[Masthead] Overcast and Breezy ~ 32°F  
High: 37°F ~ Low: 9°F
Friday, Feb. 10, 2012
10 ideas for improving bean yields
Posted Thursday, February 2, at 3:04 PM
The various farm publications often offer tips on how to produce higher soybean yields. Depending on which article you see, the number of tips can range from as few as 5 to 20 tips. All of the tips have a lot of commonality and involve common sense decisions...

Read more   Post comment


New herbicides coming for 2012
Posted Tuesday, January 10, at 10:12 AM

Fierce is a preemergence herbicide for use in soybeans and reduced-tillage field corn. It has shown residual control of tough weeds, including weeds like glyphosate-, ALS- and triazine resistant Palmer Amaranth, waterhemp, and annual grasses. Valent anticipates EPA registration for 2012...

Read more   Post comment


Getting to 300 per bushels per acre
Posted Tuesday, January 3, at 10:35 AM

The world population is expected to reach 9 billion people by possibly 2030. In order to feed this population it is predicted that corn will need to average 300 bushel per acre to feed them. Over the last 55 years, the average rate of increase in corn yield has been 1.9 bushels per acre...

Read more   Post comment


Managing volunteer corn may be a problem in 2012
Posted Tuesday, December 27, at 11:02 AM

Wind storms late in the growing season of 2011 as well as fields that were flooded resulted in a lot of down corn in the area. The losses associated with the down corn and it's harvesting resulted in concerns over volunteer corn in next season's crop and the possible options to control it...

Read more   Post comment


Palmer amaranth can cause considerable yield reduction
Posted Tuesday, December 20, at 10:33 AM

Palmer amaranth is a very competitive weed. In some fields with "scattered" pigweed plants, the control was considered good. In a study conducted in soybeans several years ago, one Palmer in 80 feet of soybean row reduced yield 17 percent and one palmer in 60 foot of soybean row reduced yield 27 percent...

Read more   Post comment


Flooded field syndrome could be an issue in 2012
Posted Tuesday, December 13, at 9:38 AM

Soils can exhibit a condition called "Flooded Soil Syndrome" after extensive flooding due to the lack of plant growth in submerged areas. This condition exists where crops planted the year after an extended period with no plant growth exhibit reduced early growth and yield. ...

Read more   Post comment


What weeds should you watch for?
Posted Tuesday, December 6, at 10:44 AM

Good weed control starts by knowing what the predominant weed species problems for each field. Knowing which are the worst weeds will aid in choosing the best product or mix of products to control them. Most major weed and herbicide resistance problems in corn vary by location across the corn belt, within a state, and even within different fields. The following six weeds have been ranked as being the most difficult to control...

Read more   Post comment


Check grain bins for insect infestation
Posted Wednesday, November 30, at 10:51 AM

Now that harvest is over, you can relax some. However with warmer than normal fall temperatures, developing grain insect populations in on-farm grain storage becomes a possibility. Insect infestations can develop in as little as 3 to 6 weeks following initiation of grain storage. ...

Read more   Post comment


Selecting the right seed
Posted Monday, November 14, at 2:09 PM

It is that time of year when producers start making their selections for next year's corn hybrids and soybean varieties. With all of the corn hybrid and soybean technologies available to growers, an increased number of choices has produced a growing challenge in identifying which traits will provide maximum performance and yield in a grower's specific field. ...

Read more   Post comment


Fall anhydrous ammonia application
Posted Tuesday, November 8, at 9:25 AM

Soil temperatures are still above recommended levels (50 degrees and cooling 4-inch temperature) for the fall application of anhydrous ammonia. Another problem that is of concern is the dry soil. First, there are reports or remarks of the soil being so hard that it is difficult to the machinery to penetrate the soil. Secondly, is the question whether anhydrous should be applied to dry soils?...

Read more   Post comment


New traits coming from seed companies will help with moisture, fertilization and chemicals
Posted Monday, October 31, at 2:29 PM

As you start planning for next year's crop, producers need to know what new traits may be available or will be available in the future to use in their management plants. By knowing what may be available to manage current and future needs, the producer can evaluate current practices and challenges to plan better for future crops...

