IVAIR VALMORBIDA
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI
Black cutworm moth captures have started to show up across parts of Missouri, which is a sign that spring has officially arrived – not just for us, but for some of our early-season insect pests as well....
CHARLEY MARTINEZ
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE
Ahead of next week’s USDA March Intentions report, traders are positioning for a notable shift in planted acreage. Corn acreage is expected to come in at 94.37 million acres, according to market expectations, which would represent a...
RYAN MCGEENEY
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
Arkansas farmers plan to reduce planted acreage for four of the state’s five major crops, including corn, cotton, peanuts and rice, in favor of soybeans during the 2026 planting season, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Planned acreage...
KAY LEDBETTER
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS
Farmers should consider deep soil testing for residual nitrogen and other nutrients, especially when rising fertilizer prices impact profit potential, according to a team of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialists.
The team of AgriLife Extension economists and agronomists...
ADAM RUSSELL
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS
Robert Puckett, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist and associate professor in the Texas A&M Department of Entomology, has helped landowners across Texas and around the world fight red imported fire ants. He offers expert advice for getting rid...
JEFFREY A. DAVIS, DR. DAWSON D. KERNS, AND DR. JAMES VILLEGAS
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
Last year, in 2025, we piloted a program to proactively evaluate insecticide efficacy to acephate amongst redbanded stink bug populations throughout the state. Acephate is the most...
RYAN HANRAHAN
URBANA, ILLINOIS
Reuters’ Karl Plume reported that “the Iran war has upended the planting intentions of U.S. farmers, resulting in fewer acres of corn and the lowest quantity of spring wheat planted since 1970 as rising fertilizer and fuel costs...
MANINDER SINGH, DR. BENJAMIN AGYEI, PATRICK COPELAND AND LORATO WOOD
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN
Planting field crops takes time, and most growers manage large acreages that must be prepared and planted each season. Starting early in the spring, when field conditions are considered...
MAGGIE BERGER
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS
An often overlooked yet inherent part of the agricultural ecosystem, weeds can impact day-to-day life in ways one might not expect.
Weeds pose a significant problem to food and fiber systems by decreasing the quality and quantity...
CHARLEY MARTINEZ
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE
This week the markets started lower across all months. There was some steam in the middle of the week, but the steam gave out Thursday and Friday. Hence, why most commodities are down this week, some more...
LINDA GEIST
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI
University of Missouri Extension in-field research in 2025 cornfields showed less damage from corn leafhopper than in 2024.
MU Extension state crops and forage entomologist Ivair Valmorbida is happy about that, but he is unsure why this happened....
DR. BENJAMIN AGYEL AND DR. MANINDER SINGH
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN
The word “days” is often loosely added to corn hybrid relative maturity (RM) ratings, which can lead to the wrong interpretation as calendar days. Seed companies assign RM ratings based on grain...
DR. DENNIS B. EGLI
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY
Have corn populations reached a plateau? They increased steadily from 4000 to 8000 plants per acre when producers were growing open-pollinated varieties to around 29,000 to 32,000 plants per acre today. Yield contest winners report...
DR. CHARLEY MARTINEZ
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE
This week brought some much welcomed weather across Tennessee. Prices surged in corn and soybean spot prices and across the boards for both commodities. Given where the boards are for November soybeans and December corn, I...
DR. CHAD LEE
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY
Corn seeding rates need to be adequate for excellent yield opportunities, but can be adjusted downward in 2026 to shave a few dollars off seed costs.
Corn yields in Kentucky are heavily dependent on available water in...
