1
Aug
2022
Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble and dry grass collapses into the flame, so their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 5:24)
Categories: CropTalk, 2022
Tags: CropTalk, The Sower
Most of the management of a corn crop is completed during the first half of the growing season. Establishing a consistent stand, managing weeds, and applying nitrogen and other nutrients are all tasks completed before tassel. We might apply a fungicide, insecticide, or foliar nutrition as needed after tassel, but unless irrigation is an option, August and September are usually spent preparing for harvest and praying for optimal weather – warm days, cool nights, and ideal rainfall.
Tags: CropTalk, corn, grain fill
November 2011: Beck’s announces a new corn trialing system now known as Genetic Choice Trials. But what are Genetic Choice Trials? They are our world-class, pre-commercial corn mini strip yield trials set up in four 40 ft. long rows and replicated multiple times.
Tags: CropTalk, choice trial
Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® studies have consistently proven the value of making foliar fungicide applications to soybeans at the R3 growth stage. I am often asked if there is value in adding an insecticide to this treatment. Many of the the late-season soybean pests we deal with are very good at hiding in the dense canopies of soybean fields, which makes it difficult for us to be aware of their presence until after they have caused yield loss.
Tags: CropTalk, soybeans, soybean pests
It was 1964 in Atlanta, Indiana, and single cross hybrid corn was the talk of the town. Sonny Beck, CEO of Beck’s, had just graduated from Purdue University with a mission of delivering this new, exciting data to the farmer. That summer, thirty farmers and friends gathered together for the first-ever Beck’s Field Show.
Tags: CropTalk, Becknology Days, field shows
Jul
Helping farmers succeed. At our core, that’s what Beck’s is all about. But, in the grand scheme of things, we want to help everyone succeed — whether they’re farmers or not. It’s in our values to be a support system, to offer a helping hand to those in need.
Tags: Culture, events, benefit auction
During an interview, I asked seven Beck’s employees the same question: “What makes summer Field Shows so special to Beck’s? All seven employees replied with the same answer. ”It’s the people.”
Tags: Becknology Days, field shows, Culture, events
As we approach the middle of summer, we hope your alfalfa and forage crops are off to a great start. Here are some management tips for the rest of the season. We’ve also included fall seedings information, alfalfa research from Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® program, and details on Beck’s BIO-XTRA™ inoculants.
Tags: alfalfa, crop management, forage crops
Tar Spot (Phyllachora maydis) was one of the hottest new corn diseases to hit the US in 2015 and has continued to rear its very distinct, speckled head in subsequent years. We had major outbreaks in 2018 and again in 2021 in various parts of our marketing area. Now that it is here, and we won’t be getting rid of it any time soon, how can we best scout for it and combat this disease?
Tags: tar spot, disease management
“The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” (Psalm 145:17-18) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
Tags:
Jun
Husband. Soon-to-be dad. Farmer. Friend. Business owner. Minnesota native. Beck’s dealer.
Tags: Human Interest, Beck's Dealer, Culture
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.
Tags: Water Management, Irrigation
Gene Editing – the next revolution in plant breeding is underway! Although the ability for gene editing has been around for many years, recent advances in technology have democratized this tool. Fueled by this, many companies, from startups to established multinationals, are starting their edits. Our team at Beck’s is involved as well.
Tags: soybeans, gene editing, Plant Breeding, Genetics
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!
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
I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. (I Corinthians 3:6-7)
2
May
And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. (I Corinthians 2:1-5 NASB)
This should come as a surprise to no one, but the herbicides glyphosate and glufosinate are in limited supply and have received price increases for 2022. The purpose of this article is to help you navigate this volatile market while still controlling troublesome weeds in your soybean fields. The focus will be on controlling pigweed species (waterhemp and Palmer amaranth), but the information is applicable to most of our weed spectrum.
Tags: soybeans, weed control, herbicides, weed management
The 2022 growing season kicks off our third year exploring a category of studies within Practical Farm Research (PFR)® designed to provide data to help you make more profitable in-season decisions. Compacting rain, cold snaps, frost, or hail are some of the uncontrollable in-season events that affect stands, plant health, and crop development, ultimately causing us to revisit our original plans in order to maintain profitability.
Tags: PFR, Replant, plant health, crop development, in-season decisions
Grain sorghum, or milo, is thought to be a secondary row crop in many regions of the Beck’s marketing area. It is a warm-season grass with a high level of heat and drought tolerance compared to other major row crops. In many areas of the US, grain sorghum is an ideal crop for the marginally productive, dryland acre, but an adequate pH is necessary as it is sensitive to a pH below 6.0. Grain sorghum can also be utilized in a crop rotation system, especially if root-knot nematodes (RKN) are present, as it is not a host for RKN.
Tags: planting, grain sorghum, milo, management