Because fields were wet through the fall, chances are high they will be wet in the spring, too. Ruth Beck, South Dakota State University Extension agronomist, compiled these tips on planning for a wet spring: 1. Consider seeding a cover or forage crop in lieu of a cool-season grain crop. It is possible to grow […]
According to NASS, 20 percent—some 2 million acres—of the 2019 Illinois corn crop was still in the field on November 17. Following unprecedented delays in planting, the warm weather in September helped move the crop towards maturity, and frost did not come earlier than normal. So most of the corn in Illinois was at or […]
The 2019 crop year will live long in the memory. A record amount of prevent plant acres, delayed harvest, and considerable dismay over USDA reports compounded the uncertainty associated with the trade war. Speculation about the acreage levels in 2020 is already underway. Current market conditions support acreage increases in corn and soybeans in 2020. […]
Ohio’s corn and soybean crops experienced exceptional growing conditions in 2019, including record rainfall in May and June followed by drier than normal August and September conditions in many areas. As a result of the early season saturated soils, corn and soybean planting was delayed across most of the state. For soybean, planting date is […]
Throughout its history, conservation policy can be understood, in part, as representing attempts at achieving balance. Policies have involved balancing the demands for producing crops with the limits of, and impacts on, natural resources; they have also tried to achieve different balances within production and among crops and land uses. This article continues the discussion […]
Overall returns on Illinois grain farms are projected to be much lower in 2019 than recent years, resulting in more consumer about managing input costs. Fertilizer, seed, and pesticide costs represent a large portion of the total cost of producing corn, with fertilizer costs historically larger than seed and pesticide per-acre costs on high-productivity farmland […]
A Purdue University Extension specialist is warning livestock owners that forage they harvested earlier this year likely has lower-than-usual nutritional quality. Without proper supplements, there could be serious consequences for their animals. “This is a very unusual year, and the quality is extremely low for this late-harvested forage,” said Keith Johnson, a professor of agronomy and […]
As soybean harvest progresses, a few growers are noticing poor yields in otherwise nice-looking plants and pods. While a visual inspection might lead to high estimations of seed quality, the inside may contain shrunken, shriveled or, even worse, missing seed. Stink bugs can often cause this type of injury to soybean seed. They have piercing […]
The post-harvest period is an excellent time to sample for soybean cyst nematodes (SCN), the most yield-limiting pest in soybeans. Soybean cyst nematodes often go undetected but cause more yield loss in Nebraska and across the U.S. than all other soybean diseases combined. Yield losses of over 30% have been documented in healthy-looking soybean fields. […]
It happens every year. A field is about to be harvested and something is awry. Perhaps the plants are lodged, ears are poorly filled, or pods shrunken. What happened to my crop? From a plant disease perspective, it is nearly impossible to provide any useful information to the producer. Many pathogens that can cause crop […]