open market throughout the year — versus just those two months of activity,” Fintel says.

Head over to YouTube to watch the full episode . Hit the “Thumbs Up” button to “Like” the video and click on the “Subscribe” button to get a notification when a new episode drops.

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Yellow Soybeans? Why Weather and Carbon Penalties Are Stressing Midwest Farmers

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 13:33:11 GMT

A Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) in Michigan says a confluence of weather conditions resulted in a roller coaster ride for soybeans over the first two months of the growing season.

The good news is the plants still have time to catch up and recover on the back-end (if timely rains are consistent), but the early season issue is still causing a lot of growers to hang their heads in utter disgust when they head out in the morning and see large areas of small, yellow soybean plants in fields.

How did this happen?
In southern Michigan, northern Indiana, and northwest Ohio, most soybean farmers opted to plant early. That means the beans were in by end of April. The region then had the coolest average night temperatures in May of the past 14 years, followed by the warmest average night temperatures in June of the past 14 years.

A roller coaster ride indeed.

Missy Bauer with B&M Crop Consulting says that two-month yo-yo spell left the region’s soybean farmers battling the “largest carbon penalty the area has seen in 14 years.”

What is the carbon penalty in farming?

(Darrell Smith)

The carbon penalty Bauer refers to is the process where microbes in the soil come alive as soil temps gradually warm and start breaking down last year’s crop residue. The nutrients are then naturally converted to plant-available nutrients through mineralization.

Bauer says the warm-up occurred so quickly it created a sort of massive explosion of microbial activity in the soil. While that sounds like a good thing, she says it actually resulted in some essential early-season nutrients getting “locked up” in the soil, thus unavailable for plant uptake.

“How many calls did we take this year from farmers saying, ‘My beans aren’t growing right, why?’” says Bauer who also serves as a Farm Journal field agronomist. “We’re seeing the biggest carbon penalty we’ve had in 14 years, and this is a hard carbon penalty. It locked up the beans, and that added stress.”

How can I overcome the carbon penalty?
If you have liquid fertilizer technology on your bean planter, Bauer thinks it might pay off this year by offsetting the carbon penalty and helping beans battle that early season stress.

July is currently trending above average for growing degree days (GDD) in the Lake Erie region, which will help shift vegetative growth a gear or two higher and set beans on a course for canopy close and pod fill.

“Basically, we’re back on track (with beans),” Bauer says. “Maybe we’re just a little bit behind last year, but we had better heat units in May last year, too. Now, we’ve made-up for that GDD deficit heat unit-wise, we’re not quite all the way there, we’re still a little behind, but we’re knocking on average.”

Spray drone treatment for nutrient deficiency in soybeans an option, too
Recently, Kameron Barrow, field operations manager, teamed up with B&M owner and CCA Bill Bauer to address some nutrient deficient yellow spots in the operation’s test plots near Coldwater, Mich.

After tissue sampling the affected plants and finding out the culprit was most likely a manganese deficiency, Bauer and Barrow called up a local spray drone service provider and hired it to spot spray a 5% manganese liquid fertilizer over the canopy of the yellow soybean plants. The drone applied a rate of half a pound per acre of manganese.

“We came in and sprayed on July 10 and on July 15 we scouted and immediately those yellow spots are gone, and that’s only after five days,” says Barrow, adding they also left a nearby section of yellow plants untreated as a check. “This just shows we have access to spray drones now, and we can use the technology to use things we’ve never used to better manage the crop.”

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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 .

No, John Deere is Not Freezing Production or Stepping Away From its U.S. Factories

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 16:48:43 GMT

An online report last week claimed John Deere is shutting down ALL manufacturing in response to the ongoing tariff situation in the U.S.

But we looked into it, and we’re here to tell you: don’t take the bait — or, as the kids say, feed the trolls — because it’s simply not true.

An article authored by Kieran Schalkwyk and titled “John Deere Freezes U.S. Manufacturing in Unprecedented Shutdown” appeared on MSN.com and was aggregated by Google News feeds last week, claiming the manufacturer is “making a radical move that some might think is ‘un-American.’”

John Deere shared the following LinkedIn post Friday afternoon. You can also visit Deere.com for more information on the company’s U.S. manufacturing presence.

The MSN.com post has since been taken down and brings up an error page:

MSN.com screenshot

(MSN.com)

It’s somewhat bewildering timing for this particular misinformation ploy.

