#Plant2025 for Success
You’ve weighed the agronomics and the economics — and now the planter is rolling. The decisions don’t stop, though. The weather changes plans, equipment breaks and pests pop up. Every step plays a role in the success of your planting season as well as the growing and harvest seasons to come.
Farmers can benefit from evaluating fields now and making a game plan for complying with the agency’s requirements. One positive is that the herbicide strategy will be implemented over time, instead of on a specific date.
With planting season right around the corner, David Hula and Randy Dowdy challenge farmers to reevaluate the ‘why’ behind their crop production practices and use real information to back up their decisions.
Long-time meterologist Gary Lezak says he can predict with 91% accuracy significant weather events that will occur for the next seven to eight months. Check out three of the predictions his team shares for this spring.
Among the independent field agronomists’ recommendations: Address your No. 1 yield-limiting factor, employ the 5% rule and fix soil pH.
Growers are trying to figure out what caused missing plants in their corn stands last season and what solutions they can use this spring.
A new map from the SCN Coalition can give you an idea of whether the pest is in your county. Soil testing this spring will confirm whether the pest is in your fields, dinging yields and dollars.
Maximize yield potential by tapping into how plant leaf structure and ear type work together in the field.
The grower currently broadcast applies P and K ahead of planting but is considering moving to strip-till applications like he uses in corn.
As 2024 comes to an end, roughly 70% of the U.S. is experiencing some level of drought and dryness. What does that mean for 2025? According to one meteorologist, in six of the past 10 years with a really dry fall, the spring to follow was also dry.
In addition to planting soybeans early and applying fungicide, Dan Vogel puts on the appropriate amount of nutrients for the given year, instead of trying to bank nutrients or apply a two-year spread.
Based on trials conducted at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, postdoctoral researcher Connor Sible shares tips for getting the most out of your bean crop.
Could reducing your soybean seeding rate increase profit per acre by $40? In the right situation, yes. Make it a priority to dial in population, row width and plant characteristics for each soil type and planting date.
Floodwaters breached levees in parts of Iowa on Tuesday, with more flooding anticipated for Wednesday. The damage to row-crop and livestock operations is likely significant, according to state officials.
Crop conditions continue to fall as extreme weather plagues this year’s growing season.
USDA’s June Acreage report tends to be a major market mover. Ahead of the report, we asked economists to weigh in on where think the acreage numbers could land in the report set to be released June 28.
Here’s how to get the biggest ROI from your layers of data — and use the information to spot issues in time to improve this year’s crop.
According to USDA, the amount of corn and wheat in good condition has declined while the plants in fair to poor condition has increased.
As multiple weeks of significant rainfall pushes planting progress far behind last year’s pace, Scott Irwin, professor at the University of Illinois, says these delays may not affect corn yields as much as you think.
According to USDA’s latest crop progress report, 91% of corn acres and 78% of soybean acres have been planted. This is the first week the report notes corn condition with 53% good and 30% fair.
Heavy rains and high winds are contributing to dangerous dust storms and other issues in farm country. Ken Ferrie offers his take on stewardship practices that can help growers prevent or minimize these problems.
A planter maintenance expert offers a checklist to help ensure you’re properly prepping your planter for storage so that it emerges in good shape for planting next spring.
Row crop planting has picked up considerable steam over the last week with corn acres now at 80% complete and soybeans at 68%. Both crops are ahead of the five-year average.
Soybean planting crossed the halfway mark across the U.S, and the corn planting is 70% complete. The latest USDA Crop Progress Report shows farmers in parts of the U.S. made major headway over the past week.
More rains across the Corn Belt this week created deeper planting delays, and it’s causing farmers to grow even more frustrated as they wait on an open window to plant.
This week’s USDA Crop Progress report shows corn planting five percentage points (49% planted) behind average, while soybean planting has slowed to just a single percentage point ahead (35%).
You Can Now Blame El Niño and La Niña For the Extreme Weather Outbreaks, Planting Delays This Spring
From the slew of tornado outbreaks since late April, to more planting delays across the U.S., the extreme weather is caused by a combination of weather phenomena, including the quick switch from El Niño to La Niña.
Farmers are moving fast and furious in fields this week, trying to get crops in the ground. But Mother Nature is playing havoc with their best efforts. Ken Ferrie addresses six concerns to help farmers make progress.
A massive solar flare could disrupt satellite systems, including GPS, over the next several days. NOAA says it is the biggest threat since 2005 as experts tell farmers to keep an eye on equipment.
This week’s USDA Crop Progress report shows corn planting overall is currently three percentage points (36% planted) behind the five year average, while soybean planting is four points ahead (25%) of historic pace.
Heath Huisinga is always eager to investigate new tech for his farm in Casey, IL. This year, he’s using John Deere’s AutoTrac Turn Automation, which frees him to focus on the planter rather than on driving the tractor.