1
Jun
2022
Practical Farm Research (PFR)® has become the go-to resource for farmers to gain information on new products and practices, and 2022 marks the third season of studies designed to test in-season management decisions to aid in profitability. These studies focus on real-world situations that we all encounter in the field and decisions we are forced to make to maintain profitability. In last month’s issue of CropTalk, we higlighted management strategies for early in the season. This month, we expand on that theme by highlighting studies and data for the rest of the season!
Categories: CropTalk, 2022
Tags: corn, soybeans, planting, Fungicide, PFR, ROI, Decision Making, Mid-Season
Since 1964, Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® has strived to help farmers find new ways to better manage their farms and increase their ROI. So, what better place to start than with Beck’s farmers on our seed production team. To learn more about the PFR management practices and products used across the company’s seed corn and soybean production acres, I sat down with Darin Lucas, Beck’s production location agronomist in Atlanta, IN.
Tags: corn, soybeans, Practical Farm Research, PFR, Success Strategies, Production
6
Dec
2021
Since 1937, the Beck family has owned and operated Beck’s, the largest family-owned retail seed company and the third-largest seed brand in the United States. As farmers themselves, the Beck family recognizes the value of conducting unbiased agronomic research to help farmers succeed.
Categories: PFR
Tags: corn, soybeans, Practical Farm Research, PFR, Success Strategies
In a high-cost, limited input supply market, where should farmers invest their money? This year’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® Insight Meetings are based on the theme of ‘How to Invest Money to Make Money.’ Sessions that will be included under this new theme are focused on helping farmers make the most profitable and impactful decisions on their operations, for each dollar spent. Under each unique management topic, new study harvest data and PFR Proven™ content will be featured. The spotlight on PFR Proven™ products and practices will tell stories of the knowledge PFR has captured from multiple years and locations of testing. Innovation is key to staying relevant with changes and opportunities in the industry – watch out for what new studies entered the PFR program this past growing season and what has earned the PFR Proven label. Here’s a preview of what content will be shared at the in-person and virtual meetings!
Categories: CropTalk, 2021
Tags: corn, soybeans, Practical Farm Research, PFR, PFR Insights
Sep
Each year brings new data from our Practical Farm Research (PFR®) team. By looking at diverse products and practices across several locations, we have determined five success strategies for corn that we believe will provide farmers with the highest likelihood of success.
Tags: corn, PFR, proven farm research
Aug
The Beck’s Mission Statement is: to provide our customers with the best in seed quality, field performance, and service. I find this mission statement to be evident within the production team, from the passion and dedication Jason spoke with about Beck’s production department during this interview.
Tags: CropTalk, corn, seed corn, production update
10
May
In many areas of the Midwest, silage is not an afterthought, it is the focus of the entire farm operation. With that in mind, Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® team will begin conducting corn silage-specific PFR studies in 2021. We know that there is a craving for agronomic research that focuses on producing hightonnage corn silage, and we are going to help find those answers.
Tags: CropTalk, corn, PFR, corn silage, pfr silage, silage studies
Apr
Spring is here! Hopefully you’ve had a chance to look through the 2020 PFR Book and pick out a PFR Proven™ product or practice to try for 2021. With planting season here, we wanted to share a few early-season PFR Proven products and practices to consider implementing on your farm this spring.
Tags: CropTalk, corn, soybeans, PFR, Planting Date, PFR Proven, Closing Wheels
Mar
Each year we launch new and exciting corn products with added yield and additional agronomic strengths. The process to evaluate each class takes years and hundreds, if not thousands, of trials to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each product. It is rigorous; from field observations to data analysis, thousands of hybrids must be narrowed down to a select few that will be launched in our commercial lineup. These are the “best of the best” hybrids from the most elite breeding programs in the world.