John Deere recently put out a blog post outlining its commitment to U.S. manufacturing. The statement says John Deere will invest $20 billion into its U.S. footprint over the next decade, which includes major expansion projects in Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Today, the company has 60 manufacturing facilities in more than 16 U.S. states and employs over 30,000 American workers.

What is true is over the past 18 months, the company has been forced to lay off some employees , and it strategically slowed manufacturing at some production facilities in Iowa in response to depressed farmer demand for new tractors and combines.

Of course, John Deere is not alone navigating a treacherous global farm economy. Machinery rivals AGCO and CNH also made the tough choice to layoff factory workers over the past 12 months. CNH even completely shutdown its overseas machinery imports during the first few days of the tariff policy rollout, although that pause was only temporary.

In February, we updated our popular “Who Makes What Where” feature showing where major farm equipment is manufactured around the world.

Our analysis of John Deere’s global factory network shows that of the 60 John Deere machines relevant to U.S. farmers, 50 of them (83%) are manufactured here in North America. Of all the major farm equipment manufacturers we polled, John Deere has the largest U.S.-based manufacturing footprint other than Canadian-based Buhler Industries, which is 100% North America based.

So, it feels safe to say we can put this rumor to bed once and for all: No, John Deere is not shutting down its factories. Myth Busted. Shutdown the rumor mill.

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Used Sprayers in the Spotlight: Auction Prices, Farmer Demand Still Strong Despite Tough Year

Thu, 22 May 2025 18:58:20 GMT

May is normally a slow-down zone for used equipment auctions, but today there is ample activity taking place in the market. The heightened action is due to the COVID-era expansion of online equipment auctions.

“Conditions for new (equipment) are still soft, and it’s just a challenging time overall, but I would say through the month of May good (condition) used is doing surprisingly well,” says Machinery Pete.

Casey Seymour, who has over 20 years of dealer lot experience, says there is more buying activity on used sprayers than he normally sees this close to summer spraying season.

Machinery Pete agrees, and he has sales data to back it up. Pete shares three recent auction transactions that demonstrate ascending farmer interest (and price upside) in application equipment:

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

A 2022 John Deere 410R sprayer (347 hours, shown above) brought $362,000 at a DPA auction in Illinois. The average 2025 auction price on a 410R is $353,000, up 10% from last year. Meanwhile, the average dealer price is well over $400,000.

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

A 2022 Case IH Patriot 4440 sprayer (1,059 hours) brought $210,500, which is the second-highest auction price on a ’22 4440 this year.

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

A 2023 AGCO RoGator 1300C (2,300 hours) brought in $125,500 at an auction in Texas.

A look at the current supply and demand forces at play in the market was another topic of discussion. According to Seymour, used combines and sprayers are up in supply and demand, while row crop tractors and used planters are down.

“I’m anticipating an even bigger end of the year auction cycle than what I anticipated, and I was already anticipating it being pretty big,” Seymour adds.

Pete agrees with that take as well, adding things are “much healthier” this year in terms of dealer inventory. Last year, he recalls, many dealers pushed a large chunk of used machines onto the auction market out of sheer necessity, as the machines weren’t selling fast enough and inventories were too high.

“If I’m a dealer and I have some excess, I’d feel pretty darn good about tiptoeing it out onto the auction market if I have to,” Pete says.

Here Come the Combines

Aaron Fintel, used equipment specialist for 21st Century Equipment, says farmers in his area are either finished with spring planting or very close to being done. That often means more slow days at the equipment dealership.

“We had a second half of February into March and April with pretty good traffic and pretty good (buying) action,” Fintel said. “As quiet as the market was before that, it’s that quiet after, too.”

One machine class that is “very slowly waking up” in his area is used combines, Fintel says. Seymour adds that he expects more new combines to move ahead of fall harvest, and that will result in a bump in used combine inventory on dealer lots. Trade-ins will be the primary factor bumping those used harvester inventories up, he thinks.

Seymour and Fintel then take a deep dive into dealer inventory data from 2023 up until May 19 of this year. The data showed row crop tractor inventories are down 585 units year over year, but Fintel believes the market will bounce back soon with a wave of new tractors hitting dealer lots from the factory.

