Production

• By Bruce Schultz • Planting is underway or about to start for most crops in Louisiana, and farmers are watching the markets closely as the world economy reels from the fallout created by the novel coronavirus. Louisiana State University AgCenter economist Michael Deliberto said commodities are looking better this week, and the stock market has improved. But uncertainty from ... Read More »

As the March 15 crop insurance purchasing deadline approaches, a University of Kentucky agricultural economist is reporting that revenue insurance will favor corn over soybeans for the second consecutive year. The safety net, also known as the crop insurance price guarantee, is established at the end of each February and is based on futures prices for the December corn and ... Read More »

• By Dan Fromme • Before you plant, check the tag on that bag of corn seed. Often in the seed industry, the same variety is sold under multiple brand names. In other words, just because the seed is in a different bag does not mean it is not the same variety. This creates two significant problems for farmers: Overpaying ... Read More »

• By Josh Copes, Rasel Parvej, Syam Dodla and Dan Fromme • Phone calls have been coming in regarding applying an in-furrow starter fertilizer at corn planting. An in-furrow starter is commonly called a “pop-up” fertilizer and is applied in the seed furrow (in-furrow). This allows for ease of application and placing the nutrients close to the germinating seed which ... Read More »

Summer irrigation woes offered a good reminder to do winter maintenance on these critical production systems. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension irrigation specialist Wes Porter encourages producers to make the necessary modifications in irrigation system preparation to avoid potential problems during the growing season. “If farmers haven’t employed a good maintenance plan, ensured good uniformity in their irrigation systems, and ... Read More »

The Tassel Count analytics product will be available to all Sentera FieldAgent customers in March 2020. Instead of forecasting yield with a few spot samples, Sentera Tassel Count analytics tool allows users to more precisely calculate yields using tassel population data gathered across the entire field. Understanding tassel population can also help to more accurately time the application of certain ... Read More »

Syngenta recently received a label for its new formulation of paraquat sold under the trade name Gramoxone 3SL at 3 pounds active ingredient per gallon. Paraquat is a widely used, restricted-use pesticide in the United States. However, because of misuse of the product and the subsequent poisonings, the Environmental Protection Agency is requiring changes to paraquat-labeled products. Products used in ... Read More »

Given increased acres and a return to trend yields, agricultural economists say the corn outlook for 2020 is for a potential bumper crop that could drive down market prices while creating huge stockpiles that could take years to reduce. This could create headaches for many. But about 200 farmers who attended Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service’s 2019 State Corn and ... Read More »

 • By Jason Bond and Ben Lawrence • The Environmental Protection Agency mandated manufacturers to update their paraquat labels by Nov. 14 with new safety, handling and training requirements. Key Points to Remember: • Purchasers, applicators, mixers, loaders, or tank cleaners of herbicide products containing paraquat must be certified applicators. • Purchasers, applicators, mixers, loaders, or tank cleaners must complete ... Read More »

Kentucky grain producers have a new, free tool at their disposal to see the past yield losses and economic impacts of common diseases affecting corn and soybeans. This tool can help them plan their disease management strategy for the upcoming growing season. Developed by the Crop Protection Network, the Field Crop Disease Loss Calculator can tell producers how much in ... Read More »