Read more   Post comment


Some old solutions to new weed-control problems
Posted Monday, October 24, at 4:00 PM

Weed resistance to herbicides has become a big problem. Weeds are the single most economically important pest producers have to manage according to Michel Owen, extension specialist at Iowa State University. And weed management is not what it used to be...

Read more   Post comment


Dry weather can affect results of early fall soil tests
Posted Monday, October 17, at 2:22 PM

The exceptionally dry fall conditions due to low rainfall, especially since corn and soybean physiological maturity may affect the quality of soil samples and soil-test results. The first concern is with obtaining the actual soil sample. Sampling under very dry conditions may increase soil sampling error because of the difficulty of controlling sample depth and proper soil collection. ...

Read more   Post comment


There are several considerations when applying fertilizer in the fall
Posted Monday, October 3, at 4:13 PM

Harvest is progressing steadily with the continued warm and dry weather opening up fields for the application of fertilizer for next year. Some lime and potash and phosphate have been applied on a limited basis. Soil testing is the best way to determine pH and the nutrient needs of the next crop...

Read more   Post comment


Use your time in combine seat to scout fields
Posted Monday, September 19, at 2:01 PM

Harvest provides an opportunity to scout your fields from an advantageous position. As you travel through the field, you can observe various types of problems that may have occurred during the growing season. Weeds that were not controlled would be one of the most obvious problems that will show up...

Read more   Post comment


Managing corn stover with Fall nitrogen applications
Posted Friday, September 16, at 12:41 PM

Management of corn stover has become more of a concern as new hybrids produce stronger stalks, relatively larger amounts of biomass, more corn-on-corn acres are planted and less tillage is done. Stronger stalks are desirable to help with the standability of the crop. ...

Read more   Post comment


Carefully check for drought-stressed corn
Posted Monday, August 29, at 2:58 PM

Corn harvest has started in some local areas, mainly to crop that has suffered severe stress from the various weather conditions this summer. South of I-70 some drought stressed corn has been harvested for over a week. Yields of 60 to 75 bushel per acre have been reported. In addition to the drought and heat stressed corn, wind damaged corn has also accelerated the need to harvest earlier...

Read more   Post comment


Soybean podworms can strip field quickly
Posted Monday, August 22, at 4:57 PM

Soybean podworms have been reported in some parts of the state. This pest is known as the corn earworm in corn or the soybean podworm in soybeans. University of Missouri Extension specialists recommend scouting fields now to prevent damage to the crop. According to Wayne Bailey, MU Extension entomologist, if podworms are high enough in number they will take off all the pods in a field...

Read more   Post comment


What is causing yellow flash in soybeans?
Posted Wednesday, August 17, at 8:59 AM

The yellow flash that we have seen in soybeans this year seems to be lasting longer than usual. We usually see some of this yellow where there is an overlap or a particularly high rate of glyphosate used. Stressed beans will flash more readily and with the heat and dry weather stress that we have experienced many fields have flashed even with typical rates of glyphosate usage...

Read more   Post comment


Hot, dry weather always a concern
Posted Tuesday, August 9, at 9:57 AM

The heat and dry weather is a concern for crop producers. Crops are now on the defensive. This can be seen in the rolling of corn leaves and flipping of soybean leaves. Crops south of I-70 seem to be more severely affected than crops north of I-70. As you go further south from I-70 there are patches in both corn and soybean fields where plants are dead as well as fields in general suffering from severe drought stress...

Read more   Post comment


As our local University of Missouri Agronomy Extension Specialist, Crook has been writing a column for the print edition Agriculture page for the past three years and we will now be sharing it on our web version. Crook has a bachelor and masters degree in agronomy from University of Missouri and received his doctorate in Agronomy from Kansas State University. He was in soybean variety development research for 22 years for various seed companies and has been Saline County's agronomy specialist for 10 years.