1
Apr
2021
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.
Categories: CropTalk, 2021
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
Aug
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
Sep
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
Jun
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
7
2018
Planting depth for row crops is a main topic of discussion in the agricultural community. Beck’s PFR team has heard your questions and in response, has put planting depth to yet another test. You may have seen our planting depth data over the last few years, but this year we added a second planting date into the mix. For this study, we planted corn in April and in May. In April, we tend to see cooler, wetter soils whereas in May we sometimes experience drier periods with less rainfall and warmer soil temperatures. Soil temperature and moisture have a great effect on how plants emerge. In this study, we looked to evaluate how much soil conditions can affect plant emergence, and how much yield potential we lose with late-emerging plants.
Tags: corn, Agronomy, Corn Planting Date, PFR, PFR Report, research, corn planting depth
14
May
Can in-furrow applications of sugar increase nutrient availability and yields in corn?
Tags: corn, Practical Farm Research, PFR, PFR Report, Sugar, Sugar In-Furrow, eXceed Nano Brown Sugar, Carbose, feed grade dextrose, solvita test
Review your fertility options for getting your corn crop going.
Tags: corn, planting, Practical Farm Research, PFR, PFR Report, PFR Proven, Starter Fertilizer, macronutrient, micronutrient, fertilizer, P-Max LFS, NACHURS imPulse 10-18-4, PureGrade Diamond 6-24-6.
6
Every year, Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® team evaluates, and then discusses, planting dates for corn. What is the ideal planting date for your region? Based on management practices including water management and tillage, can you get into the field during that timeframe?Better Late Than Never? Every year, Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® team evaluates, and then discusses, planting dates for corn. What is the ideal planting date for your region? Based on management practices including water management and tillage, can you get into the field during that timeframe? When we listen to winners from the NCGA yield contest, (https://thoughtsfromtheturnrow.com/2016/08/18/2014-ncga-yield-contest-winner/) one of the first things they tell us is we need consistency in emergence. One goal in PFR this year was to evaluate differences in emergence and determine how they impacted yield. Let’s Talk Regional Differences Typically, we see the best planting window at our Ohio PFR site in mid- to late April, as our yield potential starts to decrease when we plant in early June.
Tags: corn, Emergence, PFR, PFR Report, Planting Date
2017
Join Jim Schwartz, director of PFR and agronomy and Jason Gahimer, PFR operations manager, in the field as the team harvests one of our multi-population, multi-row width plots with Capello's All Row Gladiator Corn Head.
Tags: corn, corn harvest, Corn Head, Populations, row width
With their faith and family leading the way, Kelby and Kathie Iverson are building a legacy on their ranch in southern Utah. Both grew up with farming and ranching backgrounds, and are eager to raise their own six children with traditions of hard work and love of the land.
Categories: Why I Farm, Why I Farm Roadtrip
Tags: Beck's Blog, Why I Farm, Beck's Hybrids, corn, cattle, Natalina Sents, alfalfa, Why I Farm Roadtrip, agritourism, Ranch, Utah, Iverson
11
When he was a senior in high school, Justin Hamilton’s family moved to a new irrigated ranch near Columbus, Montana. His parents also owned the ACE Hardware store in town. Early in his career, Justin worked all day at the store and did ranch work at night.
Tags: Beck's Blog, Why I Farm, Beck's Hybrids, corn, cattle, Natalina Sents, alfalfa, Why I Farm Roadtrip, Ranch, Montana, Justin Hamilton