Fertilizer production costs will be substantially higher in 2011 than they’ve been for the past couple of years. When you look at the numbers, remember that commodity prices also have increased significantly. If you are a shrewd marketer, you have taken advantage of crop pricing opportunities that will help offset the higher production costs. You may still be able to … Read More
Must Read: New Precision Balanced Crop Nutrition Guide
I’d highly recommend every farmer spend some serious time this winter with this new guide. It is excellent. Sent to over 400,000 growers as a supplement to the November issue of Successful Farming magazine, the 28-page guide is a valuable resource for growers striving for next-generation yields, as well as a great sales tool for Mosaic’s retail customers. The guide … Read More
Top 10 Ag Technologies from 2010 by Farm Progress
Take a look at a story in Indiana Prairie Farmer that selected ten different agricultural technologies of interest this year. They listed: – Raven Sling Shot system – Connected Farm concept – GSI Binspector – Grain entrapment rescue tubes – Votivo nematicide seed treatment – SmartStax corn – Agrisure Viptera trait – Surveillance sunglasses – Vertical till revolution – Kixor … Read More
Don’t Apply Nitrogen Yet
IF YOU ARE APPLYING FALL NITROGEN TOO EARLY, STOP! MISUSE MAY ELIMINATE FALL APPLICATION FOR EVERYONE We’ve shared with you in this forum on many occasions that increased regulations and legislation are headed your way. And in this case, some farmers and applicators might be asking for it. It is too early to be fall applying nitrogen. Environmental extremists are … Read More
USDA Studies Show Value of Agrotain Plus & SuperU
Nitrogen is a very important element in corn development and this year it seemed to be in short supply in many wet areas of the Midwest. When growers have to apply nitrogen, once such product they use is Agrotain Plus, a nitrogen stabilizer which controls nitrogen loss by blocking the enzyme urease. Agrotain Plus can be added in liquid nitrogen … Read More
Precision Planting Pays
“Precision Planting’s business is trying to make sure seeds get into the right space at the right distance and seeds only land where they need to land,” Precision Planting’s Jason Larkin explained to me during the Farm Progress Show. We use precision technology to know where the tractor is at and where the plant is at to control population, so … Read More
Ag Industry Integral to America’s Future
During a press conference hosted by Growth Energy, Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey stressed the importance of the ethanol industry to agriculture. Northey told the tale of how corn farmers were looking for a way to sell their excess corn back in the 80s and so they created the ethanol industry. And it worked. Last year, ethanol used 4 billion … Read More
OptRx Improves Nitrogen Efficiency
I’m here in Iowa at the Farm Progress Show. Although there are farmers from all over the world in attendance, farmers in Central Iowa have been struggling with excessive amounts of rain. This causes crops, such as corn, to lose nitrogen, which negatively impacts crop yield. Nitrogen has also become more expensive over the past couple of years so more … Read More
Farm Journal Corn College Talks Technology and More
Despite the heavy rains at times followed by high heat and humidity, around 800 growers, retailers and crop consultants came to Farm Journal test plots near Bloomington, Ill., to gain in-depth knowledge from experts at the recent Farm Journal Corn College. During this week-long classroom and in-field event, hosted by Farm Journal field agronomists Ken Ferrie and Missy Bauer, participants … Read More
How Software Helps In-Season Scouting and Management Zones
When discussion centers around all the data that fields can generate these days, crop consultants and savvy growers truly love powerful software programs. Especially when data can transfer easily between desktop and a mobile device to take to the field. I spoke with Greg Kneubuhler the other day, who is a certified crop consultant, agronomist and owner of G&K Concepts … Read More