Streaming video technology and a wide range of sponsors have equipped Professional Farmers of America editors to provide live information through the annual Pro Farmer Crop Tour. Here’s how you can join the action online. August 18, 2020   By Jerry Carlson — When I retired from Pro Farmer almost 20 years ago, I was already […]

On July 24 we asked: “Is China stocking up on corn, beans as a buffer against flood damage to China’s crops?” New evidence confirms “yes” — even though official Chinese stocks report claim a great 2020 crop and abundant stocks.  August 17, 2020 — Here’s a headline in today’s South China Morning Post: “China drought, heavy

Mike Wlliams farms in Pocahontas County, and is also an agronomist on the staff of Gold Eagle Co-op — a multi-outlet cooperative in central Iowa. He applies full-season nutrition and biological products from planting through the growing season. Mike’s photos of his 2020 corn crop are an example of how TLC (tender loving care) pays off under

Yesterday morning, east central Iowa farmers were looking at a healthy, promising corn crop. By mid-afternoon, they saw thousands of acres flattened by “derecho” straight-line winds up to 110 miles per hour.  Corn flattened in Greene County, Iowa, west of Des Moines August 11, 2020 — Insurance companies, co-ops and Iowa ag officials are scrambling to evaluate the crop damage. You

This season’s crop residue can replace a chunk of your 2021 fertilizer bill. Several “bio” firms offer live organisms, enzymes and stimulants for your  soil’s natural fungi nd bacteria which digest those lignin-laced cornstalks. August 10, 2020 By Jerry Carlson — Thousands of farmers are also seeing how multi-species cover crops amplify soil biodiversity, which accelerates residue recycling.

This summer’s dry weather across much of the Midwest reveals how a natural fungal endophyte helps crops hang onto yield under stress. Dramatic yield differences between treated vs. untreated crops has encouraged growers worldwide to expand applications from 220,000 acres in 2017 to more than 2 million acres this season. August 5, 2020 — It’s a friendly fungus, Trichoderma harzianum, developed by

We at Renewable Farming applauded a United Soybean Board’s 2019 soybean quality research project which invited Illinois soybean growers to send in samples for feed value testing. Such research could eventually link soybean market appeal to soil quality and production practices, helping Illinois farmers improve feed value and gain export markets. Aug. 3, 2020 — Farmers sent 367 samples from their 2019-crop

Most of America’s ag websites and major news outlets reported this week on the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of seed packets from China arriving in peoples’ mailboxes — but were never ordered by the recipients. July 30, 2020 By Jerry Carlson — Whatever the motive, the surge of seed reveals that America’s biosecurity defenses are virtually porous against

In two previous articles, we’ve reported a couple of midseason methods farmers are trying to “insure” against severe dry-weather losses, especially in the western Corn Belt. In Iowa, rains faded west of Interstate 35 during July. One of our clients in Sioux County, extreme northwest Iowa, says: “Corn on sandy land is already gone. Soybean

Nobody this side of the Pacific knows the answer to that question. But Chinese soybean importers booked 1.76 million metric tons of U.S. corn this week — the largest export sale of corn in 30 years. Commercial exporters also reported that China ordered 129,000 tonnes of U.S. soybeans and 320,000 tonnes of U.S. wheat. This tops up record