Weed resistance

As weed resistance continues to grow, it’s important to arm yourself with the latest in what weeds are resistant, new methods of control and what you can do to keep from having a resistance problem in your fields.

May 22, 2012

Article

ARC Farm Program Net Returns

Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) is a revenue-based proposed Farm Bill program passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee. In this post, net returns for corn are examined using prices and ARC payments detailed in a May 9, 2012 post. At $4/bu. and below corn prices, ARC will make payments, aiding in cushioning revenue losses. However, ARC payments are not large enough is assure profits, as farmers who cash rent will face losses at prices below $4/bu....More
May 22, 2012

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Is This Your Kid? The Bottom Half of the Bell Curve

Over the past few months I have guest lectured in agriculture and business classes at various universities and colleges. Of course, times are changing since my days in the classroom when I taught over 10,000 students at Virginia Tech and Cornell University. Today’s classrooms have an abundance of technology at one's disposal, for both professors and students with a wide range of interests and agendas....More
May 22, 2012

blog

Planting, Herbicides and Farm Programs

Across southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, nearly all the intended corn is planted, and over 90% of the soybeans were planted as of May 18. Most of the corn and many of the soybeans that are planted in this region have emerged, and stands look fairly good....More
May 18, 2012

Article

Postemergence Corn Herbicide Considerations

The eastern Corn Belt's early corn crop has started to – and so have the weeds. So now is the time for growers to consider postemergence herbicide applications, says Travis Legleiter, a Purdue Extension weed specialist. In the northern part of the Corn Belt, some of the crop is as far along as the V3, or third leaf, growth stage. Development is even further along in some fields in the southern part of the region. That means corn farmers need to prepare to apply the right postemergence herbicide at the right time, likely within the next few weeks....More
May 18, 2012

Article

Ag Subcommittee Highlights Importance of Fair, Effective Safety Net

Commodity programs and crop insurance were the focus of a two-day hearing that began on Wednesday, and is the third hearing series on agriculture policy in advance of writing the 2012 Farm Bill. Title I programs and crop insurance form the backbone of the farm safety net that ensures farmers are able to manage a few seasons of volatile prices or devastating weather patterns. This effort ultimately ensures that consumers have a stable food and fiber supply....More
May 17, 2012

Article

7 Factors Affecting Herbicide Injury to Corn

During the past week, the number of observations and inquiries related to corn injury from herbicides increased, says University of Illinois Associate Professor of Weed Science Aaron Hager. Instances of corn injury appear to be fairly widespread across the state. Direct application of postemergence herbicides and persistence of herbicides applied last season appear to be responsible for much of the injury....More
May 17, 2012

Article

Farm Labor Report: Hired Workers Down Nearly 5%, Wage Rates Up Nearly 2% From a Year Ago

There were 575,000 workers hired directly by farm operators on the nation's farms and ranches during the week of January 8-14, 2012, down nearly 5% from a year ago. Workers hired directly by farm operators numbered 748,000 for the following quarter's reference week of April 8-14, 2012. Because NASS did not publish estimates for the April 2011 quarter, no previous year comparison is available for April....More
May 17, 2012

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

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.
May 16, 2012

Article

DCP, ACRE Sign-Up Ends June 1

USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Bruce Nelson reminds farmers that enrollment for the 2012 Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP) and the Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE) ends June 1, 2012. “We want producers to know that DCP and ACRE are still available for enrollment,” says Nelson....More
May 15, 2012

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Simple vs. Olympic Prices used in Farm Commodity Programs

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.