Latest News From Crops

Some of your favorite hybrids might fizzle this year, but don’t cast them out of the lineup just yet. A Farm Journal Test Plot study reveals the impact of weather and adjusting practices to maximize yield of each hybrid.

What’s often called the “white combine” is hammering western Kansas this year, an ugly reality for an area that’s finally receiving rain after nearly five years of drought.

The goal of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour is to get an objective view of corn yield potential and count pods in a 3' square for soybeans. One of the keys this year will be how much damage the drought caused through June.  

The new Bio-Capsule design has a larger pail, which provides space and capacity for up to six products positioned on a single pail. 

Almond crop production has kicked off this August with improved expectations that a heftier almond will offset the lowest almonds-per-acre-yield since 2009, according to a recent USDA report.

Drought is creating a dreary outlook for Missouri farmers, but it wasn’t until mid-July that some realized just how bad it was. Farmers in pockets of severe drought now say they have widespread pollination problems.

Grain bins are some of the most valuable tools on the farm. While the traditional design hasn't changed that much, the technology in and around the bin continues to evolve.

The increased incidence of the disease this year in the Midwest has to do with the extremely hot, dry weather followed by heavy precipitation events farmers received in June and July.

Here’s an overview of some developments that have changed products to be not your father’s fertilizer.

No combine works perfectly in all crops under all conditions. That’s why there are so many options and accessories for combines and headers. Here’s a list of harvest issues, along with products to help cure them.

What weeds do you hate and why? As a native of New Mexico, Clinton Griffiths spent hours alongside his dad, a hoe and bucket in hand, ridding their property of goatheads, a prickly plant with no proven useful purpose.

A boy’s intentional burial beneath Illinois farm dirt is a bizarre, standalone tale in the annals of grim agriculture incidents.

Crop condition ratings seemed to be in a free fall in early summer, but July’s rains and cooler temperatures sparked a rebound. The heat this week means crop conditions could be set to take another hit.

Arizona is breaking records for consecutive days with temperatures 110 degrees or above. Yuma County, Arizona farmer John Boelts says he always plans for high heat in July and grow crops like cotton instead of lettuce.

Using the same amount of fertilizer -- but at different times and more than one way during the season -- can help you harvest more bushels and improve your bottom line. Check out our two brief videos to learn more.

This recent sea of very warm water means cooler land temperatures surrounding the Gulf will be a long time arriving this fall. It even has an implication for Midwest farmers.

Farmers can use humidity charts for their area to assess when the disease could hit their corn crop as well as the optimum time to make a fungicide application, says Missy Bauer, Farm Journal Associate Field Agronomist.

Grain prices continue to rally as Russia ramped up attacks on Ukrainian ports on the River Danube. But agricultural economists and markets analysts point out the situation still hasn’t reached a worst-case scenario yet.

Nonconformity is nature in Bill Jones’ triple-cropping world. “This is about ROI, hitting yield averages, and taking care of my soil,” says Jones. “Home runs are fine, but they’re for somebody else to chase.”

With heat forecast to top 100 degrees in places, combined with the expectation for little to no rain, crop conditions could deteriorate and the biggest risk in the western and central Corn Belt.

From growing tensions between Ukraine and Russia to forecasts for hot and dry weather across the Midwest, grain prices have been on a volatile run. Analysts think the volatility could heat up again next week.

With four active ingredients, Syngenta announces Storen, which combines bicyclopyrone, mesotrione, S-metolachlor and pyroxasulfone, has been registered by the EPA for use in 2024. 

19 months after an EF4 tornado tore through the town, the deadliest in Kentucky’s history, the Mayfield community faced massive flooding this week after nearly 12 inches of rain fell in 24 hours, setting a new record.

Suppliers and retailers continue to cut glyphosate prices in the U.S. as the industry grapples with too much supplies. With no resolve in sight, one inputs analyst thinks glyphosate prices could remain low through 2023.

There is now a dollar value assigned to grain carbon intensity scores below 29 in the form of tax credits to biofuel plants that buy grain as part of their decarbonization efforts.

