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April 2012

Stories from the April 2012 print edition of Corn & Soybean Digest.

Departments

  • Apr. 1, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    Think Different: Input Addiction Aids Resistance

    Are you a farmer who buys into the retailer/company/lender logic of adding more inputs to the spray tank, just in case insects or disease might be out there? Or are you fortunate to have a trusted source who scouts and openly discusses practices that can lead to weed, insect and disease resistance?...More
  • Apr. 1, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    Buffer Booster | Cut Nitrates by Routing Tile Water Through Grass Buffer

    Directing tile water through a grass buffer can significantly improve drainage water quality. This new conservation drainage practice, called a “saturated buffer,” removes nitrates from subsurface drainage water at low cost – without affecting farm field drainage....More
  • Apr. 1, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    Africa: A Near-Death Experience

    A farmer only has one chance a year to plant a crop, and we all want to make the best of it. The same is true for me in Ghana; but I do not have the selection of seed varieties, chemicals or fertilizers as the U.S., so I try to do the best with what I can access. Planning is key. In the U.S., you’re the customer with plenty of dealers competing for your business. In Ghana, we are operating one of only a few commercial farms producing corn so if you want something, you have to do it yourself....More

Profits

  • Apr. 1, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    The Math of Land Buys

    If only there was a guru to ask or an application to calculate whether to buy land at lofty prices. Any magic formula would certainly have to consider long-term prospects, the interest rate outlook and your current financial position....More
  • Apr. 1, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    Hedging with an Opinion

    Last month I explored the hedging practices of merchandisers, exporters and processors, and how it is more than avoiding risk. These are basis traders who employ the purest form of hedging - placing long and short hedges regardless of price expectations or market opinion....More
  • Apr. 1, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    An Extreme Market

    As planting season gets underway, every year getting the crop in the ground and good growing weather is important. This year may be more important on both fronts than normal, however....More

Features

  • Mar. 28, 2012
    Article

    Walk Your Fields | Start Early and Scout Corn, Soybean Fields Often to Protect Your Investment

    Not all farm-management decisions can be labeled as low cost and high reward. But Andrew Bowman from Oneida, IL, believes that crop scouting is one practice that can. He has confirmed the economic benefits on his own family farm, and now shares his passion and skill for crop scouting with other area farmers through Bowman Crop Assure LLC....More
  • Mar. 28, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    Bring Out the Best in Continuous Corn | The Yield is in the Details

    Expect to spend more time babysitting the crop, say agronomists and seasoned continuous corn farmers. Devote extra time to in-season N, disease and insect management advises John Kretzmeier, Fowler, IN. He was all continuous corn until the last two years, when drainage on his flat land became too problematic for all but about 20% of his ground....More
  • Apr. 1, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    Corn Bothers Corn | Is Allelopathy a Myth or Yield-Robbing Fact?

    Allelopathy in continuous corn is as hard to pin down as an election-year politician. By definition, allelopathy occurs when organisms produce biochemicals that influence the growth of other plants – such as when corn residue harms young corn plants. Such interference can be measured by researchers in controlled studies, but so far it can’t be replicated in the field. Yet it’s often cited as an underlying cause of the yield drag that many growers experience in continuous corn....More
  • Apr. 1, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    Conservation Crusader | Paraguayan Rolf Derpsch Helped Expand No-Till Across Globe

    The message from no-till legend Rolf Derpsch is the same all over the world: Protect the soil. His expertise spans four decades and many consider his research work to help farmers adopt no-till as nothing short of remarkable....More
  • Mar. 28, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    Control Your Timing | Latest Spray Rig Technology Puts You in the Driver's Seat

    Big profits the last few years are not only driving add-on purchases of numerous and different spray tank additives; this cash is also driving investment in the machines attached to those tanks. The market is so swamped that some companies can't fulfill self-propelled sprayer orders until fall 2013....More
  • Apr. 1, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    High-Rent Hangover | Have a Plan for $3.50 Corn, $8.50 Soybeans

    All good things come to an end. To prepare for the eventual end of commodity grain glory days, your best move may be to run the numbers through available decision-making tools and evaluate options to reduce high-rent hangovers....More
  • Apr. 1, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    Lock In Soybeans | $12 or $13 Soybean Prices are Tempting

    Are the fundamentals surrounding soybeans causing prices to surpass expectations? At least one Corn Belt grain marketing specialist thinks so. And it could be a signal for you to sell more beans this spring. Price volatility can take the life out of a market in a flash....More
  • Apr. 1, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    April No Longer Wasted | Early Soybeans Pay Big in Midsouth

    Early soybeans can jump-start success in the Midsouth, where many growers now head to the field as soon as soils are warm enough to plant. They’re planting more Group IV varieties than ever, often in April. That lets them harvest early enough to avoid costly late-season stresses from diseases and pests....More
  • Apr. 1, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    Buffer Booster | Cut Nitrates by Routing Tile Water Through Grass Buffer

    Directing tile water through a grass buffer can significantly improve drainage water quality. This new conservation drainage practice, called a “saturated buffer,” removes nitrates from subsurface drainage water at low cost – without affecting farm field drainage....More
  • Apr. 3, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    Coming Soon To A Field Near You: Soybean Insects and Diseases

    A light winter. Warm March temperatures. Early planting. The welcome scene has been set. The next shot opens to giant aphids and bean leaf beetles raging through your flourishing soybean fields, chewing up what's left of the leaves that haven't been attacked by soybean cyst nematodes (SCN), white mold or sudden death syndrome (SDS)....More

Marketing 101

  • Apr. 1, 2012
    Article
    Corn and Soybean Digest

    Marketing 101: HTA is Not a Four-Letter Word

    HTAs can be a marketing tool that offers the benefits of hedging without threat of a margin call. But many think first of the hedge-to-arrive fiascoes in the mid-1990s. They are among a range of forward contracts offered by grain elevators, ethanol plants and other grain buyers, says Melvin Brees, University of Missouri Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) economist....More
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