“What I like to see, and it’s a good indicator of (segment) health, is it’s not about the number of machines — it’s are they moving or not,” Fintel said. “And right now, they’re flowing in nice and healthy, but then there’s a trickle on the back end.”

Seymour also chats with Blue Reef Agri-Marketing’s Chip Nellinger and John Deere’s Josh Ladd, who talks about Deere’s portfolio of precision technologies for crop sprayers.

Want the full story? Head over to YouTube to watch this week’s Moving Iron Podcast episode.

Transform Your Farm: Discover New Seed Drills, ATVs and Utility Tractors

Thu, 22 May 2025 16:39:13 GMT

Great Plains Adds Narrow Transport Box Drills for Minimum-Till and No-Till Operations

New Great Plains BD7510 No-Till Drill

(Great Plains Manufacturing)

Great Plains is expanding its line of narrow-transport box drills with new sizes of the BD7410 min-till drill and the BD7510, a new box drill for no-till producers.

Great Plains says farmers can easily move field-to-field and navigate narrow gates and roadways with the new narrow-transport setup. The BD7410 and BD7510 fold to under 10' and both models feature hydraulic tongue latches and fold/unfold with a single hydraulic lever from the cab.

Now available in 13', 15' and 20' models, the BD7410 is a min-till drill offered in 5", 6", or 7.5" row spacings, and it has an opener sub-frame with multiple pin positions to fine-tune the down pressure that the hydraulic cylinders apply.

New for no-till producers, the BD7510 comes in 15' and 20' models that the company says provide a rugged option with a leading coulter for tough soil conditions. The BD7510 models are offered in 7.5" row spacing and the 15' has an option for 6" row spacing. Both working widths are available with a native grass box option.

Visit GreatPlainsAg.com for more information.

Honda Offers Updated FourTrax ATVs for 2026 Model Year

Honda 2026 FourTrax Rancher

(Honda Motorsports)

Honda has confirmed the return of its FourTrax Rancher, FourTrax Foreman 4x4 and FourTrax Foreman Rubicon ATVs for the 2026 model year. All three ATVs are designed in Ohio and manufactured in North Carolina, using domestically and globally sourced parts.

Honda’s FourTrax lineup offers a wide range of trim levels and configurations to suit various riding applications. From the hardworking FourTrax Rancher to the heavy-duty capabilities of the FourTrax Foreman and the comfort and handling of the FourTrax Foreman Rubicon, each model is engineered for durability and capability.

The 2026 updated models will be available for order starting in May; Honda says some options within its Foreman Rubicon line won’t be available until June.

Check with your local Honda ATV dealer for more information.

New Bobcat Compact Tractors Feature Enclosed Cabs and Front Loader

(Bobcat)

Bobcat is adding to its compact tractor lineup with the introduction of two new sub-100 hp utility models.

Bobcat says the CT4545 (45 hp) and CT4558 (58 hp) are dependable machines for feeding livestock, clearing snow, handling materials, grading, backfilling and a multitude of other farm tasks.

With similar features and functionality to the Bobcat 4000 platform compact tractor models, the 4500 platform adds on a fully enclosed, heated and air-conditioned cab. Beyond offering protection from the elements, the cab helps to reduce noise levels and minimize vibrations.

Bobcat is also introducing a new front-end loader size with the FL9-2, which is compatible with the two new models. The 4500 platform tractors can also be paired with dozens of attachments and implements, including pallet forks, utility grapple, auger, angle blade, snowblower, tiller, bale spear and more.

The CT4545 and CT4558 models will be available at Bobcat dealerships in Q2 2025. For more information, contact your nearest Bobcat dealer.

Kioti Adds Two Models to HX Utility Tractor Series

(Kioti Tractor)

Kioti Tractor is releasing the HX1302 and HX1402, two new models within its HX Series utility tractor line.

The company says the new models represent Kioti’s most powerful tractors yet, delivering up to 35 more horsepower than previous models, and are built to excel in heavy-duty farming, bailing, tilling, cultivating, excavating and grading applications.

The HX1302 and HX1402 feature a state-of-the-art power shift transmission and 8,492-lb. maximum lift capacity and a category II three-point hitch. A standard rear PTO, with 540/540E/1,000 rpm speeds, is also included on both models.

Powered by a four-cylinder, water-cooled, diesel engine, which delivers up to 140 hp and 120 PTO horsepower, the HX1302 and HX1402 are built to handle tough jobs around the farm.

