1
Jun
2022
Across the Cornbelt, with very few exceptions, water availability to the growing crop is a daily topic of conversation, consideration, or concern. Too much, too little, too late, and on occasion, there has even been concern of too dry to plant. We manage water with ditches, tile, subsurface drains, pipes, pumps, and supplemental irrigation water – the most common being an overhead, center pivot irrigation. And as goes water availability, so goes root growth and, in general, nutrient availability, especially nitrogen and sulfur. To a grower with sandy or coarse soils, the ability to irrigate is the ability to raise a profitable crop.
Categories: CropTalk, 2022
Tags: Water Management, Irrigation
Apr
On January 11, 2022, the EPA completed the registration amendment process for Enlist One® (2,4-D choline) and Enlist Duo® (2,4-D choline + glyphosate) herbicides for the 2022 planting season through January 11, 2029. The Enlist® weed control system includes Enlist herbicides, Enlist Ahead Training, and Enlist E3® soybeans, cotton and corn.
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May
2020
What the 2020 growing season will offer is yet to be seen, but there is a strong trend toward higher precipitation levels and more significant rainfall events. What can we do to adjust our nitrogen management to better cope with the uncertainty these trends present?
Categories: CropTalk, 2020
2
Mar
For some, the prospect of growing corn following corn is challenging and promising. For others, in contrast to a corn following soybean (SB-C) rotation, the corn following corn (C-C) rotation imparts concern and consternation.
Tags: CropTalk, corn, crop rotation, corn after corn
4
Dec
2019
Diseases in cultivated crops are not a new phenomenon. The root cause of the Irish Potato Famine was a fungal disease, Phytophthora infestans, commonly called late blight. Today, late blight is still a primary disease concern in potatoes; proactive management practices are in place. Genetics, cultural management, and timely, preventative applications of fungicides are critical.
Categories: CropTalk, 2019
Sep
Soil is the miraculous biological, chemical, and physical medium that enables farmers, growers, and gardeners alike to plant, tend, and harvest a bounty of fruits and vegetables. For our purposes, soil is defi ned as the upper layer of earth that may be tilled and in which seeds germinate; emerge; take root; and ultimately grow to be plants (note: weeds are plants too). When the soil is fertile it is balanced with both water and air pore space; and the essential nutrients needed to support plant growth.
Tags: CropTalk, soil pH, lime, nutrient availability