Production

Mississippi State University annually conducts Corn for Grain Hybrid Trials which are an extremely valuable resource for you to help select corn hybrids for your farm – MAFES Corn Hybrid Trials. These hybrid trials are typically grown in eight or more locations representing different growing regions, cropping systems and soil types in our state. The primary benefit of this program ... Read More »

As the 2020 corn-growing season draws to a close, Syngenta engaged university agricultural researchers from across the United States to analyze the agronomic challenges farmers encountered this season and offer tips on how they can best control weeds and preserve yields heading into 2021. Although weed pressures vary by geography, weed management fundamentals remain consistent throughout the United States. Researchers ... Read More »

• By Pat Porter • My recent post discussed the proposal by Environmental Protection Agency to drastically change the resistance management regulations around Bt corn and cotton. You can submit a comment here before Nov. 9. The proposal is hard to find on the EPA website, so I have reposted it here. Part of the plan is to phase out ... Read More »

• By Daniel Stephenson and Josh Copes • Glyphosate-resistant Italian ryegrass has been an issue in the mid-South for the past 10 to 15 years. In Louisiana, growers have been battling this pest for five to 10 years, and the problem is spreading each year. Louisiana does not have ryegrass issues like Mississippi, but if control strategies are not implemented, ... Read More »

• By Pat Porter • This week, the Environmental Protection Agency released a draft plan that essentially overhauls many of the regulations around insect resistance management in Bt crops grown in the Cotton Belt. There are many major changes proposed, one of which is that field failures are presumed to be cases of “practical resistance” if certain criteria are met ... Read More »

• By Pat Porter • Dr. Suhas Vyavhare and I are conducting a very detailed experiment this year on some aspects of Bt corn. Part of the experiment involves putting 120 emergence cages on the ground under corn after corn earworm larvae (cotton bollworms) have left the corn ears and entered the soil for pupation. This lets us determine the ... Read More »

• By Glenn Studebaker • Corn harvest is underway, and some growers will be storing their grain on farm in bins for an extended period of time. Stored grain pests can cause significant losses if left unchecked. There is an entire complex of insects that can infest grain stored in bins. There are several weevils and other beetles as well ... Read More »

Nicknamed the “billion-dollar beetle” for its enormous economic costs to growers in the United States each year, the western corn rootworm is one of the most devastating pests farmers face. “They are quite insidious. They’re in the soil, gnawing away at the roots and cutting off the terminal ends of the roots – the lifeblood of corn,” said Bruce Tabashnik, ... Read More »

• By Erick Larson • We have a wide range of corn maturity due to sporadic planting opportunities this spring, but much will be denting and filling kernel size and weight soon. Assuming the crop is already made can quickly erode potential profitability, as about 50% of kernel weight is filled after dent. Thus, corn management is still important. Irrigation ... Read More »

• By Erick Larson • You can estimate corn yield by thoroughly sampling random ears in a field and using a multiplication formula. It will take some effort, knowledge and luck to represent a field, but it can satisfy your desire regarding the upcoming harvest. The issue with any estimate is kernel weight cannot be measured prior to physiological maturity, ... Read More »