Each season, growers sorting through seed decisions face a flood of yield claims and performance data. Company X says its seed outyielded Company Y’s, and the comparisons keep coming. Instead of clarity, the numbers can create more questions and leave growers unsure what to do next.
- By Jeff DeYoung, Iowa Farmer Today
Silage choppers will soon be dotting the landscape as farmers bring in that valuable crop. Until then, there are things that need to be done, said Ben Beckman, Extension educator with the University of Nebraska based in Hartington.
- Crystal Reed
Warm and inconsistent weather patterns are leading to increased pest pressure for farmers in the Midwest.
- Benjamin Herrold
While every growing season has its own variety, over a century of weather data helps portray what an average growing season looks like in different areas.
- By Ankit Yadav and Amit Jhala, University of Nebraska
Escaping weeds may tempt growers to spray later into the season, but corn growth stage restrictions remain critical.
- Tim Kenyon
Mother Nature is imposing changing and challenging Midwest conditions this growing season.
- Benjamin Herrold
Native warm-season grasses can benefit pastures, especially during the hot summer months. University of Missouri Extension Agronomist Valerie Tate said they can complement cool-season grasses.
- Benjamin Herrold
Grain marketing plans take a variety of things into consideration. University of Missouri Ag Economist Ben Brown said ultimately, they are about being intentional.
Editor’s note: The following was written by Tamra Jackson-Ziems and Dylan Mangel, University of Nebraska Extension plant pathologist, and Talon Mues, Extension educator, for the university’s Crop Watch website June 19.
- Sue Roesler
For the last 250 years, agriculture has been on a fast track with technologies that improve weed control strategies in farming and ranching.
- By Tim Kenyon, Iowa Farmer Today
Josh Nelson views cover crops as another way to diversify, enhance and sustain good black soil for more production on his farm near Belmond, Iowa.
- By Ivair Valmorbida, University of Missouri
The first corn leafhoppers of the year were detected June 16 and June 22 in Missouri corn fields during routine field scouting in Boone County as part of regular in-season monitoring.
- By Crystal Reed, Illinois Farmer Today
When most people think of crops in the Midwest they think of the common offerings — corn, soybeans and wheat.
As we gear up for Iowa Corn 350, Powered by Ethanol, on Sunday, August 9, the excitement and anticipation is higher than ever. What began as a historic milestone for our state when we brought the first NASCAR Cup Series race to Iowa, has quickly grown into a premier summer tradition, capturi…
- By Marianne Stein, University of Illinois
Soils exposed to prolonged drought often develop desiccation cracks, which impact soil properties and exacerbate moisture loss through evapotranspiration.
- Tim Kenyon
MONTICELLO, Iowa — Observation with educated guidance helped about 20 participants increase understanding about grazing pasture rotations at an Iowa State University Extension event in eastern Jones County.
- By Crystal Reed, Illinois Farmer Today
Soybeans are vulnerable to all kinds of diseases that can rob yields from farmer’s fields, from red crown rot to sudden death syndrome.
- By Lauren Quinn, University of Illinois
Few pests eat away at farm profitability as much as soybean cyst nematode. Causing at least $1.5 billion in yield losses annually, it’s soybean’s single biggest threat.
- Benjamin Herrold
When it comes to implementing conservation practices on the farm, farmers consider both the economic impact of those practices as well as how they help achieve environmental goals.
- Crystal Reed Lee Agri-Media
The United States produces about $300 billion a year in agricultural commodities, and all of that is vulnerable to climate change.
- Benjamin Herrold
ROCK PORT, Mo. — Corn and soybean crops have faced a variety of weather across the Midwest to begin the growing season, with heavy rains in May and June leading to replanting decisions for some farmers.
- By Crystal Reed, Iowa Farmer Today
The United States produces approximately $300 billion a year in agricultural commodities, and all of that is vulnerable to climate change.
- Tim Kenyon
URBANA, Ill. — A deep well of curiosity and persistence motivates researchers to push for more innovation in corn seeds.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — The cost of hiring fieldwork in Missouri has risen an average of 9% since 2023, according to an update to University of Missouri Extension’s Custom Rates for Farm Services in Missouri.
Next year’s corn rootworm pressure is already taking shape. For growers who want to stay ahead of it, the time to measure that risk is now. Adult beetles are active in late spring and early summer, feeding, mating and laying the eggs that will determine next year’s pressure. For growers in h…