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30Nov

Why Record Soybean Acres in 2018 Matter on Your Farm

USDA's Office of the Chief Economist is forecasting soybeans to reach a record of 91 million acres in 2018—equal to that of their rotation partner, corn at 91 million acres. Before switching acres to soybeans consider market implications. "The past few years the market has been essentially asking for soybeans," says Matt Bennett, farmer and owner of Bennett Consulting in Illinois. "The price ratio for beans to corn has been robust. For fall prices we're looking at 2.75:1 which definitely suggests...

By Grains
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29Nov

Pipelines and Farmers Collide

Soil is life, dirt is death, and the vast distance between takes a lifetime to cross. Mike Kelley is staring into the chasm and believes part of his farmland will suffer stunted yields for the rest of his life. He says the delicate soil balance, a rich, black elixir sweetened by nature’s alchemy, is lost to a pipeline. Pipelines and agriculture are a contentious pair, with a growing number of farmers raising concerns over soil health, drainage issues and responses from...

By Grains
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29Nov

Is Nitrogen-Fixing Corn the Future?

Nutrient-rich soils spoil corn—in fact, so much nitrogen is present in the soil, a function that would have made microbes fixate corn nitrogen has shut off. Ever since, farmers have applied ton after ton of nitrogen to the soil to ensure hybrids perform to their potential. “Fertilizer is the lifeblood of which yields can be realized—it’s what makes discovering the genetic potential of the seed possible,” says Karsten Temme, co-founder and CEO of Pivot Bio. “At Pivot we’re trying to unlock...

By Grains
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29Nov

Pure Seed from Field to Finish

If the industry could only guarantee half of your corn seed is what you paid for, would that be good enough? Seed corn producers and companies have checks and balances in place to ensure you get what you expect. Standards vary by company but the seed industry works to discourage contamination from the field to the bag. For example, pollen from neighboring fields could easily travel via wind and pollinate other fields. Seed corn producers fight foreign pollen to ensure the...

By Grains
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28Nov

Electricity Will Shape Future Farms

Advances in electricity technology seldom focus on agriculture. This is to be expected for our industry that contributes less than 1% of GDP. The actual impact on us of these seemingly unrelated developments, however, could be considerable. For example, large farm buildings cry out to be covered in photo-voltaic (PV) cells, which continue to plummet in price. At the same time, sheds offer room for large batteries to store energy. With or without sellback rules, we could be paying our electricity...

By Ethanol, Grains
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