Iowa agronomic consultant Bob Streit often refers to an unorthodox meteorologist, Simon Atkins, who incorporates many factors into his seasonal forecasts. Here’s an excerpt from Bob’s weekly report to his clients which bears on the upcoming 2021 growing season. March 11, 2021  Bob cites another consultant, Jerry Scheppele, a Northeast Iowa crop advisor we’ve known for […]

Here’s another small but dramatic demonstration that deep, fibrous corn roots with abundant mycorrhizal fungi can save bushels under dry-weather stress. March 11, 2021 — Since January, we’ve repeated several greenhouse trials to drought-test young corn. We were looking for first-hand evidence of how specific fungi and bacteria which live inside living corn tissue can enhance the crop’s ability to tolerate

February 22, 2021 By Jerry Carlson  Living and working on your farm or ranch is a haven from pandemic paranoia, cultural clashes and financial fears tormenting families in locked-down cities. Our small farm in northeast Iowa is home for three family generations.  Here are 12 reasons why your on-farm base is especially valuable now. 1. Prices of corn, soybeans, wheat and other

When a farmer hitches up a planter or climbs into a combine cab, a flood of adrenaline fuels his Mission From On High. Full speed ahead! No time for flagging test strips or recording weigh-wagon samples. (I’m just acknowledging reality!) February 26, 2021  By Jerry Carlson — Based on 30 years of encouraging practical field research with biological products

“Over the last 20 years, we’ve never seen a drought situation looking like this through February. There’s extensive drought in the Northern Plains. There’s exceptional drought in the four-corner states. But there’s little drought in the eastern half of the U.S.” February 24, 2021 — That report is from Eric Snodgrass, principal atmospheric scientist at Nutrien

One vital climate fact hammered into memory from my interview with climatologist Dr. Reid Bryson decades ago: Expansion of the westerly winds over the Northern Hemisphere relates directly to a cool, dry climate in North America.  February 18, 2021 By Jerry Carlson — The current deep loop in the circumpolar vortex over the U.S. might

This season, Renewable Farming offers farmers one of the most intriguing biological innovations we’ve seen in years. They’re beneficial bacteria and fungi called endophytes. These microbes live inside your crops, helping them withstand stress from drought, heat, cold or excess moisture.  February 17, 2021 These natural organisms were first discovered in one of the world’s highest-stress zones: Yellowstone National

The Israel Institute of Technology and Aleph Farms of Rehavot, Israel just announced development of ribeye steak grown from living cells in a laboratory. Meat with the texture, appearance and taste of cuts from a steer. February 11, 2021 — If culturing live meat cells in a production plant is more efficient than raising meat in

My favorite weather website is Weather Underground. Its 10-day forecast displays a full-page linear chart predicting temperature, precipitation, wind speeds and other details you can see at a single glance. February 3, 2021  By Jerry Carlson — I keep the 10-day forecast bookmarked on my computer. A second valuable feature is its Wundermap, which shows you high-resolution radar images. With its sequential motion option, you can

Renewable Farming’s biological principles are now “mainstream ag technology.” That was the theme of the “new” AgriEnergy Solutions LLC seminar which I attended Thursday, Jan. 28. January 30, 2021  By Jerry Carlson   Farmers met new friends and asked questions of experienced presenters at Thursday’s face-to-face seminar here in Cedar Falls, IA this week. I sense that farmers