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Feb
2022
Since Sonny Beck’s launch of Practical Farm Research (PFR)® in 1964, the unbiased research program has grown to over 800+ acres of agronomic trials managed at seven Beck’s facilities and three cooperator sites. Three to five replications of each treatment are conducted in the studies — ranging from cultural practices to chemical and biological products to innovative technologies and the farming fan favorite topic — equipment. Not all farms are the same, and not all fields are the same, therefore not all studies tested in PFR are implemented at every location. Some studies are unique to locations, like the Corn 400 Bushel and Soybean 125 Bushel Challenges to Atlanta, IN, and the Water Management Study-Tile Spacing to London, OH.
Categories: CropTalk, 2022
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A lot can be learned from the Schenk family of Posey County, Indiana. A family who has made extraordinary contributions to their community and their farming operation. Indiana AgriNews and Beck’s is honored to announce the Schenk Family as the 25th Indiana Farm Family of the Year, a distinguished award given each year to a deserving farm family.
Jan
Over the last 25 years, soybean herbicide trait technologies have continued to increase and improve weed control options. However, the resulting chemical programs have relied heavily on the use of two products, glyphosate and glufosinate, as a base for weed control. As a result of the high demand and the challenges experienced over the last year and a half in both production and shipping, these two commonly applied herbicides are in short supply. Not only will getting these products likely be a challenge, but the price of these products has increased several times what they were in previous growing seasons.
Categories: CropTalk, 2021
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)
Like many farmers, you may be wondering if you can “rob” the soil nutrient bank in 2022 to avoid paying record, or near-record, fertilizer prices. While this is usually a poor strategy, there may be some fields that can forgo a year of applied fertility if the soil nutrient bank is full and cycling properly.
Finally! Nebraska farmers now have the opportunity to experience the quality products and service that Beck’s has been known for since 1937. Our expansion into Nebraska adds more than 15 million acres of corn and soybeans to Beck’s marketing area, allows us to provide Nebraska farmers access to the world’s most diverse genetics and traits, and provides a culture founded in faith and dedication to helping farmers succeed.
One of the most common questions asked during Practical Farm Research (PFR)® tours this summer was about Xyway™ LFR®. It’s a new atplanting fungicide product from FMC that was tested across our PFR locations in 2021, and it was a study that definitely had my attention throughout the season.
Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe it’s 2022, and we’re featuring our SEVENTH episode of the Across the Acres podcast. Launched in August of 2021, Across the Acres is hosted by Carlye Frye (Delta Region Training Innovation Manager) and David Ringger (Central Region Training Innovation Manager). Each month, they introduce a member of the Beck family of employees, dealers, and farmers across our marketing territory and provide a platform to share stories about their careers, families, and their faith.
Dec
2021
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15)
If you are like me, you probably believe that the planting pass is the most important pass you will make all season. Jason Gahimer and I presented Everything Planters at Beck’s 2021 Field Shows and Becknology™ Days. The goal of this talk was to express previous research data and showcase new topics to help make that all-important pass the best possible. Below I highlight the topics we discussed at our field shows.
Tags: CropTalk, planting, Closing Wheels, fertilizer, row cleaners
Quietly, behind the scenes of agriculture, there has been both a revolution and an evolution in the world of breeding. Beck’s has built a program to be a competitor in the race for a successful future for farmers.
For the introductory decades of Beck’s, the company consisted of Francis, his wife Pauline, their youngest child, Sonny, and a few farm employees. Its simple business plan called for reinvesting most of the profit back into the enterprise. It resembled the same steps followed by many farmers: Grow a little crop. Sell a little crop. Buy another little farm. Repeat.
Ronnie Clifton has five zebras, flies a single-engine plane, and has been to South Africa 27 times. He is a farmer, a veteran, a dad to two, a grandpa to four, and his blood type is O+.
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!
Tags: corn, soybeans, Practical Farm Research, PFR, PFR Insights
Nov
Innovate, adapt, and overcome is a term you frequently hear at Beck’s. It has become a motto used in all aspects of our business; a call out to look at things differently, change the way we approach life, and follow through adversity in unique and innovative ways.
Tags: CropTalk, rootworm
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; (I Thessalonians 5:16-18a)
When we think about maximizing soybean performance, there are many agronomic factors to consider. Agronomists usually discuss variety selection, varietal maturity, seed treatment, seeding rate, planting depth, fertility, pest and weed control, and planting date, to name some of the key factors. In this article, I am going to focus on the importance of planting date and how it impacts soybean performance.
Tags: CropTalk, soybean yield
Wow! What an early and long harvest window we have been blessed with this year! September began the start of harvest for the Practical Farm Research (PFR)® team after Field Show season wrapped up. For those who attended Beck’s Field Shows in-person or virtually, sneak peeks of our 2021 studies were highlighted throughout the buggy tours and tent talks. Once harvest data rolls in from the PFR sites, the studies’ information is analyzed and assembled in the annual PFR Book. What’s new for the 2021 PFR Book?
Earlier this year, the Education team pitched an idea for a podcast, and after months of brainstorming, research, content development, and interviews, Across the Acres was born.
Oct
O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! (Psalm 34:8)
The verse above took on new meaning for Teri and I recently when we became ill with Covid-19 and both lost our sense of taste and smell. All things considered, those were some of the minor side effects. As I write this, I still do not have my taste or smell back, and maybe I will not get them back, but in the grand scheme of life…I WILL live.
Tags: CropTalk