For more information, get in touch with your local Kioti dealer.

Your Next Read: U.S. Tractor and Combine Sales Still Struggling, But Better Days Could Be Just Ahead

U.S. Tractor and Combine Sales Still Struggling, But Better Days Could Be Just Ahead

Fri, 16 May 2025 20:06:19 GMT

The latest Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) U.S. Tractor and Combine Sales Report paints a troubling picture for the farm equipment manufacturing industry. While Canadian tractor sales increased 3.4% in April 2025, year-over-year numbers for American sales were not so kind.

(AEM.org)

U.S. sales across all categories (4WD and 2WD tractors, self-propelled combines) tracked by AEM were down for the month, with total farm tractor sales falling 13.3% and combines down 48.3% year to date.

AEM Senior Vice President Curt Blades said the ongoing sales slump indicates that farmers are still holding onto working capital and waiting for brighter days ahead before they upgrade to new machines.

“The other thing I would point out with both of those two categories is that this is a year-on-year comparison. At this time last year, we had actually sold quite a few combines,” Blades explained. “So, we’re comparing against kind of a sales boom in combines, and now we’re seeing that slow down. There is some cyclical nature to this, specifically with combines, and the same thing sort of holds true with four-wheel-drive tractors as well.”

Blades said its important to take a holistic view of the entire farm equipment market when considering these monthly sales statistics. He thinks used equipment sales are currently trending up, which is a good sign overall for the farm economy.

“The other thing that comes into play here is USDA is projecting total farm income to be up for 2025, and I think that’s probably going to be related to government disaster relief payments that can tend to shake loose some tractor and combine sales,” he added. “But I think if you ask any farmer in North America, they would much rather have high (commodity) prices than government support. So, it does become a little bit of a mixed bag, but I always remain optimistic that this market will bounce back.”

And while the monthly AEM sales reports track overall tractor and combine sales in the U.S., there’s a chance other machine classes, like planters, air seeders, sprayers, and tillage tools, are faring better at the moment.

“We actually find if a farmer is not updating the large row crop tractor, they may instead be investing in some new seeding equipment or even upgrading the existing equipment that they already have,” Blades said. “We’re seeing that happening very strongly in the sprayer market, too, where retrofit and aftermarket technology can be tacked onto machines to get a little bit more life out of them.”

Asked what guidance his association is doling out to its farm machine building members, Blades said the “numbers are what they are” at this point, but most manufacturers projected this downturn and have responded proactively by slowing production and, unfortunately, right-sizing their labor pools.

“Our advice to everyone — farmers, manufacturers — is to plan ahead and to make sure that you’re thinking about what your needs are, and not just next year but for the next three years, and have a solid plan in place so that you are able to acquire new machines when you need them.”

Your Next Read: Economic Uncertainty Slows Used Farm Equipment Sales - Is a Dealer Purge Coming Soon?

Mo Technology, Mo Problems? 2 Farmers Sound Off on Unreliable, High Maintenance Farm Equipment

Thu, 15 May 2025 18:20:24 GMT

Northeast Iowa farmer Tim Burrack is getting a little taste of Murphy’s Law this spring, and he’s not too thrilled about it. The same goes for Kansas farmer Matt Splitter. Both men are dealing with farm equipment that is breaking down more often than it is getting the job done.

It’s easy to see why such a situation would be so frustrating from the farmer point-of-view: the ag technology they’ve invested in to keep things on track this spring has basically done the complete opposite. And when the ideal planting windows are as compressed and as brief as they are today, stalled equipment is more than just a little problematic.

“There’s been a lot of problems for me — that’s a reason I’m not done planting yet — there’s just all these issues slowing us down, and more often than not, it’s (a problem with) the technology,” Burrack told “AgriTalk” host Chip Flory this week during his appearance on the weekly Farmer Forum segment.

Just yesterday, Burrack says, one row on his planter completely shut down. He took it down to the local dealership, but even the dealer technician was stumped. Lucky for Brook, the dealer’s IT guy was in the office that day and he figured out how to get his planter back up and running.

