September 1, 2009
Cover Story
Corn-Harvest Tips | 5 Top Corn-Harvest Tips for 2009
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By John Pocock
Farmers will likely face a challenging corn harvest this fall and should be prepared to handle anything, says Mark Hanna, Iowa State University Extension... More
My View
Don't Stop Cutting Costs
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Greg Lamp Editor glamp@csdigest.com
Cutting costs seems to be the mantra in almost any business these days. It sure is in our company and, frankly, it's what I hear from most buddies who... More
Features
4 Ways to Boost Corn Yield
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Mark Moore
Boosting corn yields doesn't always result from doing just one thing right. It's often a combination of many key management decisions, with help from... More
NCGA'S New Leader Speaks Out
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Greg Lamp
If Darrin Ihnen could pick one thing he's going to attack as he steps into the role as president of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), it's... More
Nail Down Yields Early
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Paul Queck
Most of us are skittish about selling much of our new crop until we have a good sense for how it will yield. Mike Emens of Frankfort, IN, has a leg up... More
Reaping Benefits
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Karen Bernick
As government energy policies threaten to raise agricultural input costs, some farmers are using federal grants and guaranteed loans to help them become... More
Sizing up Software
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Jen Bennett
The devil is in the details. Which variety or hybrid did we plant? Which field was it in? Which day was it planted? Which herbicides were used? Which... More
Think Green
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Jen Bennett
Who knew there were numbers and letters left to name Deere products? Well, apparently there are, and they're introducing the 8R series tractors, as well... More
Reducing Farm Equipment Trips Across The Field Can Cut Costs for Growers | Skip a Trip
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Liz Morrison
Growers who bale corn residue have a good reason to chop corn stalks. But everybody else could just as well skip that trip across the field and save about... More
Cutting Corners the Smart Way
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Susan Winsor
Another word for farming is risk, says Steve Schmidt. His unpredictable Plains climate made risk management a matter of survival tool since day 1. He... More
Farming History Repeats Itself In Brazil | History vs. Future
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Tyler Bruch
Next in a series from Iowa farmer Tyler Bruch, Global Ag Investments, whose firm farms about 32,000 acres in Brazil and 40,000 acresin Ukraine. I was... More
Despite Pressure From Markets and Credit Crunches, Country Elevators Are Surviving | Survival of the Fittest
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM
Blame it on $7 corn and $16 beans, ethanol's explosion, high oil prices in the short term or the Russian grain embargo and reduction of government storage... More
News
Advanced Spark-Ignited Engines
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | Compiled by Greg Lamp
At a recent U.S. Department of Energy conference, Ricardo, an automotive technology company, claims the technology now exists to build ethanol-powered... More
CFTC to Expand COT Data
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | Compiled by Greg Lamp
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has started including more detailed classifications in its weekly Commitments of Traders (COT) reports, according... More
China Sees Record Corn Drop
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | Compiled by Greg Lamp
According to the Brock Report, China raised its corn production by 2% to a record 166.5 mmt due to larger plantings. Chinese farmers are said to have... More
Watch Where you Spray
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | Compiled by Greg Lamp
To help avoid spray drift lawsuits, log on to www.driftwatch.org, a new Web site serving Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Michigan and Illinois where you can... More
New Illinois Agronomy Handbook
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | Compiled By Greg Lamp
The 24th edition of the Illinois Agronomy Handbook for research-based guidance on crop production is now available, completely revised and updated with... More
When It Comes To Renting Farmland, It’s the Details That Make the Flexible Cash Lease | Ease Rent Risk
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Liz Morrison
Flexible cash rent leases helped Iowa grower Curt Hansen ride out the farm crisis of the 1980s. Today, flexible leases are helping him manage risk. Volatile... More
Biotech Crops Big Winner
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | Compiled by Greg Lamp
U.S. farmers prefer biotech varieties of corn, soybeans, cotton herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant traits, according to a USDA Economic Research... More
President Lays out Food Security Priorities
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | Compiled by Greg Lamp
During the recent Group of Eight meeting, President Obama and other world leaders committed to investing $20 billion in food security. The money will... More
EU Biotech Approvals Stall
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | Compiled by Greg Lamp
The European Union's approval system for agricultural biotechnology products continues to be broken, says Sharon Bomer Lauritsen, executive vice president,... More
Post Office Goes Green
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | Compiled by Greg Lamp
The USPS will replace 6,500 vehicles with those running on E85, gasoline/electric hybrids and fuel-efficient, four-cylinder vehicles.... More
New Semi Weight Analysis
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | Compiled by Greg Lamp
The Soy Transportation Coalition (STC) recently published, Heavier Semis: A Good Idea? a study analyzing the likely results of expanding semi weight limits... More
Farm Prices Depend on Recovery in General Economy
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | Compiled by Greg Lamp
Uncertainty in the general economy continues to drive the agricultural market outlook in a mid-year baseline, according to the University of Missouri... More
Products
Products
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM
FLEX HEADER The 45-ft. FD70 FlexDraper is new from MacDon. With a three-section flex frame, the header offers balanced floating action plus comparable... More
Letter
All-Ethanol Engine Developed
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM
I read the August Corn & Soybean Digest article about the blend wall and I wonder if you'd be interested in a new engine design being developed. You read... More
Profits
Escalating Farm Family Living Cost
Jul 28, 2009 11:59 AM | By Dave Kohl
The past few years have been rather strong economically for those outside the protein industries in agriculture. Higher earnings are now showing up in farm and ranch family living data on many of the farm record systems... More
Remember Big-Picture Farm-Management Issues: Cash, Credit, Costs, Customers
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Moe Russell
I am a big believer in perspective. It's easy, in the grind of a growing season, to become preoccupied with day-to-day operational activities and temporarily... More
Make Your Postharvest Marketing Plan Now
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Ed Usset
The time to ponder your marketing options postharvest is before combines start rolling. Your best alternatives are limited to selling at harvest, storing... More
Are We In Inflation or Deflation?
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Richard Brock
Many coffee shops are abuzz with this topic. With the amount of money this administration is pumping into the economy, the majority seems convinced that... More
They Pursue Identity-Preserved
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Larry Stalcup
From six guys wanting better corn and soybean markets, to over 70 growers and 100,000 acres committed to identity-preserved (IP) crops, a 10-year-old... More
Get Rid of Mite Pressure in Cornfields | Mitigate Mites
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Larry Stalcup
Like weeds, bad bugs are often resilient enough to gain resistance to chemicals that are overused. And menacing mites are among the tiny critters that... More
What to Consider Before Changing Corn Row Spacing | Spacing Switch?
Sep 1, 2009 12:00 PM | By Larry Stalcup
Old habits die hard. While 30-in. rows may have the highest corn yield in some areas, many southern growers still like 38-40-in. corn spacing to accommodate... More
(New Course)
