You probably know that having a crop rotation is a good thing. Growing different crops back to back provides several benefits, such as preventing pests and disease, improving soil health and reducing fertilizer...
Direct Driller Magazine Issue 4 Direct Driller Issue 4 is out now! You can read the digital version here: Direct Driller - Issue 4 - January 2019 The first 3 issues have had a great reception and we hope...
FARM WALKS WITH THE SOIL FARMERS OF THE YEAR 2018The winners of the FCCT Soil Farmer of the Year competition opened their gates over four days and provided a veritable masterclass in managing soils. Spanning...
While there are numerous reasons for using cover crops, a primary one is improving soil health.In fact, it’s the one benefit most farmers using cover crops have experienced: In the most recent Cover Crop...
Black oats are an excellent choice for beginning cover croppers.
It's a fact: cover crops tend to make good farmers into great farmers and average farmers into bad farmers. Cover crops work. But, management is key and the learning curve can be steep. If you've been sitting...
When it comes to creating a cover crop mix, the options are endless. You need to determine what kind of species you’ll use, how many you’ll use, and at what seeding rates. For anyone new to cover crop...
If someone asked you, “How do plants take up the water and nutrients they need?” you’d probably tell them through the roots. But did you know that for many crops, those roots aren’t working alone?That’s...
Here's the first-place entry from the Accidental Agronomist.
The 2019 edition of our “31 Days of Cover Crops Photo Contest” has ended. We received many great entries and want to thank everyone for their participation. As previously detailed, we will award three...
Experts warn that growing continuous peanuts or other legumes close in rotation to the peanut crop can have detrimental effects on peanuts — namely soilborne diseases. This includes leguminous cover crops. Photo by Jack Dykinga, USDA Agricultural Research Service
It’s common knowledge among peanut farmers that the farther out you space your peanut crops in your rotation, the better off the peanuts will be. Research backs this up. Jason Sarver, Extension Peanut...
When it comes to cover crops and nutrient management, a lot of the focus is on what cover crops can do for soil fertility. Depending on the species being used, they can prevent leftover nutrients from running...
If you’ve considered using cereal rye as a cover crop in front of corn, you’ve probably been warned that your yield would suffer.And the truth is it might. Research has shown that corn yields can take...
If you’re a farmer, at some point you’ll likely experience a late harvest, whether it’s due to Mother Nature or an equipment problem. And if you plan on seeding your cover crops after your crops are...
Part 1: Know Your True Cost of Production Why Your TCOP Matters How to Calculate Your TCOP Part 2: Take the Emotions Out of Your Marketing Plan Why You Need a Plan How to Create a Marketing Matrix How to...
It can be read here and you will see it has grown to 100 pages, which is where we expect it to stay going forward. Direct Driller Issue 3 Issue 3 Of Direct Driller magazine. The conservation agriculture...
Wet conditions across the country forced many farmers to forgo their plans for the season and take prevented planting payments instead. The USDA says that as of July 8, 2019, its paid roughly $184 million...
A common concern growers may have when they move to a no-till system is nutrient stratification.Without tillage to mix fertilizer into the soil, no-tillers may wonder whether the nutrients applied to the...
18 years ago, we bought our first self-propelled sprayer and it revolutionized access to land, it was light and well balanced and made fertilizer and crop protection applications easy. Our timeliness...
AgFuse is excited to announce our third year of hosting a fun photo contest and we want you to be a part of it. There will be three winners with the first prize being a $200 gift card to Amazon! The second...
Pea, used as a weeding tool, besides its effectiveness, progressively shows all its agronomic advantages in a rotation
From Direct Driller Magazine: Issue 2Written by Frédéric ThomasLike many farmers, Michel Mercier first got into direct drilling based on the economic savings it offered. He first worked with an SE Horsch...
Some growers may have had no option but to plant green — as shown above — into their cover crops this year because of poor weather conditions. In this photo by Ted Kornecki, USDA Agricultural Research Service, the farmer is terminating his cereal rye with a roller at the same time he is planting his cotton.
With May 2018 to April 2019 being the wettest 12-month period on record, according to NOAA, many farmers across the nation were forced to delay planting. In fact, for the first time on record, less than...
