All Multimedia Library

May 2012 Crop Update

Fri, 25 May 2012 21:01:00 +0000

The corn and soybean crops are off to a nice start in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, says Kent Thiesse, former Extension educator and vice president of MinnStar Bank in Lake Crystal, MN. He notes that drought-like conditions have been overcome by some nice rainfall in May, which included some storms. Herbicide application has been a challenge due to wind and rain, Thiesse says.

Corn Rootworm Challenges

Thu, 24 May 2012 19:58:00 +0000

Managing corn rootworm is a challenge for farmers. However, using best management practices and understanding your fields is key to keeping the pest under control, says Luke Samuel, corn insect traits product development manager, Monsanto. Samuel suggests that farmers in high-pressure areas, especially, use rotation, dual modes of action or single modes plus insecticide to manage corn rootworm.

May 23 WAOB Weather Summary

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:24:00 +0000

Warm, dry weather prevailed for much of the week in the Midwest, allowing corn planting to near completion. In addition, soybean planting quickly advanced, passing the halfway mark early in the week. Toward week’s end, showers and thunderstorms boosted soil moisture in the upper Midwest. Farther west, scattered showers dotted the nation’s midsection – early in the week on the southern Plains and late in the week on the northern Plains.

May 15 USDA, NOAA, Dept. of Commerce Weather Summary

Thu, 17 May 2012 15:21:00 +0000

Here's a summary and some key graphics from the latest USDA, NOAA and Department of Commerce weekly weather update. All graphics are courtesy of those departments.

Simple vs. Olympic Prices used in Farm Commodity Programs

Tue, 15 May 2012 20:34:00 +0000

When historical averages are needed, an Olympic average often is used rather than a simple average in calculating benchmarks in farm bill commodity programs. For example, the Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) program that was passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee uses Olympic averages of prices and yields in calculating benchmark revenue. In this post, Olympic averages are compared to simple averages for corn and soybean prices. Generally, Olympic and simple averages will track one over time. The relationship of Olympic to simple averages depends on the nature of distributions across time.

Syngenta Pipeline: New Technologies, Future Traits

Wed, 02 May 2012 19:05:00 +0000

From pest, disease and weed control to drought and heat tolerance, Syngenta is excited about their new and future product line up for corn and soybeans. David Morgan, region director with Syngenta, talks about what's new and what farmers can expect from Syngenta in the future.

Think Like a Grower: Syngenta's Integrated Approach

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:43:00 +0000

Syngenta has unveiled a new strategy to "think like a grower," as part of a new integrated approach to doing business with farmers. By thinking like farmers, the company will be better able to develop integrated solutions to address growers' needs.

New Holland Sidewinder II Armrest

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:06:00 +0000

New Holland has come out with a second generation of the Sidewinder armrest, the Sidewinder II. Taking input from consumers and design cues from Fiat (automaker), the new armrest is movable and offers all controls at the tip of a finger, or thumb, rather. The Sidewinder II is available on the T6, T7 and T8 tractor models.

New Holland CR Series Combine

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:14:00 +0000

New Holland has introduced the new CR series combines. The new machines continue using a dual-rotor design, a fully self-leveling cleaning system and have increased cab visibility as well as easy to use controls. The combines are compatible with several different head models.

2012 Corn, Soybean Planting

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:18:00 +0000

Spring is always a welcome and busy time of year for farmers. From readying planters to fieldwork to chemical or fertilizer applications, there is no end of activity on the farm. Check out what farmers have been up to this year in our 2012 planting photo gallery. We'd love to include your photos, too, so email them to csd@csdigest.com and we'll add them here!