The wild weather of 2019 created challenging conditions, which caused many to implement unconventional practices on some farms. Heavy downpours on tight Midwestern clay soils delayed planting in much of our marketing area, and the shorter planting windows left farmers wondering, “Should I switch my corn hybrids to shorter-season maturities?” This question prompted our Practical Farm Research (PFR)® team at Beck’s to organize a delayed planting hybrid response study. 

What were the top recommendations this year for delayed planting and how will it affect harvest? Check out this video to learn more.

In this electrifying video, our team in El Paso tested the Weed Zapper at the CIL Organic Field Day to see if it would be a useful component in an organic weed control program.

The spring of 2019 has been nothing but challenging for most Midwest farmers. Because of these challenges, we could see more soybean diseases. Because we experienced plenty of rainfall both before planting and after soybean emergence, certain diseases like phytophthora root and stem rot, brown stem rot, rhizoctonia, brown spot, and white mold could show up in soybean fields. These diseases prefer wet/saturated environments and spells of cool/humid conditions. As a result, crop management throughout the growing season will be key to protecting yield potential.

With prominent wet conditions this past fall and spring, switching to more in-season nitrogen management programs is a task many farmers are faced with this year. So what options are available for in-season nitrogen application? Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® team has past data on yield-gaining nitrogen management programs. One new product we are testing this year is PinnitMax™, a nitrogen stabilizer product.

This latest PFR Report features Clayton Stufflebeam, PFR Location Lead at our Central Illinois PFR site as he talks about an exciting new-ish study we will be conducting this year! 

This spring, Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® team is testing new equipment technology. Jared Chester, PFR Location Lead in London, OH, gives an overview of our study on Yetter’s 2984 Strip Freshener. Just a week after using this equipment, we already see a difference. The question is will this visual difference translate to increased yield this fall. Stay tuned for updates on this study in the coming months.

Rolling ground is always an interesting topic of discussion. If you talk to farmers in the Northern U.S., they’ll say it’s a great way to push down rocks and create better field conditions for planting any crop, as well as for harvesting soybeans. Farmers further south will say it can promote branching and increase soybean yields when rolling once the soybeans are up.

Pouring sugar…on plants? What kind of madness is this?

Not madness at all! Plants need sugar for carbohydrate transport, energy, and stored fuel. Carbohydrates in the form of simple sugars, like glucose, are converted to complex sugars by means of starches. When this conversion process occurs in plants, better growth + development, improved regulation of various biological systems, as well as respiration & transpiration steps can occur. Graphic 1 (below) shows the process of photosynthesis.

Is there an "easy button" when it comes to weed control?

Check out this PFR report featuring PFR Operator and Herbicide Specialist, Joe Bolte, and University of Missouri Extension Weed Scientist, Dr. Kevin Bradley as they discuss the importance of in-season residual herbicides.