In Bob Lindeman’s soybean rows, planting populations are on a general decline, and the reduction is not about saving dollars up front, but on combatting mold and rot.

Despite rains the last couple of weeks in parts of the Corn Belt the latest drought monitor shows drought continues to grip a huge part of the Midwest, including Nebraska>

Arlan Suderman, StoneX Group, and DuWayne Bosse, Bolt Marketing, debate USDA’s WASDE numbers.

Getting into the field now can help you make more informed decisions. What if you need to spray for insects or call your insurance agent? Being proactive will pay you back many times over.

John Smith is growing 137 acres of wide-row cluster corn planted directly over his water source. Essentially, he is taking his corn to the well.

Purdue reports a 40.7% increase in U.S. Agricultural Confined Space-Related Injuries and Fatalities from 2021 to 2022.

According to Columbia University, 90% of the world’s mined phosphate is used as fertilizer in ag. Morocco supplies 34% of the world’s traded phosphate rock, but this dynamic could change with Norge Mining’s discovery.

Platow Brief, a banking and finance publication, says new Bayer AG CEO Bill Anderson and team are working on a deal to spin off the division to improve the pharma giant's financial wellbeing and placate investors.

In eastern Kansas and Missouri, harvest is happening at a historic pace, but western Kansas is overcome by so much rain that winter wheat fields are now overgrown by weeds making those fields unharvestable.

Precision Mazes is able to turn a blank space into a crop art masterpiece with meticulous detail. Their latest project transitioned a harvested wheat field in Missouri into a larger than life welcome to Taylor Swift.

The next opportunity for USDA to adjust its corn yield forecast is next week during the July WASDE report. Currently, USDA has penciled in a 181.5 bu. per acre national yield, but analysts think it may be too optimistic.

“This is the earliest we’ve reported tar spot in Iowa,” says Robertson, Iowa State professor of plant pathology. She says the early detection could be due to the Tarspotter app. Here's how it works.

Double-digit yield losses are not uncommon. To date, 14 Illinois counties have confirmed the disease, and it's being scouted for elsewhere by seed company and Extension pathologists and agronomists.

In-field and classroom sessions will address making changes to your crop rotation, tillage systems or nutrient placement; managing early-planted soybeans; evaluating below-ground issues that impact corn yields; and more.

The National Drought Mitigation Center estimates 67% of corn and 60% of soybeans are still considered to be in drought, a slight improvement from last week when drought covered 70% of corn and 63% of soybeans.

The USDA reports provided a bullish surprise for soybeans with acreage down 4 million from the March intentions. Corn acreage was bearish coming in more than 2 million higher than March. Where did the shifts occur?

Flattened corn can often recover, stand and produce decent yields. Soybeans can shake off a storm and flourish, but beware spider mites in the next 10 days if temperatures stay 85-plus degrees with low humidity.

Farmers across the Texas High Plains received a deluge of rainfall right at planting, and while the moisture was needed, the sudden switch prevented some farmers from planting their intended cotton acres this year.

USDA released a few big surprises in the June acreage report, including a spike in corn acres and a large reduction in soybean acres. The agency also forecasts grain stocks below trade expectations.

Hurricane-force winds swept from northern Missouri and Iowa all the way east to Illinois and Indiana. The derecho brought wind gusts up to 100 mph, flattening cornfields, but it also drenched soils with crucial rains.

Cover crops, reduced tillage and a simple water infiltration test help Adam Chappell capture and hold water and nutrients.

The pest is showing up in early-season soybeans. Current numbers don't necessarily warrant treatment. Because the pests can double in population in only a few days, scouting is the only way to stay on top of them.

Even with rains sweeping the Northern Corn Belt last weekend, the latest drought monitor shows drought continues to spread across Illinois with D2 (Severe Drought) taking a 28-point jump in a week.

Can skip row corn add bushels to the bin? James Hitchcock wants the answers from one trusted source—his own fields.

Farmers with cornfields affected two years ago need to be ready this season, based on a corn-soybean rotation. Fields with high levels of residue are more susceptible, and beware heavy rains just prior to canopy.