“He said let’s do an ISOBUS shutdown. Now, I’d never even heard that term before, but it’s when you shut everything off, you unplug the planter from the tractor, and then you start the tractor, back it up, and then plug the planter back in while the tractor is running,” he says. “That ended up solving my problem, but then something else shut down, and we sat there for another hour and a half before we figured that out. Stuff like that — as a farmer it makes you want to pull your hair right out.”

Kansas farmer Matt Splitter considers himself an early tech adopter, but even he is feeling a bit of tech-fatigue after having to do more “hard resets than I can count on all my extremities” this spring.

“There’s just something coming at us every day, all the time,” he says. “You get error codes. You get warnings. We’ve got a tractor down right now because of (an issue with) wiring, and we’ve got planters shut down. We can’t go a full day without some kind of technology issue, and what’s crazy is it’s not something that completely stops you in your tracks, just something that makes you want to pull your hair out. And there’s nothing you can really do other than chase down a mile of wires or do a hard reset.”

Splitter puts the onus for the dodgy tech and machinery squarely on farm equipment and ag tech providers. He believes they are not perfecting new products and machines before releasing them for sale, and then they simply move on to the next new product in the pipeline.

“And the technicians at the dealerships are not being properly trained, either,” he adds. “They’re at a loss for how to fix a lot of these problems, as well.”

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Add 75+ Bushels Of Corn Per Acre With Better Closing Wheel Performance

Tue, 13 May 2025 11:33:20 GMT

A single oversight at planting often costs corn growers 75 to 100 bu. per acre, yet many don’t even know they have a problem that needs solving. The problem? It’s poor planter closing wheel performance.

Closing wheels are supposed to deliver good seed-to-soil contact by eliminating air pockets, gently firming the soil around the seed corn and closing the furrow.

When those final steps in the planting process are done poorly, corn germinates unevenly and there’s no way to go back and undo the damage. For the rest of the growing season, you’re left with a crop that can’t perform up to its potential.

Corn yield champions David Hula and Randy Dowdy say they see the issue routinely when they check corn emergence and do stand counts with farmers.

Simple Calculations Help Pinpoint Losses
“Each row is an individual and producing income for you, and when you took and did the math, I remember seeing 190-bu. swings across the planter,” Dowdy tells Hula. “But just how many times do we see 100 bu. swings?”

Hula agrees that he has seen 190-bu. yield losses occur in extreme cases. He adds that even the best farmers incur some losses from poor closing wheel performance.

“I would say the average [has been] closer to 75 to 100 bushels,” he says. “The best one I saw was a farmer we worked with in Iowa, and they had spent a lot of time on his 12-row planter, and he still had a 27-bu. loss per acre,” adds Hula in the latest episode of the Breaking Barriers podcast.

You can also watch the podcast at Farm Journal TV - Agriculture video on demand.

Centered Over The Row
Closing wheels need time and attention to bring them into alignment just like any other part of the planter. Dowdy says even new planters with all the latest technology still need to have their closing systems checked.

“I was vetting a new 24-row planter in Michigan this spring, and on five of the rows the V-press wheel on one side was running in the furrow. That’s 20% of the rows, a problem perpetuating itself across every field,” he says.

“Those V-press wheels have a tendency to walk left and right because the bolt design that manufacturers use just won’t keep them centered,” adds Dowdy, who’s based near Valdosta, Ga. “It doesn’t seem to matter which manufacturer’s V-press wheels we’re using, either.”

If V-press wheels are set correctly over the row, Dowdy says they will leave a slight ridge or berm of soil above the planted seed to help ensure good seed-to-soil contact.

“But if you’re not centered that little ridge will not be directly over the seed and that’s problematic,” he says. “That will change your seed planting depth and impact emergence. No way will those corn plants all emerge at the same time and they won’t yield the same.”

Do The Job Other Farmers Won’t Do
Hula, a five-time world champion corn grower, suggests that farmers “trust but verify” their closing wheel system is performing well as they plant every field.

“I know that takes time, but think of how much revenue you’d gain by being willing to check and make some adjustments during the planting process,” says Hula, who farms near Charles City, Va.

The best way to check closing wheel performance is to do some digging behind the planter, notes Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.

“We dig a cross-section of the row and work until we can find the seed and observe how it was placed in the soil,” Ferrie explains. “In ideal conditions, you want to see the seed at the bottom with enough firm soil over the top of it to keep the seed area from drying out.”

