“He is not here, but HE HAS RISEN. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”

(Luke 24:6-7 NASB)

Over the last two years, Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® team in SIL has tested various water management systems. These studies included drip-fertigation and sub-irrigation studies as well as a tile spacing and tile depth studies. These different water management systems have resulted in some of the highest yields ever recorded at the SIL PFR site to date. In the February 2018 PFR report, we discussed the yield advantages we have seen from tile drainage and irrigation, and many of you asked why we saw such a yield increase.

Planting season is almost here which means many of you are probably thinking about all of the decisions that need to be made before the planter ever hits the field. Questions like “when should I start planting?”, “how deep should I plant?” and “should I wait for perfect conditions?” are all valid questions you may have. But answering them may require some planning and preparation to ensure you start your crops off in the best possible situation.

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.

When Clayton Stufflebeam isn’t working as PFR Location Lead at our new PFR site in El Paso, Illinois, you might find him playing with his toy tractors. In 2013, Clayton picked up the hobby of weathering toy tractors. Weathering is a specialization of customizing these tractors, where the finished product looks like it was just put up after harvest after years of work. The end result is a life-like, and often sentimental, representation of a tractor the way it once was.

When it comes to weed control, a post-emergence (POST) herbicide is one of the keys to a successful herbicide program. Today, there are different options to choose from such as LibertyLink®, Roundup Ready® and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend®. Each platform will have strengths when it comes to weed control.

This new year will begin a new chapter for two Beck’s employees as they embark on their retirements. These two men have helped Beck’s grow from 25 employees to 606 at last count. Tom Wallace, Fleet Associate, and Terry Shirk, Warehouse Manager, each just celebrated 24 years of service with Beck’s and will retire on December 31.

One question we get asked a lot is how we apply nitrogen (N) on our wheat acres. What we have observed in Practical Farm Research (PFR)^® is that, regardless of the source of N applied, split applications pay. Some of the benefits of split applications include increased yield, increased N efficiency, and the potential for lower environmental losses.

Beck’s follows the hiring philosophy of “get the right people on the bus,” and then “get people into the right seat on the bus”. It isn’t unusual for employees to enter new roles in various departments as they grow and change throughout their career. Employee development is one of the six defining objectives for 2017 set forth by leadership at the State of the Company address last spring. Bill Freitag’s recent move closer to his family in Minnesota, and transition from production to sales, is a great example of an employee finding the right seat on the bus with Beck’s.

I hate deer season. No, I really do not. Anyone who knows me and/or reads this blog knows that deer hunting is a large part of my life and of my family’s heritage and tradition. In fact, I am right in the middle of one of my best seasons in a long time. However, having spent over 100 hours in the woods over the past few weeks, there are a few observations I would like to share about the frustrations, aggravations and consternations of deer season.