Custom Farming Agreements 

By Kent Thiesse

An alternative to leasing farmland is a custom farming agreement. In a typical custom farming agreement, the custom operator agrees to perform all the machine operations on the owner’s land in exchange for a set fee or rate...

China's Grain Crop Forecast Higher 

By Richard Brock

China’s production of major grains may rise in 2008 due to higher yields, despite a reduction in planted area, the China National Grain and Oils Information Center (CNGOIC) said on Monday...

Nitrogen Strategies For A Wet Spring 

This true or false quiz comes from the Iowa Soybean On-Farm Network. It’s a part of their Nitrogen management handbook...

High Corn Prices, Saturated Soils Put Spotlight On Nitrogen 

Source: Iowa Soybean Associate On-Farm Network

For the second year in a row, farmers in many parts of the Midwest are facing moisture-saturated soils that could leave corn short on both nitrogen (N) and yield in 2008...

Custom Rates Increasing 

By Kent Thiesse

As would be expected with increasing fuel costs, average 2008 custom rates for farm work have also risen, compared to 2007 and 2006 custom rates...

USDA Seen Cutting Corn Carryout 9% 

By Richard Brock

The grain trade is looking for a substantial reduction in the projected 2007-2008 U.S. corn carryout and modest increases in soybean and wheat ending stocks when USDA releases its latest monthly supply/demand update...

March 31 Crop Report 

By Kent Thiesse

On March 31, 2008, USDA released its Prospective Plantings and Quarterly Grain Stocks reports. This was one of the most anticipated USDA reports ever, due to the strong grain prices in recent months...

Prospective Plantings 

Source: National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA

Corn planted acreage down 8% from 2007; soybean acreage up 18%; all wheat acreage up 6%; all cotton acreage down 13%.
Corn growers intend to plant 86 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2008, down 8% from last year...

Operation Strip-Till Gets Rolling 

Source: Iowa State University

Two north-central Iowa men put their heads together and created an opportunity for farmers interested in trying strip-till on their farms...

Stand Establishment And Soil Compaction Challenges May Crop Up This Spring 

Source: Purdue University

Cool, wet weather conditions are expected to continue this spring, which may result in stand establishment and soil compaction concerns for many Hoosier farmers...

Argentine Farm Strike Continues 

The two sides in the Argentine farm strike appear to be digging in their heels as the protest enters its third week. Transportation into the nation’s main export ports has been blocked...

USDA Reports 

By Bob Sampson

The most important of three upcoming USDA reports in terms of crop prices may be the Prospective Plantings report, says Darrel Good, University of Illinois Extension marketing specialist...

Expert Advises Farmers To Plant Corn In Fields Not Yet Committed 

Source: Purdue University

The market incentives all winter have been telling farmers to plant more soybeans, but we have seen a reversal in the new crop futures, says Chris Hurt, a Purdue University Extension agricultural economist...

Pathologist: Be Wary Of Fungicide Yield Boost Claims 

Source: Purdue University

Farmers who apply fungicide to corn and soybeans because they believe the chemical boosts yields could be treating their crops with little more than a placebo, Greg Shaner, Purdue University Extension plant pathologist, says...

USDA Cuts U.S. Soy, Wheat Stocks 

By Richard Brock

On Tuesday morning, USDA lowered its estimates of 2007-2008 U.S ending stocks for soybeans and wheat by more than the trade expected, while leaving its corn carryout estimate unchanged from February...