Do You Have The Right Closing System?
Another consideration, Hula says, is farmers need to determine whether they are using the best closing wheels for their situation. In the evaluation process, he says to look at your tillage system, soil texture, field conditions and weather.

“We can’t just throw dollars around at these market prices, but if you can get a better closing system that adds more revenue to your bottom line, that will pay for itself quickly,” he says.

Hula has been using a two-stage closing wheel system for the past six years and believes it significantly improves corn planting performance compared to traditional closing wheel designs.

“We have seen our emergence uniformity improve significantly these past few years,” he says.

Hear more from Hula and Dowdy on a recent episode of “AgriTalk.”

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Ferrie: Evaluate Corn Stands And Replant Decisions This Week

Mon, 05 May 2025 17:25:40 GMT

Rain showers have slowed or stopped planters from advancing in fields across parts of the Midwest, including Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. The situation continues a wetter-than-normal pattern that has been in place for the last several weeks, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor .

One farmer who was chased out of fields by rain this past weekend told Farm Journal, “This is the wettest drought I have ever seen.”

In central Illinois, Ken Ferrie says farmers there are also dealing with rain and rain delays but that there is a silver lining to be had.

“There is a lot of upside potential from the moisture – getting our soil-applied herbicides working for us, and helping some of those soybean stands that are struggling to emerge in timber soils,” says Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist.

“This keeps our national corn crop from being in the exact same stage of growth all at once, meaning this entire crop isn’t going to try and pollinate in the same week – which could happen to be 110 degrees at the time. We just won’t know until we get there.”

Sure, there are valid concerns farmers have about getting crops planted, but looking ahead to identify benefits on the back side of the production season can provide some encouragement.

“Breaking up this planting window helps us all the way to the harvest, when we start knocking these fields out with the combine. We don’t want our corn and soybeans being too dry at harvest, which causes its own set of issues,” he says.

With that said, Ferrie offers four suggestions to consider for the week ahead:

Keep your powder dry if the weather outlook and soil conditions are crummy. If you jump the gun and muddy corn into wet, cold soils this week that could cost you big. Ferrie says you could easily lose 30 bushels per acre in that scenario.

“In that event, you could have waited until May 20 to plant and ended up with the same corn yield at harvest and a lot less replant to deal with now,” he explains. “Of course, there would be some drying costs to consider in that picture as well.”

Assess corn stands for replant decisions. If your situation is the corn got planted but then rains moved in, this is the time to swing back to those fields and evaluate emergence. Those fields that show signs of trouble need to be tended to sooner than later.

“We’re still early in the planting window, and replant decisions can be made without giving up any yield at this point,” Ferrie says. “With corn, you’re not only looking for emergence numbers, you’re looking at uniformity of emergence as well.”

Expect any plant that’s more than one collar behind its neighbor to be a small or no-eared plant. Furthermore, Ferrie’s experience is if corn was mudded into the field, you’ll likely have about two-thirds of a normal stand – rather than little or no stand.

Another issue to keep in mind are any seed corn lots you planted that had low test scores. Even if you planted those lots in good conditions, they still might not perform well.

Ferrie recommends verifying that ear counts are high enough to hit the yield goals that you’re after. Use those insights to guide the use of inputs and/or whether you need to replant the crop.

“Remember, we don’t thicken corn stands up, especially this early. We take them out and we start over,” he says. “However, if you are planting at 36,000 (population) hoping for a 35,000 ear count but end up with 26,000 due to your planting conditions, it might not pay to replant in $4 corn,” he adds.

Factors to consider if you’re planting soybeans. Ferrie says to put your early soybean maturities into the ground this week.

“Because it’s May 5, plant your earlier maturity beans first as we’re now in the ‘normal’ planting window,” he advises, “Then, finish with your full-season soybeans.”

This direction is just the oppositive of what he recommends when Illinois farmers want to plant early soybeans. If it was still early planting season, Ferrie would be saying to plant full-season soybeans first (based on your maturity zone) and then finish with your shorter-season soybeans.

If you feel you have to plant soybeans in tough soil conditions and get a less than ideal stand, don’t give up on the crop — soybeans have a remarkable ability to compensate.

“Because soybeans set their yield later in their development, a tough start for beans doesn’t carry the yield penalty that it does for corn,” Ferrie points out.

An important side note: Make sure your planter is set to do a good job of singulating for soybeans. That will help you get a more uniform pod load, which is important to yield outcome.

