27
Mar
2017
As I sit down to write this, I do so with a great deal of joy and satisfaction. Along with these emotions there is also a bit of fear and trepidation. Let me start off by telling those of you who may not be familiar with FCA what this organization is all about.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is an international organization dedicated to mentoring and discipling athletic coaches in Jr. High Schools, High Schools and Colleges around the world. There are approximately 1,500 full-time FCA Staff Members in the United States. The vision of this ministry is to help bring the influence of Christ to these coaches so they can then share that with the kids they coach. This ministry has been very successful for many decades.
Categories: Outdoors with Mike Roux
Tags: Beck's Blog, Mike Roux, Outdoors with Mike Roux, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, FCA Outdoors, christian ministry
25
All his life, Brooks Barnes has known he wanted to be a farmer. “I used to go to the field and ride between my daddy's legs in the combine. I'd take naps there. They couldn't get me away from it.” Brooks recalls.
In high school, Brooks was a very talented athlete but by his junior year, something else was calling him. "I decided I didn't want to play sports anymore. I wanted to come home and burn diesel fuel or go hunting or fishing. I'm an outdoors person.”
Now Brooks and his family grow tobacco, sweet potatoes, corn, soybeans and wheat.
Categories: Why I Farm, Why I Farm Roadtrip
Tags: Why I Farm, corn, Wheat, Natalina Sents, Why I Farm Roadtrip, North Carolina, Heather Barnes, Brooks Barnes, sweet potatoes, tobacco, beans, logging
16
The buttercups on my front walk are already blooming, the geese on the lake are pairing up, and every farmer I talk to is already getting antsy about planting. While the buttercups might have gotten a little ahead of themselves in light of this week’s cold snap, spring is inching ever closer. It’s a time of new life and renewal, manifested in the return of green to our fields. This all gets me thinking about seeds.
Categories: Ag Education
Tags: Beck's Blog, Beck's Hybrids, corn seed, Daffodils, soybean seed, Samantha Miller, seeds, National Seed Storage Lab, why seeds matter
14
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks. She went for a walk in the forest and pretty soon, she came upon a house. She knocked and, when no one answered, she walked right in. Why on earth a little girl was wandering alone in a forest, and breaking into a stranger’s home is anyone’s guess…but everyone knows what happens next. She tried some porridge, sat in some chairs, and then proceeded to lay down in these stranger’s beds until she found one that was “just right.”
Categories: PFR, PFR Reports
Tags: Beck's Blog, corn, corn planting, Beck's Agronomy, Yield, PFR Report, Jim Schwartz
9
Growing up in agriculture doesn’t guarantee an easy farming career. Rob Sharkey knows this from personal experience. Although he grew up as the fifth generation to farm his family’s land, he’s had his fair share of challenges. But just like the generations before him, he is proud to call Illinois home.
Tags: Beck's Blog, Why I Farm, Beck's Hybrids, corn, Illinois farmer, Natalina Sents, Why I Farm Roadtip, Shark Farmer, Rob Sharkey, Emily Sharkey
8
Emotions play a huge role in our lives and drive everything we do. They can impact our moods and drive our decision making. Our emotions can cause us to buy certain brands and leave others. That’s just the way it works.
Tags: Beck's Blog, Practical Farm Research, Beck's Agronomy, PFR, ESCALATE, PFR Proven, Jim Schwartz, Capture LFR
5
Carl Sandburg is credited with saying, “Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me.”
Meredith Bernard grew up in the country and her parents worked in agriculture, but she never planned to live on a North Carolina farm. After getting degrees in animal science and ag education, she began traveling for her job in feed sales. Her interest in horses helped her connect with the clients she encountered. While out in the country side, Meredith met a cattleman named Lawrence who helped her get back in the saddle after a bad riding accident.
Tags: Beck's Blog, Why I Farm, Beck's Hybrids, cattle, farm life, Natalina Sents, Why I Farm Roadtrip, North Carolina, Meredith Bernard, This Farm Wife
3
Last week the Daytona 500 officially marked the beginning of NASCAR season. This iconic race is not only the biggest race of the season, but it is also super important for multiple reasons. The first, obvious bragging rights and a confetti shower for the crowned champion. Second is that the Daytona 500 sets the stage for the rest of the season. It’s important for the drivers to get off to a good start, not only when that green flag waves in Daytona, but also for the remainder of the season as they sprint towards that coveted cup.
