Pivotal Issues Blog

By: Dale Younker Adding livestock into an annual cropping system and grazing cover crops that are planted between cash crops is one way to potentially increase profit to a farm enterprise. If done correctly it can also improve soil health. The manure and urine left after the livestock graze a cover crop helps speed up the […]

By: AgXplore The 2018 growing season will be a tough act to follow. This year, farmers all around the nation experienced adequate moisture and favorable temperatures with limited insect and disease pressure. “There were pockets where there was adversity, but overall, 2018 was a bumper crop year,” says AgXplore Director of Product Development and Research […]

By: Dave Mowitz Fields laid bare from harvest offer a great opportunity to inspect center pivots for repairs or to evaluate their performance before putting them to bed for the winter. Steve Melvin of the University of Nebraska says many suppliers feature excellent off-season service specials at this time. A key performance check that is often […]

By: Jessie Scott To say there’s been a lot of news coming out of D.C. involving farmers, farm policy, and trade, may be the understatement of the year. The 2018 headlines were dominated with NAFTA negotiations, the ongoing trade talks with China, the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, and the announcement of the Market Facilitation […]

By: Sonja Begemann Weeds are constantly evolving, and fortunately, so is the technology to fight these pests. Farmers will have new defenses against problem weeds as early as this year, with more options to come as technology is fine-tuned. Here are five innovative ways farmers and technology providers are helping in the fight against weeds. Some […]

By: Sonja Begemann Before finalizing your nutrient plans, carefully consider the impact big yielding crops has on phosphorus and potassium levels in fields. While nitrogen might typically be the first nutrient you think about when it comes to high yields, it’s important to consider other nutrient needs as well. “When guys have 200-bu. corn and […]

By: John Hart As 2018 draws to a close and farmers plan for 2019, the adage “no two crop years are the same” certainly applies. For the most part, farmers are glad this crop year is over, with hopes, prayers and optimism the year to come will be much better. Hurricanes Michael and Florence brought heartbreak […]

By: Southeast FarmPress Videos from the second National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health have been released. The meeting served as an opportunity to learn how cover crops are being used by innovative farmers across the country and gain important insights on improving soil health from producers, conservation leaders, and scientists. Headliners for the […]

By: Carl A. Bradley The soybean cyst nematode causes greater annual yield losses in Kentucky than any other pathogen of soybean. The last time a formal survey was conducted by the University of Kentucky in 2006 and 2007, approximately 76 percent of soybean fields in the state were infested with SCN. Although above-ground symptoms (stunting and […]

By: Hembree Brandon Over the last several years, Mississippi Delta farmers have invested a considerable amount of capital, time, and energy in the purchase, installation, and use of soil moisture sensors — which have primarily been used during the growing season as a part of irrigation scheduling. But, says Paul Rodrigue, Natural Resources Conservation Service Delta […]