May 2021

Soybeans in the photo below are pushing their second trifoliate leaves just over three weeks from a May 1 planting date. Temperatures in this north central Iowa county were slightly warmer than normal in May, but rainfall was below normal. The farmer attributes vigorous growth to a variety known for good emergence, plus an in-furrow treatment of multiple […]

A dozen years ago our first recommendation for applying WakeUP was: “Spray when corn or beans are at stage V2 to V4.” That’s about pop-can high. We’d found that’s the best timing to trigger more prolific rooting, plus a burst of mycorrhizal growth, which amplifies uptake of moisture and nutrients. But few farmers found the

More than 10,000 international medical experts and 1,000 attorneys have joined a fast-emerging class action lawsuit against the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control  and other health agencies for Covid-19 “crimes against humanity.”  Most mainstream U.S. media have ignored or censored the legal attack, which was ignited by a German attorney, Dr. Reiner Fuellmich. German citizens are generally familiar

Our farmer clients are cautious about exuberant over-investing in land and equipment amid the adrenaline rush of $7 corn and $15 beans. They’re wise. Here’s some perspective from a farmer who over-leveraged into the late 1970s farmland boom, which went bust in the early 80s.  May 19, 2021  By Jerry Carlson   Today’s my 85th birthday. I sometimes

Crop consultant Bob Streit of Central Iowa Agronomics is one of our key WakeUP distributors, and he also allows us to occasionally post excerpts from his reports to farmer clients. The six points he offers here are timely as Central Corn Belt farmers wrap up corn planting after one of the driest Aprils we’ve seen.

The Biden administration’s “American Families Plan” would tax inherited land at capital gains rates as a sale. That would curtail childrens’ ability to inherit a farm with a new tax basis “stepped up” to current market value. Inheriting free of capital gains tax has been in effect since 1921. May 6, 2021  The proposed tax law would drastically curtail families’ freedom to bequeath substantial farmland

My longtime friend Jim Wiesemeyer, Pro Farmer’s policy and trade analyst based near Washington DC, posted this prediction today on ProFarmer.com:  “How low will Brazil’s corn crop go? A lot lower than many think and definitely way below USDA’s current 109 million tonne forecast, based on conversations with veteran Brazil crop watchers. Sources inform the crop is likely in