Pivotal Issues Blog

By: Gil Gullickson For the most part, there’s good news about corn rootworm in 2019. Wyffels Hybrids had an extensive rootworm-trapping network this last summer for adult rootworm beetles in order to assess next year’s larval (root damaging) populations. “We have not seen a huge spike in numbers,” says Mitch Heisler, marketing manager for Wyffels Hybrids. […]

By: Gene Johnston How much nitrogen does your corn crop need each year? That question is one of your toughest, you’ve said in surveys. Newell Kitchen, a soil scientist with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service in Missouri, is sympathetic to your quandary. The sources of plant-available nitrogen in the soil, coupled with the year-to-year variability of weather, […]

By: Enlist Weed Control System David Underwood grows cotton, corn and soybeans on his farm in central North Carolina. He takes a proactive approach to weed control, carefully monitoring each field and trying technologies to limit the impact weeds can have on yield. Each year, Underwood plants more than 1,000 acres of cotton. He plants several […]

By: Sara Brown   Researchers at the University of Minnesota are looking at new ways to use hog manure for fertilizer. In a recent podcast, University of Minnesota Extension specialist Melissa Wilson talks about one of her research initiatives to compare the use of liquid hog manure in sidedressing applications. “One of the big things I […]

By: WallacesFarmer Farming in Wright County in north-central Iowa, Tim Smith wants to be part of the solution. In 2011, he began adding practices that kept soil in place and held nutrients to improve soil health and water quality. Smith says he’s thankful for the assistance and guidance he receives from his local Natural Resources Conservation […]

By: Willie Vogt The science of crop modeling keeps advancing. Company software engineers are expanding their knowledge of the interaction among seed, soil, weather and growing conditions to better match crop to location. The latest news on that front comes from The Climate Corporation, a subsidiary of Bayer. The company is advancing its predictive seed selection […]

By: Dave Nanda Despite use of foliar fungicide applications by several farmers, I’ve seen lots of disease pressure in many cornfields this year. Along with gray leaf spot, I’ve seen northern corn leaf blight. Weather was favorable for these disease organisms, which affect yield and test weight. Disease lesions reduce the photosynthetic area of leaves, and […]

By: Industry Voice by Lemken USA Corn residue in particular must be sized and evenly mixed to incorporate organic material into the soil. This accelerates decomposition and reincorporates valuable nutrients that promote healthy plants the following year. Fall tillage also helps the ground warm faster in the spring, saving farmers valuable time in cold, wet planting […]

By: Mindy Ward In a scene rivaling the iconic movie “Field of Dreams,” four farmers walked into the edge of a cornfield and disappeared. They were attending a Syngenta Grow More Experience field day this summer in Columbia, Mo. Minutes later, the men reappeared through the rows, calling out numbers. After quick addition, Brett Craigmyle, agronomist […]

By: Tom J Bechman A year ago, many farmers were pleasantly surprised at harvest. Yields were often better than expected. Many people attributed the strong yields to ideal weather for grain fill, including cool nights. Corn seems to do best with lower nighttime temperatures during the grain fill period. “When it’s warmer at night than corn […]