1
Apr
2021
6. That’s the number of years I had worked here at Beck’s before taking a true, in-depth tour of the biotech building here in Atlanta, IN. But earlier this year, a few members of our research team opened their doors and allowed me to follow them around for two hours as they explained the amazing work their teams do, day in and day out. We are lucky to have 101 beyond talented full-time employees (with 47 job titles among them) across 7 locations who dedicate their time and energy to bringing farmers highperforming, regional products quickly and efficiently.
Categories: CropTalk, 2021
Tags: CropTalk, research
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
Heading into the 2021 planting season, this is the first year that we have not been in the middle of launching a new soybean technology to our sales team and customers. As exciting and interesting as it is to launch new technologies in three consecutive seasons, it can lead to confusion about what technology fits best on the farm.
Tags: CropTalk, soybeans, 2021
Every year we prepare a plan for the growing season, and every year Mother Nature throws us a curveball! Many of Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® studies focus on helping you develop your plan for the year utilizing different studies and practices. The PFR Proven™ designation has helped us narrow down the activities that increase profit and set direction.
Tags: CropTalk, PFR, Replant, PFR Studies, thin stand, stand management
And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. (Luke 22:41-44)
Tags: CropTalk, The Sower
Mar
Diversification. It looks different on every farm, but today it has become a common practice to stay profitable and maintain an operation. For some, it may look like a seed or chemical dealership. For others, it’s growing a niche crop. For one farmer in Iowa, it is investing in an unexpected sector of agriculture for the cool temperatures and saltless waters of the Midwest – shrimp farming.
Tags: CropTalk, shrimp farming
If you watched the 2021 PFR Insight meetings, you know by now that FARMserver® is rolling out a whole new feature this spring. The Growth Model in FARMserver takes several pieces of information and uses it to predict the growth stage of each field. We’re nothing short of excited to tell you about it!
Tags: CropTalk, Farmserver, PFR
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
Seed selection is just one part of achieving a successful alfalfa stand. No matter the quality of the seed, poor planting practices will never return a satisfying stand of alfalfa. Decisions made during establishment will factor into production over the life of the stand.
Tags: CropTalk, alfalfa, forages, alfalfa stand
One of the first steps to a successful herbicide program is starting clean to allow the pre-emerge herbicide to reach the soil surface. The burndown also allows the opportunity to utilize other “effective” sites of action (SOA) that can’t be used in-season such as Gramoxone® SL 2.0. Spraying early in the spring provides the opportunity to control winter annuals like marestail and emerging summer annuals such as giant ragweed. When evaluating spring burndown options, we must consider if the herbicide has burndown only activity or burndown plus residual activity. Products like Liberty® and Gramoxone SL 2.0 will not have any residual activity but will provide very effective burndown activity. Other burndown products such as Sharpen® or metribuzin will provide residual value depending on the herbicide rate.
Tags: CropTalk, Marestail, PFR, burndown, Dicamba
Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? Deuteronomy 10:12-13
Feb
Nine years ago, the Stephensons started their farm with 25 acres and a dream. Now, they farm 600 acres of corn and soybeans in the heart of the eastern Corn Belt.
Tags: CropTalk, community talk, farm family of the year
Spring is nearly here, and for many, it’s time to think about our cover crop termination. Some cover crop species may have winterkilled, and others may be harvested or used for grazing; however, many stands will require termination.
Tags: CropTalk, cover crop, Cover Crop Termination
Another season of Practical Farm Research (PFR)® data is in the books. Naturally, the first section I check out is the PFR Proven™ section. This section is very important when it comes to making decisions on your operation. For a product or practice to earn the PFR Proven title, it must be tested at multiple locations for a minimum of three years. In each of the three years, it must provide a positive yield gain each and every year and average a positive ROI over the combined years of research.
Tags: CropTalk, PFR, PFR Proven, 2020 pfr
The New Year is here! This is a great time to evaluate your current cropping program and decide the areas you can seek to improve in 2021. Planters are a key priority for us in Practical Farm Research (PFR)®. The planter pass sets the stage for the rest of the growing season; its success is vital for raising higher yields. PFR has tested several planter attachments and aftermarket options.
Tags: CropTalk, PFR, PFR Proven, PFR Studies, 2020 pfr
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” Genesis 1:26
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27
4
Jan
Love God. Love people. Live design. That is the motto of Freedom International Ministries, and it’s one that has significant meaning to the Beck family and many of our employees.
Tags: CropTalk, freedom international, sweepstakes, beck foundation
The ever-popular PFR Book that many of you know and utilize on your operation is not the only publication the Practical Farm Research (PFR)® team at Beck’s develops. We also publish a PFR Wheat Book each year!
Tags: CropTalk, Wheat, PFR, PFR Proven
Farmers and others in the agricultural community have waited patiently since June for a decision regarding the labeled use of approved dicamba containing herbicide formulations for use within the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® (X2) and XtendFlex® (XF) soybean systems. The wait is finally over, and farmers now have another valuable tool to combat herbicide resistance.
Tags: CropTalk, weed control, epa approval
Charcoal rot is a fairly common disease in dry portions of the U.S. where soybeans are grown. Most years, it's easy to find charcoal rot in areas of Missouri and Kansas; however, the disease is typically challenging to find in geographies further to the east and north.
Tags: CropTalk, charcoal rot, soybean rot, charcoal soybeans