Pivotal Issues Blog

By: Eric Prostko You ever wondered what is happening during an herbicide application. The interaction of herbicides (and all pesticides) with the environment is very complex, but understanding this interaction is crucial to improving stewardship and effectiveness. Given the ever-increasing scrutiny of non-agriculturists, it is more important now for those of us in the pesticide application […]

By: Southeast FarmPress Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have transferred a biochemical pathway found in sorghum, which produces a weed-killing compound, into rice plants. The compound, sorgoleone, secreted by sorghum, helps the plant combat weeds. It works so well that some other crops struggle to grow in fields where sorghum has been raised, causing problems […]

By: Tyler Husa and Brett Melton, Kansas State University Research and Extension After a rough winter many producers are dealing with the rough aftermath. Trampled pastures, fields, waterways, and erosion issues are plaguing many of our producers in the River Valley Extension District and across Kansas as well. These unfavorable conditions will need to be addressed […]

By: Successful Farming Staff When Clarence Breker was a boy early in the last century, he’d ride his pony up to the top of a hill near Havana in southeastern North Dakota. He’d breathe in the seemingly endless prairie down below, with golden native grasses and blooming flowers simultaneously waving in a silent concert. Years later, […]

By: Successful Farming Staff Grain storage is vital to the success of marketing and selling quality products. Over the past few years, low commodity prices have caused some farmers to store more grain than in years past. When you’re storing grain for longer periods of time, knowing proper storage options is key to keeping grain in […]

By: Tharran Gaines Farmers are stuck in a precarious position ahead of planting this spring. It seems like a lot of advice lately is to “hurry up and wait.” Wait for waters to recede, wait to assess field conditions, wait for financial assistance. While patience is a virtue, how can you make the most of […]

By: Mike McGinnis DES MOINES, Iowa — “Chapters in books and entire books will be written about this (Midwest March flood) tragedy,” says Keith Glewen, an educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In Nebraska, the state’s governor has estimated the losses to the agricultural sector alone at $1 billion. The damage covers states such as Nebraska, […]

By: University of Nebraska Nebraska producers have been here before. In 2011, the flooded Missouri River wreaked havoc on the farm fields in the Missouri River basin. John Wilson, Extension educator in Burt County, Nebraska, says there are lessons learned from that time that are applicable today. “From our experience in 2011, farmers found that they […]

By: Sara Berges A Wisconsin farmer is improving soil health and fertility on cropland he farms across the state border near Waukon in northeast Iowa. He added winter wheat to his rotation, followed by a diverse cover crop. Adam Kramer, who owns and operates Black Sand Granary in Prairie du Chien, hopes to break up pest […]

By: Tom J Bechman Three soil monoliths on the table told a story. Mike Wigginton took them from the small field where the Boone County, Ind., conservation partners have conducted cover crop demonstrations since 2015. Wigginton, an area resource soil scientist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, hoped the story would be that cover crops were […]