March 1, 2009

Features

What’s New in Nozzles

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Dave Howe

In an ideal crop-spraying world, nozzles would deliver a spray pattern with maximum coverage and no drift. Spray nozzle manufacturers have been edging... More

The Road Less Traveled

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Susan Winsor

Norm Chambers hasn't grown conventional soybeans since 1988. That's when he sent his first 20-ton container of food-grade soybeans overseas to discerning... More

Spring Forward to Strip-Till

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By John Russnogle

When Jeff Reints started strip-tilling nearly a decade ago, he used a homemade rig built with parts he already had. He built a strip-till bar using shanks... More

One and Done

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Greg Lamp

Jeff Pape watches input costs like a hawk, pouring over every nickel spent on his Dyersville, IA, no-till operation. That's what drove him to figure out... More

Don’t Skimp on Seeding

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Larry Stalcup

As corn margins squeeze production even tighter, cutting costs is important. But don't count on reducing seeding rates or plant populations to slash inputs.... More

Who Will Feed The Masses?

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Burt Rutherford and Mark Moore

It's likely most farmers haven't trodden the streets of New York City very much. For good reason, what with its reputation as a seething, crowded mass... More

100% Sure on 100% Corn?

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Barb Baylor Anderson

Scott Stirling hasn't had much trouble penciling out a profit on his corn crops the last three years. For reasons he was unable to discern earlier, his... More

The Magic Bean Stalk

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By John Pocock

Last summer Rich Jansen's soybeans grew taller than he is: 6 ft. 2 in. He and his wife Mary Ann farm near Tecumseh, NE, about 60 miles south of Omaha.... More

Silencing Stress

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Barb Baylor Anderson

A new crop stress-management concept may help corn and other field crops better cope with moderate drought and heat stress and limit stress-related yield... More

Soybean Population: Can Less Equal More?

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Liz Stahl University of Minnesota Extension

In the quest to reduce input costs, growers may be asking themselves if greater profits could be achieved with reduced seeding rates. The answer depends... More

Coddle Your Corn

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Jen Bennett

Unpredictable. Change of pattern. We'll see what the weather brings. That's what entomologists and pathologists say when it comes to pests and diseases... More

Farmers Need To Sharpen Financial Skills

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM

A new study analyzing agricultural financial conditions highlights the need for farmers to keep a close eye on finances, says Bob Craven, director of... More

Strip-Tiller on a Budget

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Greg Lamp

When you talk to Todd Martin about the benefits of strip-till, you almost see him light up. I'm always trying to maximize efficiency and yield with the... More

Precision’s Predictive Power

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Liz Morrison

Mike Cerny has been mapping yields on his Wisconsin farm since 1994. Fourteen years later, he is just beginning to get a picture of where site-specific... More

The Case for $3 Corn, $7 Beans

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Gavin Maguire Director, Ehedger

The future for U.S. crop producers remains very bright for decades to come, but a unique combination of ill-timed acreage expansions amid a sudden drop... More

Determined to Farm

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By John Russnogle

One of Brad Harman's neighbors farms 30,000 acres. Another in the area has 20,000 acres. But that hasn't discouraged him from getting started farming... More

8 Ways To Hire Help

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Shelby Haag

Employers today are struggling to find the right people, says Gary Maas, president of Agricareers, Inc. It's hard to find employees who have the skills... More

Viva La VitaGoat

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Jen Bennett

Technology has come so far these days that farmers barely have to be in the combine to operate it. But, that's not the case around the world. In the village... More

Aphid Assassins

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | B Liz Morrison

On Aug. 20, 2003, soybean plants around Lamberton, MN, were dripping with soybean aphids. Then the weather turned wet and by Aug. 23, it was just about... More

Fertilizer Frenzy

Control Weeds Early with Pre-Emerge

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Barb Baylor Anderson

Earlier weed control in corn preferably pre-emergence may help maximize costly nitrogen (N) use this season. When weed control is delayed in season, the... More

My View

Soy Biodiesel Still Rules

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Greg Lamp Editor glamp@csdigest.com

The world of soy biodiesel is suffering with nearly a third of the plants in the U.S. idled this past year. That's not what anyone wants to hear, but... More

News

Biodiesel Powers Railway

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM

The world's first mountain-climbing cog railway has added a B20-powered diesel to its fleet of steam engines. Operated since 1869, the historic Mt. Washington... More

Soybean Genome Brings Opportunities

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM

The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute has sequenced the soybean genome, offering researchers and breeders access to new tools. Future endeavors... More

World Biotech Crop Acres Up 9.4% in 2008

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM

Biotechnology-enhanced crops enjoyed a bumper year in 2008, with an additional 26.4 million acres planted globally and growth prospects set to expand... More

Brazil

The Transport Advantage

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By James Thompson

For years, freight was one of the main factors keeping U.S. farmers competitive with their South American counterparts, whose fixed costs were often far... More

Products

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM

PLANTERS Case IH announces new Early Riser 1260 planters. Available in 36- or 32-row configurations, it can plant 20-, 22- or 30-in. rows, depending on... More

AGCO Options

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM

AGCO Corp. is releasing three new tractor series: the Massey Ferguson 8600 series, Challenger MT600C series and AGCO DT series. Ranging from 205 PTO hp... More

Profits

Reduce the Right Costs

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Dave Kohl

The economic turbulence facing the world today has many businesses focusing on cost control. There's a saying that better is better before bigger is better... More

Long-Term Relationships Maximize Bottom Lines

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Moe Russell

While wholesale prices for many fertilizers have decreased sharply since the highs established last summer, local retail prices have not necessarily followed.... More

Courage Calls, Or Puts?

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Ed Usset

What is the best pricing tool to take advantage of preharvest pricing opportunities? Your choices fall into two categories: fixed-price tools and options-based... More

Economic Crisis’ Impact On Ag

Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Richard Brock

There's no question that the world has changed forever and will take years, if ever, to get back where we were five years ago. Like it or not, we have... More