Soil Health
Crown rot is showing up more frequently in Midwest cornfields. Plant pathologists say it’s likely a multi-pathogen disease and offer five practical ways to address it this season.
Planning for next season? Review the expert insights and recommendations from farmers and field agronomists on how to reduce costs and strategically reallocate resources.
Leadership says the new program aims to lower farmer production costs while tipping a hat to Secretary Kennedy’s MAHA initiatives.
Several years of low commodity prices, high input costs and thin margins have taken a toll on soil stewardship in some parts of the country. As a result, farmers need to use caution and do their homework before renting ground that’s coming available in their area for 2026.
For the past 10 years, Wayne Honeycutt has led the organization he founded, The Soil Health Institute, to elevate the concept of science bringing improved environmental stewardship and yield potential via a focus on the soil. At the beginning of 2026, he’ll retire and hand over the reigns of the organization. Here he shares reflections on a career focused on sustainability.
The use of regenerative practices at Stoney Creek Farm has lowered their costs and improved their profitability, but its also shaped their faith journey.
Farmers wanting to hang onto the soil moisture in their fields are struggling to address compaction and ruts where there has been little to no recent rainfall. Anhydrous ammonia applications are also difficult to get sealed in fields where moisture is minimal.
Agronomists answer farmer questions about the role of nitrogen and other nutrients in lessening the potential impact of yield robbers such as southern rust and tar spot in corn.
Corn yield champs say annual soil testing is the best way to make sure fields are up to the goal of delivering profitable high yields every season.
With low commodity prices and higher input costs, identifying hybrids that are a good fit for your soil types and environmental conditions is more important than ever – and can give you a leg up on yield performance from the get-go next spring.