Pivotal Issues Blog

By: Laurie Bedord As NASA plans for its first manned mission to Mars in the mid-2030s, the humans who will inhabit the planet may not be considered astronauts but farmers. “The round trip to Mars generally takes about four and one-half years if you add in six months on the surface,” says Bruce Bugbee, a […]

By: Betsy Freese Geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan helps ag industry leaders understand how the realities of geography, populations, and politics impact markets and economic trends. He recently spoke to an executive summit of Midwest farmers sponsored by Farm Credit Services of America. Here are 12 of the main questions and concerns he addressed. 1. How […]

By: Jodi Henke Take a good look at the buildings on your farm. If they’re showing their age, they may be draining your bank account. Outdated design and technology is prevalent in many farm structures, increasing operating costs. Making improvements to these buildings could save you lots of money down the road. Mark Greenwood is […]

By: Potato Grower As we progress through harvest, many of us are also evaluating the performance of the sprinkler packages on our center pivot irrigation systems over the course of the growing season. Checking for wear or failures in the devices, checking pressures and flows against the original package design and evaluating pumping plant performance […]

By: Jon Stika The term “soil health” gets tossed about quite a bit these days, sometimes by those who really embrace it, but sometimes by those that only employ it as an attention-getter. Truly learning about something new takes a bit of time and effort. Too often we find growers, researchers, educators, suppliers and government […]

By: Industry Voice by The Mosaic Company As we focus on soil fertility fundamentals, higher yields equate to higher nutrient removal. Harvesting a crop removes nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and other macro- and micronutrients from the field, which require replenishment to maintain soil productivity for subsequent cropping seasons. The December 2016 World Agricultural […]

By: Maria Cox Operating the combine is a little like turning 16 and getting your driver’s license; you can study the settings and manuals but nothing compares to the freedom you feel when you get behind the wheel on your own. Then, after a few days, the newness wears off and you settle in for […]

By: Daniel Davidson Controlling SCN (soybean cyst nematode) is a challenge. Rotation to corn followed by a resistant variety and a seed treatment is no longer a sure thing. Alternative options are becoming more attractive as a result. Wheat rotations and cover crops are emerging as promising options for SCN control. Currently, there are three […]

By: Daniel Davidson   August makes for a lot of interest in yield estimates. Recent USDA and other estimates have many of us wondering how many bushels are out there. With all the hot and dry weather my area of eastern Nebraska experienced from late May to mid-August, the loss of corn yield has been […]

By: Emily Unglesbee ROCKVILLE, Md. (DTN) — Don’t be fooled by that handsome stand of corn flying past your windshield. Delve deep into the field, peel back some husks and the stresses of the season may quickly become visible. From severe tip-back to stunted ears or empty cobs, many growers are finding the consequences of […]