First, crunch those tough, tire-jabbing cornstalks. Second, spray on a residue-digesting blend of lignin-loving microbes that will chew through cellulose and lignin. This one-two punch converts more raw carbon from stalks to humus. Then over the following weeks, the active humus meters out stored nutrients to your crop.  Sept. 11, 2018 — On this date, Sept. 11,  it’s appropriate […]

Rivers of rainstorms drowned out my second and final foliar spray application in a simple experiment on sweetcorn in late August. But with only one foliar application of Mainstay Si, the data showed a “signal” of silicon at work. That’s what John Kelly of Redox advised in an August 20 seminar.  September 9, 2018 by Jerry Carlson — Bottom line first: Just one

Five tons of stalk and cob residue recaptured biologically after a 250-bu. corn harvest contain roughly 112 lbs. of N, 40 lbs. of P2O5 and 275 pounds of K2O. Growers who’ve learned how to unleash biological life in their soils can earn even greater values with water absorption and storage capacity, crop health and resilience against weather stress. September 5, 2018   by

“This part of our garden was solid Canadian thistle this spring,” Howard Vlieger said in a message which accompanied the photo at the bottom of this report. Howard’s home and farm is in Sioux County, northwestern Iowa. August 26, 2018 — The transformation from thistles to a thick cover crop on this patch occurred with the

One of America’s venerable crop consultants, Dr. Carey Reams, often cited this maxim: “If you could double the thickness of a crop leaf, that leaf would increase its sugar production four times. The extra chlorophyll would capture much more sunlight energy.” August 24, 2018 — Research with calcium silicate is approaching that theoretical goal. For several years, vegetable and fruit

When Ken Hamilton and Salam Awada flew from Idaho to attend a farmers’ meeting in Iowa Aug. 20. It’s a signal of how important they see you as a farmer whose soil stewardship matters to our future. You’re the key ingredient in their professional goals. August 23, 2018 — This report on the farmer field

When I was a beginning ag journalist with Farm Journal, the senior crops editor advised me: When writing about a new idea for farmers, remember that your reader is telling you: “Write less on how it came to be, and more on what it means to me.” August 22, 2018  By Jerry Carlson — But this story on

That Verdesian field day at Dave Schwartz’ farm yesterday presented an eye-opening array of promising new biologically-based crop technology. Your challenge now: Choosing the most profitable, synergistic blend of ideas! August 21, 2018 — Over the next several days, we’ll summarize many of the ideas at the “Show Me the Money” field day Aug. 20. The rapid-fire lineup

This morning, Biodyne USA President Gil Farley sent us the photo below of a yield estimate from a northern Indiana side-by-side corn trial. Their Environoc 401 bacterial inoculant placed in-furrow showed a 27-bu. benefit. August 18, 2018 — The photo below tells the story. Both parts of the side-by-side experiment were planted April 19, 2018.