Anticipate pests showing up in fields now or headed your way. Ferrie says black cutworm (BCW) is moving into Illinois and other states, and farmers need to be on the lookout for feeding. Any field that had a green cover the last part of March to early April will carry the biggest risk.

“All cover crop fields will need to be watched, including the fields where chickweed and henbit were used as covers,” he says.

Ferrie cautions farmers that if they worked a cover crop in at the end of April, that does not take away the threat of cutworms. The eggs have already been laid.

“Guys, cutworm is easy to kill, so let’s not drop the ball on this one. Scouting from the road is not recommended. When you notice a stand disappearing from the road, you’re usually behind the eight ball already. And scouting cover crop fields from the highway is impossible.”

Ferrie adds that there has been a noticeable presence of true armyworm moth in traps. “That means we’ll have to keep an eye on this insect as heat units continue to climb. Cover crop fields, fields next to the cover crops and our wheat crop will need to be watched,” he says.

Join us this summer at the Farm Journal Corn & Soybean College . The two-day event, scheduled for July 22-23, is now open to you for registration. Ferrie and team host the annual agronomic program at their Crop-Tech Consulting facility based just south of Bloomington, Ill.

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. We hope to see you there!

Catch Ken Ferrie’s latest agronomic insights and recommendations in this week’s Boots In the Field Podcast :

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John Deere Challenge: Watch a New York Tech Journalist Farm 20 Acres of Corn for $20 Profit

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 12:18:56 GMT

You might recall this viral stunt from when it was announced last spring: John Deere and tech influencer David Cogen (@TheUnlockr) joined forces to set the New York-based journalist up as a row crop farmer for an entire growing season. Using 20 acres of prime Iowa farmland, Cogen’s mission was to find out if he could accomplish what farmers must achieve to put food on America’s dinner tables: turn planted crops into cold, hard cash.

Unlike most farmers, though, Cogen was basically given every cheat code in the game: He had guidance from John Deere experts throughout the crop journey, all of the latest John Deere equipment with all the tech bells-and-whistles any farmer could dream for —not to mention a blank check for seed, crop inputs, fuel and labor.

Cogen began by ordering up soil tests and custom fertilizer applications. Then he flew back to Iowa to complete the spring tillage pass and seed the field. Next came another trip to spray weeds post-emergence with Deere’s See & Spray smart application system before returning in the fall to harvest the finished grain and haul it down to the local ethanol processing plant.

Along the way Cogen learned a handful of lessons any seasoned farmer already knows all too well:

The weather never seems to do what you want it to do, when you want it to do it. That’s farming.
You have to eradicate weeds or they will rob your yields and destroy your profits.
Variation is the enemy, it’s all about consistent production and harvesting at the precise moisture level and timing.
A dry late-summer and early-fall is a factor you can’t control but it can cost you real dollars on your final yield. The corn will dry down too fast in the field if you don’t get it off on time, so in this case, water is truly money when it comes to corn and soybean farming.

In the end, Cogen’s field averaged 209 bushels per acre and produced just over 3,000 total bushels of corn, which equates to over 200,000 lb.

His total expenses for the year (land costs, seed, fertilizer and “other”) totaled $16,456, while his total revenues for the 19.24 total acres of corn harvested was $16,478.

Don’t adjust your monitor. Yes, you read that right.

The New York tech editor farmed all year long and only brought home $22 in total profit. It just goes to show, turning a profit on only 20 acres is incredibly hard to do. Small acre farmers deserve just as much respect as the big boys.

“Honestly, I hope that like myself, that this has opened your eyes into what it actually takes to farm,” Cogen says at the end of the video. “Just all of the work that goes into it and you can have a new appreciation for farming and for farmers.

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Unlocking More With Less Through Precision Agriculture

Quantifying the Impact: Inputs, Resources and Yield

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Available For The 2027 Planting Season

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1. Question: “Where would you rank the value of updating the closing wheel system compared to other planter attachments?”

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3. Question: “Can you put too much downforce on cast iron closing wheels?”

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1. Fertilizer Use Deserves More Scrutiny

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4. Evaluate How You Manage Field Borders

Don't End Up In The Ditch! Update Your GPS Guidance Lines For 2026

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Add 75+ Bushels Of Corn Per Acre With Better Closing Wheel Performance

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