Tags: CropTalk, corn, 2021, new corn
Oct
2020
Corn rootworm tends to be a measurable issue every year, but 2020 corn rootworm incident reports have been higher than normal. Although farmers across Beck’s marketing area experienced higher rootworm populations, northern Iowa has the most documented reports. Iowa Field Agronomists NATE MAYER AND JON CASPERS have been in the trenches, evaluating corn rootworm damage, trait integrity, and measuring beetle populations to provide proactive recommendations for 2021 success.
Categories: CropTalk, 2020
Tags: CropTalk, corn, corn rootworm
3
Corn grain yield, typically measured in bushels per acre, can be broken down into distinct components that each contribute to the weight of harvested grain. While genetics govern some yield components, much of the harvested yield is directly affected by environmental conditions and management practices. Yield components include number of plants per acre, number of ears per plant, the number of kernels per ear, and the weight of each kernel.
Tags: CropTalk, corn, yield components, corn yield, plants per acre, kernel weight, yield estimate
2
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
Farmers understand that planting top-quality grain corn hybrids and soybean varieties is key to the overall success of an operation. The same can be said for forage crops. At Beck’s, we understand that if you’re growing corn silage and alfalfa, you are analyzing genetics and management practices just like you would for grain corn and soybeans. That is why we spend a lot of time evaluating both our silage hybrids and alfalfa varieties for their strongest attributes and how they can make your operation more profitable.
Tags: CropTalk, corn, Fertility, alfalfa, Silage
4
Feb
Cycles of precipitation, along with freezing and thawing in the Midwest, made fall field a challenge to say the least. For areas that primarily use anhydrous ammonia, this may be especially true with the increase in annual precipitation that we have experienced in the Corn Belt. Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® team has been conducting research on different nitrogen management products and practices to help farmers make decisions and analyze various options to maximize their ROI.
Categories: PFR, PFR Reports
Tags: corn, Nitrogen, sidedress, #AskPFR, 2x2x2, 2x2, 2x2x2 Systems, nitrogen applications, multi-location
5
Nov
2019
What were the top recommendations this year for delayed planting and how will it affect harvest? Check out this video to learn more.
Tags: corn, Delayed planting, corn planting dates, hybrid maturity
As you set forth your 2020 vision, there are new technologies at play in the seed industry. Trait names, trade names, and marketing campaigns can all obscure the message — making it difficult to discern the right traits for your farm. In an effort to help you understand one new technology in the corn market, Beck’s Director of Research, Dr. Kevin Cavanaugh, answered a few common questions.
Categories: CropTalk, 2019
Tags: CropTalk, corn, Beck's Hybrids Research Department, seed corn, research, qrome
This season has been one for the record books for nearly every state in the Corn Belt. Extreme rainfall and delayed planting forced many farmers to plant well into June and in some cases, July. As every seasoned farmer knows, conditions like what we saw in 2019 will have consequences. A carefully laid fall harvest plan will help to limit further losses come harvest time. If we look back one year to 2018, many of these same environmental conditions occurred across Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa. There are lessons to learn and adapt to help us be more successful in 2019 across the Midwest.
Tags: harvest, corn, Scouting, Farmserver, Precision Farming, harvest19, harvest plan
9
Jul
With the challenging and stressful growing season that most of the Midwest’s corn crop has faced this year, many farmers have asked if a fungicide application is worth the investment for 2019.
Tags: corn, fungicide applications, PFR, PFR Report, late-planted corn, Fungicide on Corn, fungicide time of day
Spring of 2019 will be one that sets the standard for challenges. Farmers are resilient and went to great lengths to get the crop planted, but in low-lying, wet areas of many fields, there was no opportunity to plant row crops. So now, in addition to managing crops, many farmers must also manage their unplanted acres.
Tags: CropTalk, corn, late planting, fallow syndrome, 2019, fungi
Planting under film? We're up for the challenge!
Check out this PFR report as Samantha Miller, Agronomy Information Specialist, interviews Will Albrecht from F.O.R & SAMCO to learn more about their "Film on Roll" biodegradable mulch film product for row crops.
Tags: corn, PFR, PFR Report, Innovations. Planting under film, heat units, PFR studides