Tags: Beck's Blog, Practical Farm Research, Beck's Agronomy, Kentucky PFR, Fungicide, PFR, Insecticide, in-furrow
1
Last year was such an exciting year for Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® team. In 2016 we saw a tremendous amount of positive change in the PFR program as we:
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When it comes to wheat management, there are many decisions that can be made in the fall, such as herbicides, tillage, and row spacing, that ultimately influence the success of your crop. Once we reach the spring and summer months, nitrogen (N) management decisions such as forms and inhibitors, as well as fungicides and herbicides become top of mind. With lower commodity prices it’s even more critical to evaluate wheat management options to increase our bottom line. Over the past few years, Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® team has tested many of these management options across multiple locations in hopes of helping farmers make more informed decisions.
Tags: PFR Report, winter wheat management, Joe Bolte
Join PFR location lead, Tyler Kilfoil, and Mike Schwegman, Field Tech Specialist with CapstanAg, as they introduce the new product Seed-Squirter.
Join Ryan McAllister, regional business manager and former PFR Director, as he announces some recent PFR role changes and introduces Beck’s new Director of PFR and Agronomy, Jim Schwartz.
Much of the Midwest has experienced an extremely mild winter this year. While that is great for early planting preparations, mild winters also mean that there is an increased opportunity for soil-borne insects to thrive. One proactive solution to combat these pesky pests is the use of an in-furrow insecticide.
Tags: Beck's Blog, Practical Farm Research, Beck's Agronomy, Fungicide, PFR, Insecticide, Capture VGR
28
Feb
Tags: Beck's Blog, soybeans, Practical Farm Research, Beck's Agronomy, PFR, Jim Schwartz, Populations
23
Right now across the U.S., there are 650,000 FFA members celebrating National FFA Week. Each FFA member is a future professional in our agricultural industry, and here at Beck’s, we are proud to support them.
If you weren’t involved in FFA in school, you may not be familiar with all that they do other than drive their tractors to school and sport those blue corduroy jackets. Here’s the Cliffs Notes version to help bring you up to speed.
Tags: Beck's Blog, Beck's Hybrids, FFA, Ag Education, Samantha Miller, FFA Week, National FFA Organization, Future Farmers of America
Tags: Beck's Blog, soybeans, Practical Farm Research, Beck's Agronomy, Fungicide, PFR, Jim Schwartz, in-furrow
17
As farmers prepare for a new planting season, they seek new ways to improve seedling growth to maximize their yield potential. In-furrow technologies such as starter fertilizers, micronutrients, seed treatments, and fungicide and insecticide applications are one way to nourish seedlings at their most vulnerable state. And because these in-furrow technologies provide crops with nutrients and protection during those early growth stages, farmers can plant earlier knowing their crop is set up for season-long success.
Tags: Beck's Blog, Beck's Agronomy, Kentucky PFR, PFR, Jim Schwartz, Additives, Indiana PFR
You may think by the title of this article that I am going to talk about dropping your cap in the woods, but that is not the case. Instead we are going to discuss one of the fastest growing topics in the hunting world. Looking for, finding, and collecting shed antlers has become one of the most popular activities among not just hunters but the general public as well. A lot of folks are now spending their late winter days looking to bring home a pile of discarded whitetail deer antlers.
Tags: Beck's Blog, Mike Roux, hunting, outdoors, Outdoors with Mike Roux, shed antlers, deer antlers
15
Have you ever considered planting your soybeans at the same time as your corn? What about before your corn? Most farmers don’t consider these options because it costs more to put out an acre of corn than it does soybeans and the risk with corn is always higher, so we always like to get it in the ground sooner.
Tags: Beck's Blog, corn, soybeans, Practical Farm Research, Agronomy, PFR, Jim Schwartz, Early Plant
13
Although Punxsutawney Phil is forecasting six more weeks of winter, the wheat across Missouri is coming out of dormancy and will be heading out before we know it. With the favorable fall growing conditions and mild winter we experienced, it looks like we are prepared for another great wheat harvest. Throughout the state, we have had very good tiller growth and winter survivability overall.