Grasses like cereal rye are a good species for beginning cover crop users as they grow fast and have fibrous roots. Photo by Stephen Ausmus, USDA Agricultural Research Service.
In 1995, Pennsylvania farmer Steve Groff was speaking at an event when he asked the audience the question: Do cover crops pay off?His thinking at the time was that he had been no-tilling since 1982, and...
In the 52 Weeks of Agronomy Series I've been posting on my website, I took a week and explained this agronomist's take on soil health vs. soil fertility. To read the article and get caught up on the rest...
This Week in AgricultureA Mixed Bag of Information from the Week that Was: September 14, 2018· Updated USDA numbers, continued trade negotiations, African Swine Fever and a hurricane captured most of the...
· A week full of rumors, confirmation and headlines gave everyone a lot to talk about, but surprisingly left the markets somewhat directionless. · The week started with Reuters reporting China was looking...
2019 is coming in with a bang across many sectors of the market. Outside market volatility feels unprecedented with wild swings higher or lower on seemingly little in the way of major headlines, while commodity...
Ben Franklin once said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." -This practice can be applied to many aspects of your life and business, and certainly applies to irrigation on your farm and money...
Cover crops not only helped Russell Hedrick win the 2016 North Carolina Dryland and No-Till Dryland yield contest, they also saved him $123 per acre on fertilizer and herbicide costs.
There are many factors that can influence corn yield. In fact, Fred Below, a plant physiologist at the University of Illinois, identified seven of them, which he dubbed the “Seven Wonders of the Corn...
This Week in AgricultureA Mixed Bag of Information from the Week that Was: January 18, 2019· With the government shutdown looking to continue on indefinitely traders are adjusting to life with minimal...
Good weed management practices include rotating herbicide modes of action and layering preemergence and postemergence herbicides with residual activity.
It’s been over two decades since the first Roundup Ready crops were planted in commercial fields. At the time of introduction, the technology was revolutionary for farmers, who found a highly effective...
Jason Mauck's intercropped soybeans growing between 19-inch quad rows of wheat. By focusing on the wheat for capturing nutrients, suppressing weeds and feeding soil life vs. high yields, Mauck has seen over 100-bushel soybeans with significant input savings. Photo by Jason Mauck.
In Gaston, Ind., Jason Mauck is farming a little differently from his neighbors. Unlike the typical corn-and-soybean monocropping system, for the last 5 years Mauck has been doing low population, wide-row...
A 1031 Exchange is a tax-deferred swap program in which farmers and others in the agriculture industry can participate. Farmland, vacant land, and certain agriculture assets are considered real estate assets...
With the increasing use of precision ag tools and increased machinery efficiencies, the whole dynamic of hiring farm employees has changed as well. Being a farm worker these days means being a technician,...
This Week in Agriculture:A Mixed Bag of Information from the Week that Was: February 1st, 2019· The reopening of the government and Chinese trade conversations dominated headlines this week. With the former...
Use these tips to help avoid and recognize the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning Think about the gas-powered engines you might use on a daily basis, like a generator, pump, pressure-washer, tractor...
Farm financial planning for the agriculture community At Nationwide, we understand those who work in agriculture. After all, we were founded by farmers and have been helping them manage risks since 1926....
This is the second of a two-part series focusing on tax savings, planning opportunities, and other tax considerations for year-end 2019. Part I, published on AgFuse in November of 2019, focused on planning...
Technology has been an integral part of agriculture since at least 5,000 years ago, documented through the use of ploughs in ancient Sumeria. Today, drone and GPS farming is old news.Still, some in the...
Traditional agricultural skills that made civilization possible are still alive and in use today. At the same time, hundreds of farm technician job listings across the US, and the rise of precision agriculture...
Do you have mixed feelings about technology? I do. Some technology takes our time, isolates us, and numbs our brains. Then there is technology that makes life more efficient, brings more information to...
When you get an AgriChoice® farm insurance policy from Nationwide, you’re also getting protection for your livestock and poultry. That means your cows, bulls, swine, goats, lambs and sheep are covered....
Get access to a complimentary whitepaper "Top 10 Ways To Increase Your Farm's Profits in 2019" when you sign up on AgFuse today.